How Much to Feed 12 Week Old Bernese Mountain Dog? (Stunning Guide)
How much to feed 12 week old Bernese Mountain dog? is one of the most significant things you must know as owners of this giant dog breed. With their big size, it’s easy to consume a large quantity of food in each meal. But Berners do not have the most vigorous stomachs; thus, it’s significant to cautiously plan their feeding schedule.
This article gives the appropriate feeding guide for your Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. If you need to know the suggested quantity of food for your pup, the ideal dog food, foods to prevent, and more, continue reading till the end!
Table of Contents
How Much to Feed 12 Week Old Bernese Mountain Dog? Feeding Chart and More
Read More: Male vs Female Bernese Mountain Dogs: Which One Is Better?
How much to feed a puppy will depend on your dog’s age. As a common rule, healthy Berner puppies require around 1.5-3 food cups daily, while a four-month-old Berner puppy can have three to six cups of food every day or more, based on the dog’s environment.
In addition to age, it will depend on additional factors, for example, Bernese Mountain dog size and sex, digestion, lifestyle, plus activity level. For starters, Bernese Mountain dog feeding charts for every life stage are given in the following sections.
However, remember that your dog’s nutritional requirements must also be based on numerous other factors. Searching for your vet’s approval about your dog’s diet is also recommended.
Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy Feeding Chart from 2-12 months
A newborn to two-week-old Berner puppy will depend upon its mother’s milk for nourishment. From now on, providing the Berner puppy with consistent dog food is not suggested. There’s an appropriate process to allow a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy changeover to regular dog food.
This procedure is known as weaning. Around this period, you must start to feed your puppy kibble. Throughout this time, a Berner puppy is progressively familiarized with solid food. It usually begins with around 75% liquid food, along with approximately 25% solid food. Later, the amount of solid food is gradually enhanced.
An 8-week-old Berner pup should consume actual healthy food. This holds more calories, proteins, as well as fats compared to adult dog food to support the development of a Bernese puppy.
To understand how much to feed a puppy, continue reading:
| Age | Daily Food Amount (Cups) | Kilocalories (Per day) | Protein | Fats |
| 2 months | 1.5 to 1.75 | 405 to 450 | 22% | 8% |
| 3 months | 1.75 to 3 | 675 to 787.5 | 22% | 8% |
| 4 to 5 months | 3 to 4 | 990 to 1,417.5 | 22% | 8% |
| 6 to 8 months | 4 to 5 | 1,417.5 to 2,025 | 22% | 8% |
| 9 to 12 months | 5 to 6 | 1,800 to 2,250 | 22% | 8% |
A Bernese puppy is still growing its bones, muscles, as well as immune system at 1-year-old. Therefore, you must make sure your dog’s diet is at this age for your dog to develop in tip-top situations.
Mature Bernese Mountain Dog Feeding Chart from 1 to 6 years
The Bernese Mountain Dog matures gradually. They frequently achieve their fully-grown size in 1 to 2 years. During this time, it’s suggested to feed them mature dog food instead of Berner puppy food.
The table below demonstrates the correct quantity of mature Bernese Mountain Dog food to offer your dog:
| Age | Daily Food Quantity (Cups) | Kilocalories (Per day) | Protein | Fats |
| 1 to 6 years | 5 to 6 | 1,912.5 to 2,362.5 | 18% | 5% |
Calorie offers energy to your dog’s body; thus, the quantity of their calorie consumption should depend upon their activity level. If your Bernese dog eats more than its body needs, the extra calories will be kept as body fat. This causes obesity.
Instead, protein aids build and repair body cells, tissues, and bones; thus, it’s important for your dog’s growth as well as upkeep. Fats are also a great energy source and help develop skin and fur.
In addition, a Bernese Mountain Dog also wants carbohydrates for extra energy and fiber, plus omega-3 fatty acids for agility.
Why Your Bernese Dog Is Always Hungry?
Bernese Mountain Dogs, similar to other big dog breeds, are big feeders; however, acting starving all the time could stem from problems that are not physical, like anxiety, learned actions, and an absence of training. Some medical problems can cause this situation. Cushing’s disease, and a lack of suitable amounts of proper nutrition in your canine’s feed, could be the reason.
Extreme exercise will have your dog’s body burn calories quicker and, therefore, make them starving after such exercises. Maggots could be one more reason your Berner is always hungry.
Foods to feed Bernese Mountain Dogs
The list below demonstrates the best food options for the Bernese Mountain Dog:
Wet Food: Wet food is more costly than dry food for puppies. It contains protein, fats, as well as carbohydrates. It also includes extra water content for a lenient consistency. Therefore, it’s good food for puppies that are having difficulty chewing.
Dry Dog Food: Dry dog food contains a mixture of grains, meats, green vegetables, plus fruits. It’s helpful to your dog’s teeth health and metabolism.
Raw Diet: Raw Food diet has fresh fruits, green vegetables, and raw meat. It holds high protein, good fats, and fewer carbs.
Home-made Diet: Home-cooked dog food is a more organic option because it permits you to regulate the constituents comprised of the recipe. Homemade food for puppies is the better option for dog owners who don’t want to feed commercially made food to their dogs,
Dog Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Bernese
Offering your Bernese the same food you consume can be alluring, mainly if they watch when you eat. But it’s good to ensure that you provide harmless food for dogs. Several human foods are not for canine consumption. They hold constituents or chemicals that are unsafe for your dogs.
Such as any herb from the allium family, like onion and garlic. They comprise compounds that damage your dog’s RBCs, causing anemia. An additional one is a chocolate. Even though it smells pleasant for your dog, it incorporates a chemical named theobromine that triggers chocolate poisoning.
Macadamia nuts are not suggested, too, because it’s toxic to canines. Bernese Mountain Dogs can experience macadamia poisoning, which is a dangerous condition. Furthermore, sugar-free foods must also be prevented. They frequently hold a sugar substitute known as xylitol, which is also toxic to canines. After eating this, your Bernese Mountain Dog can get seizures as well as liver failure.
When to Switch My Bernese mountain dog Puppy Food to Adult Food?
You must change your puppy Bernese mountain dog from puppy food to grown-up food when he’s about 10 to 12 months old. The changeover of your teenage Bernese Mountain Dogs from puppy to full-grown food is a dangerous stage in their growth.
Puppy food has more calories and nutrients compared to adult food to fulfill the nutritional desires at that phase of life. Transitioning requires being slow by presenting adult feed slowly until you achieve 100% adult feed.
But feeding your adult pup food will fill them with extra protein and fat instead of their body needs and will cause obesity because of the high-fat content the body doesn’t require for optimal growth.
Day Puppy Food Adult Food
Day 1 to 2 75% 25%
Day 3 to 4 50% 50%
Day 5 to 6 25% 75%
Day 7 to 8 0% 100%
FAQs
How much wet food can I feed to my 12-week-old puppy?
You can feed 20g per 1kg of your pup’s weight daily. Therefore, if you have a Bernese puppy weighing five kg, it will require around 100g daily.
Can I feed my one-year-old puppy 3 times daily?
At this stage, puppies are growing crazy! Now, you’ll need to feed your puppy 3 to 4 times daily. These small puppies have tiny stomachs; therefore, smaller meals during the day will aid their bodies in metabolizing the food properly!
Final Verdict
A suitable feeding plan contains how much to feed a puppy, a strict feeding timetable, and what diet to give. It’s vital for the growth as well as the overall well-being of your Bernese Mountain Dog.
Overfeeding, as well as underfeeding, creates a threat to your canine’s health. Following your feeding plan and observing your dog’s food consumption is recommended. It’s also good to avoid offering poisonous foods to dogs.
Hopefully, you have found this article helpful for you. Let me know in the comments section your feedback regarding the Bernese Mountain Dog feeding guide!
References
https://mountainbernese.com/how-much-to-feed-a-bernese-mountain-dog-puppy/ (complete guide)
https://www.bubblypet.com/how-much-to-feed-a-bernese-mountain-dog/ (Puppy & Adult Feeding Chart)
