How many times a day should I feed my Cavapoo puppy?

Roughly four times a day from 8 to 12 weeks, three times from 3 to 6 months, and twice a day from around 6 months onward. These are general staging points, and a puppy who does better on a slightly different schedule while maintaining good body condition is not a problem.

How much should a Cavapoo puppy eat per day?

This depends on their current weight and the specific food's feeding guide, since calorie density varies between brands. Use the guide on the packaging as your starting point and adjust based on your puppy's actual body condition and growth.

When should a Cavapoo puppy switch to adult food?

Most Cavapoos, being a small-to-medium mix, can move to adult food from around 9 to 12 months, once their main growth phase has slowed. A vet can advise on timing for your individual puppy based on their size and growth pattern.

What if my Cavapoo puppy seems hungry between meals?

Some puppies are simply food-motivated rather than genuinely underfed, so check their body condition and weight trend before adding extra food. If they are tracking their growth curve well and gaining steadily, extra food is more likely to cause weight gain than help them.

Cavapoo puppy feeding chart

A Cavapoo puppy's feeding needs change quite quickly in the first year: more frequent, smaller meals in the early weeks, tapering down to two meals a day by around six months as their stomach capacity grows and their relative energy needs per kilogram start to fall. As a small-to-medium crossbreed, most Cavapoos settle as adults between roughly 5.5kg and 11kg, so their feeding chart sits between the standard small- and medium-breed guidance.

How feeding frequency changes by age

From 8 to 12 weeks, most Cavapoo puppies do best on four small meals a day, since their stomachs are still tiny relative to their energy needs and going too long between meals can risk a drop in blood sugar in such a small breed mix. From around 3 to 6 months, this typically reduces to three meals a day as their capacity per meal increases.

By roughly 6 months, most Cavapoos can move to two meals a day, which usually continues into adulthood. These are general staging points rather than fixed rules — a puppy who seems hungry and is maintaining good body condition on three meals a day for a bit longer than average is not necessarily doing anything wrong.

Working out how much per meal

Use the feeding guide on your puppy's specific complete food as the starting point, which gives a daily total based on current weight and expected adult weight, then divide that daily total across however many meals suit their current age. Because Cavapoos vary somewhat in adult size depending on which parent breed they take after more strongly, feeding to your puppy's actual growth and body condition matters more than a single generic chart.

Check body condition regularly by feel: you should be able to feel ribs without heavy pressure, without them being visibly prominent. If your puppy consistently seems too thin or is gaining weight faster than the growth curve on their food's chart suggests, adjust the amount rather than sticking rigidly to the printed guide, and speak to a vet if you are unsure which way to move.

Feeding kit

Things we stock that owners commonly reach for here. Nothing on this page depends on you buying one.

Beaphar Lactol Milk Replacer for Puppies

A milk replacer for newborn and orphaned puppies, and for nursing or recovering dogs

From£20.23

Choose options

Nutriment Dog Weaning Paste

A 500g frozen weaning paste for puppies, single-ingredient British chicken

£2.99

Alpha Sensitive Salmon & Rice

A salmon and rice dry food for adult dogs with sensitive digestions, made without wheat gluten, soya or dairy.

£49.00

Alpha Working Dog Maintenance Chicken

An energy-controlled chicken dry food for working dogs with lower energy needs or a tendency to put on weight.

£29.00

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Common questions

How many times a day should I feed my Cavapoo puppy?: Roughly four times a day from 8 to 12 weeks, three times from 3 to 6 months, and twice a day from around 6 months onward. These are general staging points, and a puppy who does better on a slightly different schedule while maintaining good body condition is not a problem.
How much should a Cavapoo puppy eat per day?: This depends on their current weight and the specific food's feeding guide, since calorie density varies between brands. Use the guide on the packaging as your starting point and adjust based on your puppy's actual body condition and growth.
When should a Cavapoo puppy switch to adult food?: Most Cavapoos, being a small-to-medium mix, can move to adult food from around 9 to 12 months, once their main growth phase has slowed. A vet can advise on timing for your individual puppy based on their size and growth pattern.
What if my Cavapoo puppy seems hungry between meals?: Some puppies are simply food-motivated rather than genuinely underfed, so check their body condition and weight trend before adding extra food. If they are tracking their growth curve well and gaining steadily, extra food is more likely to cause weight gain than help them.

Sources

Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.

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.