Dog food for a Labrador retriever
A Labrador's food needs shift more across their life than many breeds, from a fast-growing large-breed puppy through to a senior dog whose joints and waistline both need watching. Getting the life stage right matters at least as much as the specific brand on the bag.
Feeding a Labrador Retriever
A large breed
An adult Labrador Retriever typically weighs 25–36 kg, so a healthy Labrador Retriever eats a fair amount compared with other breeds. Every feeding guide on a bag is written per kilo of body weight, not per breed — start there, then adjust to the dog in front of you.
Life stage
A large breed is usually done growing at 15–18 months, which is roughly when a puppy food has finished its job. With a typical lifespan of 12–13 years, there is a long adult stretch in the middle; switch to a senior food when your vet thinks it is worth it rather than on a birthday.
A high-energy dog eats like one
Labrador Retrievers sit at the top end for energy, and a dog working through an hour and a half of real exercise a day burns through the feeding guide faster than a dog on a short stroll. Feed to the dog's condition, not to the middle of the range on the bag.
Joint support is worth looking for
Their size and frame put more load through the joints than a smaller dog carries, so a food with joint support on the label is worth reading for — and keeping them lean does more for their joints than any supplement.
Weight matters more than usual here
A long back or a heavy frame makes every extra kilo count twice. Weigh portions rather than eyeballing a scoop, and reduce the food rather than the walks if the waist starts to disappear.
This breed tends to bolt its food
A food-motivated dog will empty a bowl in under a minute given the chance. A slow feeder or a puzzle bowl turns a meal back into something that takes time, and splitting the daily ration across two or three meals helps as well.
Mealtimes can do some of the work
A breed that struggles to settle on its own gets more out of a meal that takes effort — a lick mat, a snuffle mat or a puzzle feeder using part of the daily ration rather than extra food on top of it.
How much should a Labrador Retriever weigh?
Adult 25–36 kgfully grown at 15–18 months
| Age | Stage | Typical weight | Of adult size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | Just home | 2.9–4.1 kg | 11% |
| 3 months | Young puppy | 4.6–6.7 kg | 19% |
| 6 months | Growing fast | 9.3–13.4 kg | 37% |
| 12 months | Adolescent | 18.6–26.7 kg | 74% |
| 15–18 months | Fully grown | 25–36 kg | 100% |
A guide, from the same rule of thumb our puppy growth predictor uses — each age is that share of the way to maturity for a large breed. Puppies grow fastest early, so a real puppy usually sits a little above the middle rows. Weigh yours and ask your vet if the number worries you.
Complete dog foods that suit a Labrador Retriever
Complete foods from our range, matched to a Labrador Retriever's size band and what the breed typically needs. Stock levels and delivery dates are live on each product.
Field & Trial Skinner S Field Trial Light Senior
A lower-fat dry food for older, overweight or less active dogs, including working breeds
From£9.85
Autarky Complete Grain Free Adult Turkey
Grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, with turkey and a marine-algae joint care package
£12.79
Autarky Grain Free Tasty White Fish & Potato Complete
Grain-free dry dog food built around white fish meal rather than poultry
£12.99
Lily's Kitchen Lily S Kitchen Dog Lovely Lamb
Complete lamb-led dry dog food offered in two practical bag sizes
From£25.15
Burns Adult/Senior Weight Control Chicken and Oats
A low-fat weight control dry food for adult and senior dogs, oat-based
£35.99
Burns Adult Large/Giant Breed Chicken and Brown Rice
Complete large-breed dry dog food with 23% chicken and brown rice
£59.99
Burgess Greyhound and Lurcher Chicken
Complete adult dry food formulated for the specific build of greyhounds and lurchers
£35.35
Naturo Senior Rice Poultry Variety 6pk
Six 400g trays across three recipes for senior dogs, with glucosamine and chondroitin
£10.29
Naturo Senior Dog Turkey with Rice and Vegetables 7pk
Turkey at 65% in a senior wet tray, with brown rice, vegetables and added joint support
£11.99
Puppy to young adult
A large-breed puppy formula supports the controlled, steady growth a fast-growing breed like the Labrador needs, rather than a standard puppy food that can deliver more energy and minerals than their developing joints benefit from. This matters more for Labradors than for many breeds, given how quickly they pack on size in their first year.
Move to an adult food once your Labrador has finished growing rather than on a fixed calendar date, since individual dogs vary. Your vet can help judge when that point has been reached, usually somewhere between twelve and eighteen months depending on the individual dog.
Adult maintenance and weight
Labradors are prone to gaining weight through adulthood, so matching the portion to their actual activity level, rather than following the feeding guide on the bag without adjustment, is one of the most useful things an owner can do.
Regular weight checks, whether at home by feeling for ribs and a waist, or at the vet during a routine visit, help catch gradual weight gain early, before it becomes a harder habit to reverse.
Senior years
Activity typically drops as a Labrador ages, and calorie needs tend to follow, which is where a senior-formulated food, built around a lower-activity, ageing dog, becomes more relevant than continuing with an adult recipe unchanged. Continuing to feed an adult-level portion to a dog who has slowed down is one of the more common routes to later-life weight gain.
Joint support becomes a bigger consideration too, given the wear that comes with the breed's size and activity level over a lifetime, and many senior foods are formulated with that in mind. Your vet can advise on whether a specific joint supplement is worth adding alongside the food itself.
What we stock across the stages
Our dry and wet food ranges cover complete diets across every life stage, from puppy through to senior, and our senior-dog-food range is worth a look as your Labrador moves into their later years and their needs shift again.
The grid above reflects current stock, so it is worth checking specific recipes against what is genuinely available rather than working from a fixed list, and comparing labels across life stages as your dog moves from one to the next.
Common questions
- When does a Labrador become a senior dog?
- There's no fixed age that applies to every dog, but many Labradors are considered to be entering their senior years from around seven or eight. Your vet can advise on when to consider switching to a senior-formulated food based on your individual dog.
- My Labrador has put on weight, should I just feed less?
- Reducing portion size is often part of the answer, but it's worth checking the food itself is appropriate for their current activity level too, since a working-level food fed to a low-activity adult can make weight harder to manage. Your vet can help set a sensible target and plan.
- Do Labradors need wet or dry food?
- Either can form a complete diet, and many owners use a mix of both. What matters more than the format is that it's a complete food suited to your dog's life stage and that portions are adjusted for their actual activity level.
- Is it true Labradors will eat anything given to them?
- Many are notably food-motivated and less likely than some breeds to self-regulate, which is part of why portion control and resisting extra treats matters more for this breed than for many others.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.