How Much To Feed A Dachshund: From Puppy To Senior

Pet owners that have ever had the pleasure of owning a dachshund can tell you how enjoyable—and frustrating—it is to own one of these wiener dogs. 

Dachshunds are lovable pups that often have a stubborn nature to them. Despite their stubbornness, dachshunds are fantastic dogs that make excellent furry friends. 

Those interested in owning one of these pooches should ask many questions before purchasing a dachshund. One of the questions that prospective Dachshund owners will look into is the question of, “How much to feed a Dachshund?”. 

One thing that prospective Dachshund owners will need to keep in mind is that Dachshunds come in two varieties: standard and miniature Dachshunds. For the purpose of this article, we will address standard Dachshunds. 

Fortunately, adult standard Dachshunds are fairly petite as far as dogs go, so their food requirements are not nearly as enormous as those of larger dog breeds. 

While Dachshunds may not eat the most, there is still plenty to learn about the diets of these wiener dogs. Read on to discover the optimal amounts of food to provide to dachshunds of all ages. 

If You’re A New Owner, Also Watch These Things You Must Never Do With Your Dachshund!

Feeding A Dachshund Puppy

A dachshund puppy will be a tiny sausage dog when you first bring it home, but it will quickly grow into an adult dog right before your eyes. 

Ensuring that your dachshund receives an adequate caloric intake during their puppy years is crucial for the development and prosperity of your pup. 

Follow these guidelines to make sure that your Dachshund is getting all of the nutrients that it needs.

Most importantly, always feed your Dachshund high quality food to keep them happy and healthy. These are our favorite foods!

Why Isn‘t My New Dachshund Puppy Eating?

New Dachshund owners may become worried if their dog isn’t eating during its first day or two at home. 

While this can be an alarming observation, there is no need to worry. 

A new Dachshund puppy will frequently eat a minimal amount of food during its first few days at its new home. This is simply due to the state of shock that these dogs find themselves in during this time. 

Being uprooted from its dog family and moving in with its human family is a jarring experience at first for a Dachshund. Your dog may be confused, scared, and tired during the initial moving process. 

Luckily, your puppy will surely acclimate to its new environment after a few days at home. At this point, your dog should start to develop an appetite. 

If your puppy still isn’t eating after a few days at home, you may want to consult your vet. Also read this article by Preventive Vet.

2 Month Old Dachshund Puppy

Two months old is the typical time that owners are allowed to bring Dachshunds home, as this is the point at which these dogs have had sufficient time with their mothers to know how to behave like a dog. 

Once your new puppy has acclimated to its new home, you can begin by feeding it just over ½ a cup of food daily. 

As your 2-month-old puppy ages, you can begin to gradually increase the amount of food that they’re eating. Before long, they’ll be able to eat ⅔ cup of food quite easily. 

3 Month Old Dachshund

Your 3-month-old Dachshund should be noticeably larger than when you first brought your precious pup home. However, your puppy likely has not hit a major growth spurt yet. 

For those wondering how much to feed a Dachshund of three months of age, you can provide these dogs around ⅔ of a cup of food to start. 

If you find that your puppy still seems hungry after eating 0.66 cups of food, provide them with additional food. Generally, Dachshund puppies that are three months old don’t eat more than ¾ cup of food. 

4-5 Month Old Dachshund Feeding

By the time your Dachshund is four months old, it should be eating around 0.75 cups of food every day. Owners should continue to gradually increase the food that they provide to their canine companion as it ages. 

As your Dachshund approaches five months old, it should be consuming nearly 1 cup of food every day. Don’t be afraid to feed your dog a bit of extra food if you notice that it seems hungry. 

6-9 Month Old Dachshund Feeding

Dachshunds that are between the age of 6 to 9 months are in the teenage years of their lives. This is a time in which your wiener dog may look a bit odd and act a bit grumpy. 

If the proportions of your Dachshund seem a bit strange at this point, don’t worry-this is all part of growing up for your pooch. 

The teenage stage in a Dachshund’s life is a time for major growth. Your dog can grow significantly during these months, so it must receive enough food. 

A six-month-old Dachshund eats about 1 cup of food every day. By the time your Doxie pup is seven months old, it should be eating over 1 cup of food every day. 

Continue increasing your Dachshund’s food intake as its appetite increases with age. Eight and nine-month-old Dachshunds can eat almost 1.5 cups of food per day, so a quantity between 1 and 1.5 cups of food for Dachshunds at this age is ideal. 

10-12 Month Old Dachshunds

Ten to twelve-month-old Dachshunds have nearly reached their adult size by this time in their lives. As your puppy makes its final strides towards its adult size, be sure that you’re supplying them with all of the nutrition that they need. 

Feed a ten-month-old Dachshund at least 1.33 cups of food every day. While some dogs will be content with this amount of food, others will need a bit more. 

Evaluate your puppy’s body size and daily energy expenditures to know how much to feed your pup. Some Dachshund puppies around 10 months old will need to be eating close to 2 cups of food per day. 

Eleven and twelve-month-old Dachshunds are essentially their adult size. At this point, your pooch is scarcely a puppy anymore. 

Instead, your dog is transforming into an adult dog that will need to be supplied with adequate amounts of food to live a healthy life. 

Therefore, feed an eleven to twelve-month-old Dachshund around 2 cups of food every day. 

Switching From A Puppy Food To An Adult Dog Food

Dachshund puppies and adult Dachshunds should not be eating the same food as one another. The reasoning behind this is that adult dogs have different nutritional requirements than puppies. 

Many of the nutrients required for puppies are needed to help them reach their adult size. Of course, adult Dachshunds are no longer growing, meaning that they do not need some of the nutrients that puppies need.

At the same time, adult Dachshunds may need supplements that promote bone and joint health that are not as necessary for young dogs. 

So, when is the optimal time to switch your Dachshund from puppy dog food to adult dog food? 

When you believe that your Dachshund has reached its adult size, it is a great time to switch to high-quality dog food for adult dogs. 

The exact time that a Dachshund gets to this point varies among dogs, but they will generally be 14 to 16 months old. 

Feeding An Adult Dachshund

Given that an adult Dachshund is no longer growing, the amount of adult food that you feed your pooch will be dictated by its size and activity levels. 

So, how many cups of dog food for your adult Dachshund daily? Generally, adult sausage dogs will consume 1.5 to 2 cups of dog food daily. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. 

Pregnant Or Lactating Dachshunds

Developing a batch of babies, carrying them around, and supplying them with nutrients and care is an exhausting endeavor. For these reasons, Dachshund mothers will need to eat more than the average adult Doxie. 

Plan to feed pregnant or lactating Dachshunds between 2.75 to 3.5 cups of food every day. If your momma Doxie seems to want more, do not be afraid to offer additional food to support them at this critical time in their lives. 

Especially Active Dogs

Dachshunds who lead especially active lifestyles will need to consume additional food to make up for all of the calories that they burn. 

The amount of food consumed by especially active sausage dogs will be dependent on a dog’s specific size and energy levels. 

Generally, dogs who lead especially active lifestyles should be eating between 2.25 to 3.25 cups of food every day. Again, don’t be afraid to increase this amount if your Dachshund seems hungry. 

Feeding A Senior Dachshund

Your furry friend will be reaching its golden years by the time it is about seven years old. 

When your canine companion becomes a senior dog, it no longer has the same requirements as an adult dog. 

Senior Dachshunds consume fewer calories than adults and have different needs. This means that it is once again time to transition your dog to a new diet. 

Senior dogs should be consuming nutrient-dense foods to help them maintain their health. 

Maintaining their current weight is important for senior Dachshunds. Although you will feed them less food at this point in their lives, a senior dog will have a slower metabolism than an adult, meaning that they can afford to eat less food. 

So, how much dog food should a senior Dachshund consume? Seniors should be eating around 1 to 1.33 cups of food every day. 

Ensuring that your senior pooch eats this much will help them to maintain an ideal weight. 

Best Dog Foods For Dachshunds

Many dog owners are keen to know about the best dog food to feed their Dachshund. Should owners feed their canine companions wet dog food, canned food, dry dog food, or raw food?

If you search online for the best dog foods for Dachshunds, a wide array of opinions will appear claiming to be the perfect food for your dog. Whether you see an advertisement for wet food or dry food, the advertisement will surely claim to know what is best for your pooch.

The truth is that no one knows the best food for your dog better than you. Each Dachshund has its own unique habits and mannerisms that will dictate what food is best for it.

Whether you feed your dog top-quality dog foods, raw meat, or commercial dog food, as long as a dog is consuming essential nutrients and maintaining healthy body weight, you can feed your Dachshund whatever you feel is best.

How Many Calories Should A Dachshund Eat A Day?

Should you count the calories when you feed your Dachshund? Some Dachshund families get caught up in counting the calories of their wiener dog, but this is not necessary.

Whether you’re feeding your Dachshund homemade dog food, wet food, or dry dog food, there is no need to count the calories that your dog is consuming unless you’re specifically instructed to do so by your veterinarian.

Instead of counting calories, monitor how much food your dog is consuming and ensure that they maintain a healthy weight. This will keep your dog in good health.

Dachshund Feeding Frequency: How Often Should You Feed Your Dachshund?

Part of creating a healthy diet for your Dachshund is ensuring that they are eating a proper number of meals every day.

If you’re wondering when to feed a Dachshund, we have put together these guidelines for your to follow:

Two To Three Months

A young Dachshund that is two to three months old should be eating four meals every day. This may seem like a lot of meals, but recall that it was just a few weeks earlier that these pups had unlimited access to as many meals as they wanted from mom.

Feeding Dachshund puppies first thing in the morning, late morning, mid-afternoon, and in the evening is a terrific feeding schedule.

Three Months To One Year

As your puppy grows older, its appetite will increase, but it will not need to consume as many meals during the day.

Feeding three meals per day to a Dachshund between the ages of three months to one year will be adequate for these dogs, but you could also continue to feed four meals per day to dogs in this age range if you wish.

Adult Dachshunds

An adult Dachshund has a metabolism that is certainly slower than when they were a puppy, but it will still have plenty of appetite.

Adults should be eating at least two meals every day, with some dogs still eating three meals each day.

Senior Dachshunds

Since senior Dachshunds have the slowest metabolism, it makes sense that these dogs consume the least amount of meals of any age range.

Many senior dogs eat twice per day, but some Dachshunds in their golden years only need to eat a single meal per day.

Can Dachshunds Be Vegetarians?

Can Dachshunds eat a vegetarian diet? Some pet owners that observe this lifestyle may want the same for their canine companions. So, can dachshunds be vegetarians? 

While Dachshunds can be vegetarians, this does not mean that they should be vegetarians. While many Dachshunds eat vegetables every now and then, veggies should not make up the entirety of a dog’s diet. 

If you looked up the question, “Should dogs be vegetarians?”, you will find that the answer is no.

Dogs are omnivorous by nature, but meat has historically made up the majority of their diets. A dog diet that lacks meat would not keep a Dachshund healthy because it does meet a dog’s nutritional requirements. 

Moreover, a dog’s digestive system is not equipped to handle a diet without meat.

Therefore, owners should strive to provide a Dachshund with a meat-based diet while supplementing natural food like sweet potatoes and green beans sparingly.