When you look at a Rottweiler you think it must eat a bag of food daily. In addition to any incidental passersby who were not on their guard. JOKING!!! Seriously, Rotties are huge and powerful dogs. Anyone interested in getting one cannot be blamed for balking at the thought of feeding such a giant. But do they eat you out of home and hearth? If you take an easy measure such as a standard cup (250 ml), then how many cups of food should a Rottweiler eat?
So, how many cups of food should a Rottweiler eat a day?
The amount of food your Rottweiler should eat depends on its age, condition, and how much exercise it gets. Adult Rottweilers who are not yet seniors should eat about 4 – 8 cups of kibble (dry dog food) a day.
It stands to reason that Rottweiler puppies will eat less than adults. When they reach adulthood one would think the amount of food would stay the same most of the time. When they start aging do they eat less? They probably should as they are getting less exercise. We try to answer most of these questions below and discuss some conditions that ought to change the amount your Rottweiler should be eating (and the best quality dog food for your Rottweiler).
How Many Cups of Food Should a Rottweiler Puppy Eat?
Puppies of all dog breeds grow quickly and in spurts. You need to monitor the Rottweiler pup to ensure that it grows neither too fast nor too slow. Contrary to what you might expect it is not a good thing at all if your pup grows too fast. It will lead to joint problems and could even result in bone deformation. Rottweilers are fast growers so do take care that it does not end up with a bone disease.
There is an alarming number of bone diseases that can occur in growing dogs:
- Osteochondritis dissecans (OD or OCD) ) or osteochondrosis (OC)
- Panosteitis
- Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy (HOD)
- Elbow Dysplasia
- Hip Dysplasia
- Luxating Patella
A lot of the above diseases occur as a result of large dogs growing too fast. It is therefore very important to monitor your pup’s growth all the way through to adulthood.
Fortunately, there are charts available that show you what the average weight of Rottweiler puppies should be at different ages. One such chart is reproduced below.
You need to weigh your pup faithfully and take remedial action as soon as its weight falls above or below the range as given in the chart.
It is, of course, better to do this with the help of your vet but every vet visit costs money. It is helpful to your vet in any case if you have kept a record of your measures of the weight and what you did afterward. It will help the vet to adjust the diet or do tests that could be necessary to determine if there is a serious problem with your pup.
Age and weight table for Rottweilers:
Maintaining the optimal weight gain in terms of how many cups of food your Rottweiler pup should eat needs a bit of calculation. It depends on what the dog is expected to weigh at maturity. For Rottweilers, it can be anything from 80 to 135 pounds.
Now you can consult another chart, that tells you how many cups of food at each age should result in optimal weight gain:
How Many Cups Should a Rottweiler Adult Eat Per Day?
Does gender make a difference?
In the case of large dogs like the Rottweiler, there is quite a difference in the adult size of males and females.
An adult female Rottweiler’s weight ranges from 80 to 100 pounds (36 to 45 kg) while the male ranges from 95 to 135 pounds (43 to 61 kg). You can see that a male is quite a bit heavier and would need more food to maintain all that muscle.
You can follow the general guideline as given in the table above or calculate the exact amount according to your pet’s individual weight.
This calculator lets you enter the dog’s weight and activity level and then calculates the number of calories it needs. You can then carry on and choose one of their products.
But if you have a food that you always feed your dog look at the calorie values on the package and you should be able to work out how many cups you need to achieve the number of calories recommended.
Current condition
You must also consider the current condition of your Rottweiler when deciding how much you should feed it.
Is it too fat?
Too thin?
Is it very healthy?
A bit under the weather?
Downright sick?
Is it recuperating from an operation or an injury?
Does it have any allergies?
Exercise level
A bit of a no-brainer, this one. Dogs are just like humans. The more active they are, the more food they need. The more they lie around the house and do not take out the garbage, the less food they need.
We’ll exempt the dog from taking out the garbage, but you get the picture.
The best way to determine whether your dog is getting enough food to sustain him at his particular exercise level is too weigh him regularly and see if he gains or loses weight. Just like humans.
Do not get stressed about a few ounces here and there but a consistent rise or fall in weight tells you to adjust his food.
Health problems
Rottweilers are prone to a plethora of health problems.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia
- Vision and eye problems (e.g. progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, eyelid deformities, etc.)
- Bleeding disorders e.g. Von Willebrand’s disease
- Hypothyroidism
- Addison’s disease
- Gastroenteritis
- Folliculitis
- Heart defects (cardiomyopathy, subaortic stenosis, etc.)
- Cancer
- Canine bloat
If your Rottweiler was diagnosed with any of these illnesses your vet should give you guidelines concerning the food it can eat.
The amount of food should also be included in the vet’s recommendations. Stick with it, do not try to show your love by giving more! Do not be an idiot and give less!!!
Food quality
All the guidelines that we give here make a basic assumption. We assume that you are giving your dog high-quality dog food. But as most dog owners discover if they bother to read the labels, there is good and bad quality dog food out there. And price does not always indicate which is which.
In general, a good quality dog food is nutritionally balanced for the age of the dog. The breed is a factor but not as much as one would think. Breed relates to adult weight so we are back to the size of the dog being an important issue.
Good quality dog food is made from ingredients approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The AAFCO also has guidelines for the proportions of these ingredients.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) has a very good article on its website explaining how to read dog food labels. This will help you to decide whether the content of your dog food package is good quality or not.
A rule of thumb that should give you an idea that your dog food may not be very good is the more poop, the lower quality. All that junk just goes in one end and out the other and the poor dog gets very little nutrition. Fact.
How About Senior Rottweilers?
Older dogs have significantly lower energy needs.
Lower energy = different dietary needs.
A good senior dog diet should be lower in calories, higher in fiber but with adequate protein and fat.
In most cases, you can continue feeding the adult food when your dog gets to be a senior, but you will have to reduce the volume. Fat Rotties are not healthy and fat, old Rotties are worse.
If your Rottweiler has specific health problems that come with age, like kidney problems or reduced digestive ability, you must try to feed it in a way that will alleviate those conditions. Or at least prevent it from escalating.
Related Questions
Rottweilers gain weight easily but you must be careful not to overfeed. The object should be to gain muscle weight not fat. While you must maintain a balance of nutrients and enough water at all times, it will help to feed more protein. Thirty percent protein if it eats dry kibble should result in weight gain. The number of cups will depend on the composition of your food.
Twice a day is a safe frequency according to the AKC. The best times are early in the morning around seven and early in the evening around six. Dogs get hungry about eight to ten hours after their last meal.
