Probably a common query (couldn't find anything though...).
I've got marley who is coming up 6mths. I'm feeding him on skinner's adult f&t salmon and rice. Guide says he should be on ~300g per day, but skinners puppy food guides put him on about 500-600g per day. I'm guessing I should be somewhere in the middle.
He's doing well on it, but he always seems hungry.
Any advice?
Thanks

Manufacturers Guidelines are just that, they have made the product and they are in the best position to advise; for some the quantity suggested will be too much, for others too little (or in the case of Labradors ALWAYS too little)

The analysis of the puppy food will differ from the adult food; in addition, a dog's major growth occurs in the first six months of life.

So there is no conflict between feeding a puppy food at a different volume/weight to an adult one.

The calorific value will not be the same. One of the reasons you cannot compare one food with another in terms of quantity unless you know this information.

The amount needed is based on resting energy requirement (RER).

This is calculated as follows:

Dog’s optimal weight x 30 + 70. This will give you the number of kilocalories a resting dog needs in order to maintain its weight eg:

30kg x 30 + 70 = 970 kilocalories per day.

The Daily energy requirement (DER) for most non working dogs = 1.2 – 1.6 x RER.

The intensity, duration and frequency are variable for intermediate exercise so DER can vary from 2 – 5 x RER for intermediate work. Endurance athletes may need >5 x RER eg 5000 – 10,000 kcal/day

Most companies will have done this for you to save you the hassle, but you do need to know value of the food you are feeding first.

Not sure if that helps!

You can reduce the appearance of hunger by:

scatter feeding
Feed via kong, tug a jug, buster cube etc
So it lasts longer

Or you can give FREE foods such as vegetables (careful which ones you choose) which can have zero or few calories (you have avoid the sugary ones like carrots)

ps with a puppy the DER will be higher.

ive had 3 lab pups and to be honest ive never used the guides on the back as they vary so much and I dont have any scales to measure it anyway I adjust the amount of food based on how the dog looks. I like to see a defined waist and a bit of tuck up underneath but my labs breeder like her dogs to carry a bit more weight so it varies from person to person as well. If I start to see ribs noticeably then I up the food by 1/4 cup and if the dog is looking too thick then I cut back by 1/4 cup. I dont feed exactly the same amount each day either. If shes done hell of a lot of exercise that day I might give her an extra 1/4 cup for one meal.

Its all a bit of trial and error but you cant really go wrong with using your eye to see how the dog looks.

Thanks for both your replies - both helpful. It looks like I can't do any damage by trial and error then. He definately has a waist and his ribs aren't particularly visible. I'll up his food a little and see how he gets on.
(I'd post a pic but its quite tricky on a mobile!)
thanks