How Often and How Much To Feed a Poodle? – Feeding Guide and Chart

Last Updated/Info Checked on October 19, 2023 by Scott

I have a labradoodle and feeding that little monster takes more than research. It takes trial and error until I know how much he needs.

But we have to start somewhere, right? I’ll give you a headstart in this article for your poodle diet. 

How much should a Toy, Standard, or Miniature Poodle eat? It is a minute to consider. I mean the difference between a Standard and a Toy is only 5 inches at shoulder height. To make up for that, you may have to reduce a few grams of the food for the Toy to what you’d feed the Standard. Instead, focus on the needs of the breed and your dog particularly. 

So, here’s how often you should feed a poodle based on my experience with my own lab-poodle mix, which is nearly the same thing, and the myriads of poodles I’ve taken care of in the animal shelter. 

Yes, these babies can end up there despite being purebred. Do them a favor and adopt one when you see it.

It’s an adorable, lively, athletic, and loving breed. As for the feeding times, charts, and everything you need answers for, read on. 

How Often Should You Feed A Poodle?

It goes without saying that you should feed it daily. Do not stress the differences in the sizes of the poodles.

Typically how often you should feed a poodle depends on its age.

A puppy should be fed three times a day while an adult could go two times a day. They have more resilience and tolerance than the pups, of course. 

This is just the gist of the answer you’ll find in this article. Here are the details. But first, I’d like to answer a very pressing question. 

Do Poodles Eat A Lot?

I always answer this question by telling the owners that it boils down to the individuality of the dog.

Generally, a poodle puppy of 5 pounds requires about 1 cup of kibble per day, which has to be divided into ⅓ portions for morning, evening, and night.

A 25-pound poodle, on the other hand, needs about two cups of kibble – one in the morning and one in the evening. 

While you may think this doesn’t add up, that’s how things are with these dogs. And that’s why I stress the individual needs of the dog. 

Before selecting any food or the number of cups/meals per day, I look at the

• Weight of the poodle, and
• Label of the kibble brand I’m using. 

I match both these to find a balance. For example, if my poodle is 25 pounds, and the label says I should be feeding my dog 2 cups a day, I look into the routine of the dog.

If it’s over-active and athletic, and the owner exercises it more often, I may increase the portions a wee bit to match its overall needs.

At the same time, if the same dog is a couch potato, I’ll reduce the portions from 2 cups to 1.5 and add plenty of exercise.

Over time, when the dog sheds some weight, I’ll increase the portions back to the recommended.

This has worked for me and it could work for you, too. Know the daily recommendation, then the weight and needs of your dog, and then chalk out a balanced path in between. 

But How Do I Know If I’m Feeding My Dog Enough?

That’s a valid question. How do you know if your dog is starving? By simply monitoring its weight gain or loss.

By the method I shared above, check your dog’s weight at the end of each week to keep tabs on potential gains or losses. If it’s gaining more weight, then reduce the portions and vice versa. 

Besides weight, other aspects will also tell you if you’re underfeeding the dog. 

• It will be lethargic because it’s not getting enough energy. 
• It will show signs of health deterioration over time. For example, tooth loss, gum bleeding, etc. 
• You may find that it’s not pooping more often than it should. Or that its poop has hardened or softened to extremes.
• You may see a visible discomfort in the way it carries itself. 
• Hell, it won’t carry itself anywhere. I’ll sleep more often. 
• You may find changes in its behaviors. For example, agitation or increased affection. 
• If it’s looking at the bowl or visiting it more often and whining when it sees it empty, that could also be a sign. 
• You could also physically check the dog’s ribs. If you could feel its skeleton more than its muscles, boy you’re underfeeding it. 
• The poodle’s beautiful coat won’t stay pretty.
• If you see it throwing green liquid here and there from its mouth, that’s bile vomit. 

How many cups of food should a standard poodle eat? Charts for toy, mini, and standard poodles

The role of a poodle’s age, weight, activity, and general health is bigger in how much it should eat daily than you could think.

I’ll answer the question based on these metrics, so you can get a chart worth following. 

At the same time, though, remember my philosophy of individuality. I seriously cannot stress it more than I already have. 

Here’s how much you should feed your dog chart. Remember that these are for dry kibble. 

Toy Poodle Adult and Puppy Care

Age (months)	Weight (lbs)	Energy Requirement (kcal)	Cups of food
2	1 to 1.5	120 to 125	⅓ cups divided into three meals
4	3 to 3.5	170 to 175	⅓ to ½ cups divided into three meals
6	3.5	172 to 180	½ cup per day
8	4	180 to 190	½ cup per day
10	4.5	190 to 200	½ to 1 cup per day
12	5	200 to 210	½ to 1 cup per day

Mini Poodle

Age (Months)	Weight (lbs)	Energy requirement (kcal)	Cups of food (dry kibble)
2	3	265	½ cup
4	6	300	⅔ cup
6	6 to 6.5	350	⅔ cup
8	7 to 8	370	¾ cup
10	9 to 10	380	¾ cup
12	11.5 to 12	400	⅞ or 1 cup

Standard Poodle Dog Food Chart

Age (months)	Weight (lbs)	Energy requirement (kcal)	Cups of Food
2	8	552	1 and 1/2 cups
4	25	865	2 and 1/2 cups
6	30	900	2 and ⅔ cups
8	35	950	2 and ¾ cups
10	45	1000	3 cups
12	55	1252	3 and 1/2

Related: How Often Should You Feed a Goldendoodle Puppy

How Big Is A Cup Of Dog Food?

Many brands say that their cup measures around 4 oz. However, that varies from brand to brand. That could vary from 3.4 to 4 oz.

I don’t even trust the scoops because they, too, vary from one thing to another. 

The question of using dry vs wet food also arises. 4 oz wet food may not have the same amount of energy as 4 oz dry food.

In the long run, you may be inadvertently underfeeding your dog. 

To measure the exact oz of dry kibble that I’m going to feed a poodle, I use a kitchen scale.

When you put the cup with the food in it on the scale, you’ll be given its weight. If it’s 3.5 to 4 oz, then you’ve 1 cup. 

Of course, you’ll have to do some calculations based on your preference of the unit of weight.

I choose grams over oz because it’s easy to work with. 4 oz is 113 grams. So, I’ll measure out 113 grams of kibble in the cup. It may fill to the brim or not, I don’t care, and neither should you. 

You should be only concerned with the weight of the food you’re feeding the dog. 

Do know that what we measure while baking is different from the ounces of what we feed a dog.

So, 1 cup of dog food doesn’t equal 8 ounces, as the units equal normally (google them). Instead, it’s 4 ounces. One could argue that ½ cup may be equal to 2 ounces. 

The takeaway from this mind-boggling math is that you should measure the food in a cup on a scale. 4 ounces mean 1 cup. 2 ounces mean ½ cup, and so on. 

What Time Should Poodles Eat?

I already discussed how many cups your poodle may need per day. That’s fixed. You could only make changes to it based on your poodle’s needs.

However, how many times a day you should feed your poodle differs from the cups. 

The equation is simple if you ask me. 

Divide the cups into the meals per day. For example, a 2-month to 5-month-old poodle regardless of the type should have three meals per day. So divide the cups accordingly. 

Or, if that’s too hard for you, you could divide the bowl. 

• Fill the bowl with the recommended cups of food. 
• Divide it into three portions suggestively. 
• Take out the rest of the portions and leave one to feed the dog. 
• To avoid repeating this, you may want to do away with separating the portions into three, four, or five, in the morning for the whole day. 

For small pups and toy poodles, you may have to divide the cups into more portions to keep them busy throughout the day. 

Here’s a breakdown of how I divide the portions. 

Age (months)	Portions of meals per day	Timings
2	4	7 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 7 pm
4	4	7 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 7 pm
6	3	7 am, 12 pm, 6 pm
8	3	7 am, 12 pm, 6 pm
10	2	7 am, 5 pm, or when the dog shows signs of hunger
12	2	7 am, 5 pm or when the dog shows signs of hunger

Is It OK to Feed A Dog Once A Day?

It is absolutely okay for an adult dog to be fed once a day. There’s nothing that could possibly go wrong unless and until the dog falls ill. 

In the case of your poodle, follow the recommendations I’ve shared above. Again, it boils down to what your dog wants and how it responds to being fed once a day. 

But I’ll tell you this: Most vets and trainers do recommend that you feed an adult dog only once. That helps them maintain their weight and keep obesity at bay. 

However, keep in mind that when you follow this regime, you may want to limit giving it treats or choose treats that have fewer calories. 

Also, exercise the pet daily to further keep things in the normal range. One thing more: Do not let the dog free feed in any way.

There’s nothing more disastrous than filling its bowl every time it gets empty. A dog may eat more than what it requires for the day, thus, leading to poor eating habits and the most dreaded condition – obesity. 

There’s an exception to that. Poodles of 3 months of age should be left to free-feed. There’s no harm in that.

Those little ones need more energy and calories than the rest. Their organs develop from their nascent stages to more complex functions. For that, they sure need energy.

As the dog gets older, you may want to divide the food into portions or increase the overall amount fed to it. Older members of the breed require more energy to go about it. 

Consider the whole thing as an age arc. Puppies are fed 4 times a day and so are senior dogs. In the middle, adult young dogs are recommended to be fed only once a day. 

How Do You Feed Poodles?

Here are some tips to do so:

Tip 1: Use shallow bowls 

If you’ve noticed (of course, you have), poodles have a small protruding mouth. So, they aren’t going to eat well in deep bowls. I prefer shallow bowls. They are perfect for puppies and toy poodles. 

Tip 2: Discard sharp-edged bowls

Make sure that the edges of the bowl aren’t sharp. You don’t want to hurt the dog, obviously. 

Tip 3: Use a stainless steel bowl

I hate plastic bowls. Use stainless steel ones instead. They do not break easily and don’t have the harmful chemicals that plastics have. 

Tip 4: Slow feed the dog

To slow-feed the dog because they could lose their minds when you call them for food, invest in slow-feeding mats or bowls. The mats and bowls have hidden places where the dog has to sniff out the food.

It takes time and in the meanwhile, the dog’s stomach prepares for the intake. Such a healthy activity. And this keeps your pooch busy for a while!

Tip 5: Slowly add new food when changing

I recommend kibble, but if you’re switching from one type of food to another, then you may consider doing that slowly.

For example, in the first week, use 3 parts old food and one part new food. Increase the quantity of the new food per week until it’s all new food.

This way the dog slowly develops a liking for it and thus, the rejection rate reduces drastically. 

The Best Diet/Food For Poodles – Nutrition Charts

There are many types of foods available online and in stores that could be fed to poodles. I’m a fan of cold-pressed kibble because of the nutrition and quality that it offers. Normal kibble is fine, too.

But I wouldn’t go for wet or semi-wet dog food at all. Also, I’ve made a reservation or two about human food as well.

Unless and until you don’t know what it will do to your dog, don’t feed him anything, even if it’s bacon from your table. 

Regardless, I’ll still want to talk about the different types of foods available. 

1. Dry Food 

Check out my other feeding guides and you’ll find that I recommend kibble beyond absurdity.

It’s good for the teeth, gums, digestive tract, mood, and whatnot. Plus it has more nutrients per cup than wet or any other type of food you could find on the market.

So, it’s a win-win for your dog and your pocket since it will be satiated by the cups you’ll feed it. 

There are two types of kibble so far. 

• Normal kibble is just dry granules manufactured by most brands. 
• Cold-pressed kibble, on the other hand, refers to the new method used in cooking food and then shaping it. 

The second type has gained popularity in many countries because of its added value.

Cold-pressing food retains more nutritional value, aroma, and macro-micro-nutrients than normal kibble. 

Look for the brands that offer this and buy it ASAP. 

2. Wet Canned Food 

Canned dog food may seem tastier and better than dry food, only that it’s not. Since it’s wet, it has at least 75% of water content.

To make up for the 100% grain, only 25% would be solid. You can guess how much nutritional value that will have as compared to kibble, which has 100% solid grain. 

You could buy wet food but that’s expensive. What I do is add a little lukewarm water to the dry food to make a broth if the dog doesn’t want to eat it stone dry. I also try to top it off with treats, yogurt, or boiled meat.

However, I do keep in mind the calorie count. For the topping to not work against the dog’s weight, I remove a bit of the dry food from the bowl. Yes, it’s not exact but it’s also not random. 

When to buy wet food?

Buy it if you have a senior poodle or if your dog makes a fuss out of the meals. Also, some individual dogs enjoy eating more. You cannot outright increase the portions or meal sizes for the sake of your dog.

This is where wet food could be used. It has fewer calories per meal as compared to dry food.

So, even if you feed two bowls to the dog, it may equal one bowl of dry food. This is just an estimation to give you an idea.

Do not take it seriously and measure the food well before feeding it to the dog. 

3. Dry+Wet Foods

Slightly moist foods are also available in the market.

I also don’t recommend them because of the myriad of additives present to preserve the wetness of the food.

It could have some sugars or salts that wouldn’t ring well with your dog. 

When to buy semi-moist food, though? 

When the dog is ill and its digestive tract says no to dry or wet food. You could also feed it to senior dogs.

They enjoy soft and digestible foods. Their digestive tracts may not be able to digest dry kibble as they used to. 

(what is the healthiest food for poodles; can poodles eat dog food?)

4. Human Food 

As you already read, feeding the dog human food requires more prudence and thought.

Please don’t feed it jerkies or tacos straight from the table because you can’t seem to take its puppy dog eyes. 

To give you an understanding of what it could eat, here’s a chart. 

Protein	Fruits	Vegetables	Grains
chicken	mango	carrots	Wheat
beef	Apple	Bell peppers	oats
lamb	Melon and watermelon	broccoli	maize
turkey	pineapple	cabbage	rice
pork	strawberries	corn	oatmeal
fish	blackberries	Sweet potato	corn
eggs	bananas	cucumber	quinoa

This table or chart gives you some of the most common items that you could feed to your dog.

I repeat it time and again to check with your vet, dog trainer, or online about any human food you’ll feed in the future that’s not in the table above. 

When Should I Switch My Standard Poodle To Adult Food? Best Food for Them?

You should switch from puppy food to adult food when the standard poodle is about 10 to 12 months. That’s the age when the puppy is transcending into adulthood. 

Generally speaking, smaller breeds mature at an early age than giant breeds.

So, a toy poodle would become an adult beyond 8 months but a miniature may take a further two months and the standard four months. 

However, since these aren’t rules or laws written in the fabric of the universe, you may want to look into the individual needs of your dog.

Some adult dogs may still need extra nutritious food rich in calcium, protein, and other micro-macro-nutrients because of a certain condition. 

My personal favorite practice is to take the dog to a vet to see if it doesn’t need the puppy food anymore.

I do that when the said breed is about the age beyond which it may not be called a puppy. 

Can Poodles Eat Chicken?

Poodles can eat chicken but make sure the chicken is well cooked before feeding it to them.

Raw chicken may contain Salmonella that could potentially harm the dog. Also, do not go overboard with chicken.

I’ve seen some owners do that because it’s readily available. Too much chicken in a diet could lead to diarrhea. Vets also warn against potential pancreas swelling. 

Can Poodles Eat Rice?

Yes, they can eat well-cooked rice. I normally feed my labradoodle plain white rice boiled with pasta.

He loves it but that’s only once a week when I know that he has enough of his dog food.

Also, when he has stomach issues, I follow the same recipe, but I do add some chicken, too. That lifts his mood as I can see from the way he chirps. 

Can I Feed My Poodle Raw Meat?

You should only feed your poodle raw meat when you know the source of it is safe.

Otherwise, don’t go for it because uncooked raw meat could contain myriads of bacteria ready to invade your dog’s intestines.

One of them is Salmonella. A notorious strain that causes severe stomach upsets. The poor thing suffering from it takes weeks before it’s back to normal. 

However, if you still think feeding raw meat would take the dog to its “habitat”, I suggest that you boil it for a few minutes.

Yes, you can’t practically call it raw after being boiled but a few minutes does not cook the meat. It’s only to get rid of the bacteria if it’s present. 

Salmonella cannot withstand high temps. That’s for sure. 

Can Poodles Eat Table Food?

As I’ve said above, be careful in feeding your poodle table food. Anything on the table does not mean it’s suitable for the dog’s guts. It may contain salt, which is nearly poisonous for dogs.

It may have other toxins that are present in green tomatoes and raw potatoes. You never know. 

However, you can still feed it safe food. That includes lamb, beef, tuna, fish, salmon, apples, broccoli, bell peppers, cabbage, pork, and all the things that I’ve listed above. 

Even then, you should see how the food has been cooked. If there’s too much fat in it as it’s in the case of using oils of all types to cook out food, then I suggest you should avoid feeding it to the dog. 

Instead of feeding your poodle from the table, I suggest that you should keep treats with you.

Whenever my labradoodle approaches the table where I’m eating, I sneak out a snack or a treat from under the plate and throw it at him.

This way, he thinks that it’s my food that I’m feeding him. It’ll work for you, too. 

Besides, this keeps me worry-free and my dog safe. 

Can Dogs Eat Scrambled Eggs?

Yes, they can eat scrambled eggs.

In fact, I suggest that you should feed eggs this way to the dog. Raw eggs aren’t recommended because they may upset the dog’s stomach or cause other complications.

I boil eggs for my dog or scramble them when he’s not in the mood to eat kibble in the morning. 

What Foods Are Poodles Allergic To?

There are certain foods that you should avoid at all costs and never let the dog eat.

That’s because the toxins in them could wreak havoc with their stomach, not to mention their moods and as a result, their overall health. 

Here are the foods you should avoid because poodles are allergic to them. 

• Alcohol – because it’s toxic. 
• Chocolate – dogs cannot metabolize it well enough. 
• Mushrooms – certain strains are toxic. 
• Salt – too much of it can cause seizures. 
• Onions – lead to anemia because it destroys red blood cells.
• Green tomatoes – have the same toxin that causes anemia. 
• Yeast – causes bloating. 
• Nutmeg – a compound that makes it pretty toxic.
• Grapes and raisins – not recommended even in small amounts. 
• Cherries – have cyanide, which could potentially kill the dog on overdosage. 

These are just starters. Again, I’ll say that you should research any food item not listed here before giving it to your dog. 

How Do I Help My Dog Who Is Always Hungry?

Some dogs are always hungry, which makes us think, do dogs ever feel full? “No, they don’t” is the answer from personal experience.

If left to free-feed, my labradoodle will devour every last bite of his kibble and possibly pass out from overeating.

That’s why, even if he’s hungry all the time, I make sure to check a few things to see if he’s really hungry or just makeup excuses to eat those delicious treats. 

• See if your dog food has fillers such as wheat, water, or other things that it may not need. 
• Are you feeding it the right portions? See the label of the food to be sure about that or refer to the charts above. 
• Does the food have the right amount of fiber in it? 
• If all fails, are you feeding the dog some extra nutrition such as vegetables and fruits?

These are some of the things I check.

Of course, you should be mindful of your dog’s tricks but every now and then, take its hunger seriously.

Look for any signs of weight loss, frequent periods of sleeping or napping, lethargy, mood swings, coat loss, teeth or gum diseases, or any bone fracture. 

As for further reasons why your dog acts hungry all the time, watch this video:

Wrapping Up

So, that’s it. All the information you need about the diet of your poodle.

I’ve presented clear knowledge to make sure you’re feeding it the right things. There are charts to follow and foods to consider.

However, use them as a starting point. This knowledge will help you in exploring things further.

You may seem tired of it at some point but things will look worse if your dog ends up in a hospital.

Therefore, keep tabs on what you feed your dog and how much you feed it. To clear out any confusion, go with kibble.