My puppy is 9 weeks old and is 13 inches high and way 19lbs.. I wasn't told how much to feed so I have been going by his weight. The bag goes by weight of dog to how much you feed. It is Purina Puppy Chow but I am in the process of switching to Nutro's Natural Choice. I know the amount will be less but how much should I be feeding this age and size of puppy? According to Purina, at his weight he gets 3 cups a day!

Will and Cody:confused:

Well, congratulations on your new pup. My Kodie started on 3 cups a day and stayed on that until he was about 5-6 months, now I range between 2-3 cups a day. I'm sure you will get a lot of responses to keep the pup on the Purina for awhile. Let him get use to his new home & routine. This is a stressfull times for pups. It will give you some time to look into some foods.
Try to stay with one source of protein + one carb and watch the fillers & stuff.
BTW there's an abundance of info on the forum about food for pups.
Enjoy.

The package amount is as good of a place to start as any. Many puppies come from the breeder over weight. You should be feeding a puppy chow now. Switching to an adult chow for the larger breeds at 4 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier joints.

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx

I agree, start with the instructions on the package, and work up or down from there, depending on your dog's own metabolism. Your vet can help you know when you need to increase or decrease your feeding amount, and teach you how to recognize your dog's own ideal weight.

Purina, in recent years, seems to have been promoting keeping our dogs leaner, so I don't think they'll be overstating their feeding amounts on the bags as much as they (and most other food manufacturers) might once have.

Enjoy your pup, and welcome to the board! :)