Puppy Hungry is it normal?

Question
Hello

I have a 5 months retriever, I feed him twice a day 1 2/3 cup of ProPlan ( puppy), and he is always hungry wants more and more.

Is this behavior normal or should I give more food to him?

Thanks

Answer
I don't think I completely understood Labs until I took one to the zoo.  I quickly retreated when she started barking back at the seals.  But it dawned on me.  Labs, and their close relatives, want the same thick layer of fat as a seal for swimming in cold water.  So your puppy will eat much more than is good for it, and look for more.  The greedy little 3 month old I have now wastes little time on the 0.7 cups of Pro Plan puppy chow she get three times a day.  I am just starting to cut back to 2 meals a day.  

Unfortunately, Purina conducted a careful, long term study finishing a few years ago. It clearly shows overweight leads to a sickly, shorter lived dog.  Here is a link to their system for evaluating your dog to determine its feeding level, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx  It is the same system taught by service dog schools to those raising dogs for them.  With it costing the price of a car to train a replacement dog, they will do whatever they have to to give the dog a longer, active life.  Here is an excerpt from ones news letter:  

''Obesity is the number one nutritional disease affecting dogs. It's estimated that 25-45% of dogs in the US are obese. Studies have shown that joint and locomotive problems increase by 57%, circulatory problems by 74%, respiratory problems by 52%, skin problems by 40% and cancer by 50% in animals that are overweight.

Large breed dogs that are overweight also are more prone to developing hip dysplasia. Obesity is especially dangerous for young puppies, as their underdeveloped frame cannot support the extra poundage that it must carry.''

One other thing they do is an early switch to adult chow.  Make your next bag of chow the same formula, but the adult version.  I always mix in the new with the old, not completely feeding the new for a week.  The dog guide school that feeds their dogs Pro Plan forbids puppy raiser to give supplements.  I have seen thousands of their dogs that were thriving on Pro Plan and nothing else.  With careful breeding, keeping the dogs lean, and the early switch to adult chow, they have almost eliminated hip problems.  They X-ray all their dogs after a year old, and virtually all of them are OFA good or better.  If anybody suggest a different diet, ask them if they have thousands of X-rays to back it.