Blue heelers are australian cattle dogs who can grow pretty large in size. So naturally, they will need more food than other smaller breeds. In this article, we will discuss how much you should feed your blue heeler dog.
The article also includes a feeding chart for your convenience. So read ahead to learn all about the diet plan of your little furry friend.
How much should a Blue Heeler eat?
You should feed your blue heeler about a quarter of a cup when they are a few weeks old. Offer this food frequently, in smaller portions. After they are 6 months old, you can provide them food only twice a day, in larger portions. Since these dogs help out in farms, they need higher calorie.
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Blue heelers are cattle dogs. That means, they help out in farms with much enthusiasm. So these dogs are naturally quite active and healthy, as a result of which it is very important to provide them with the right amount of food at the right time. Otherwise, your dog will not be able to meets potential.
On average, the height of a full-grown blue heeler is 18 to 20 inches for male, and 17 to 19 inches for female. So they grow upto a moderate size and you will need to feed them accordingly. These are medium-sized dogs. And an average blue heeler dog will weigh about 15 to 22 kgs.
Let’s take a look at how much your blue heeler should eat, based on their age. With age, their height and weight changes, so you will need to factor that in when deciding on the right amount of food for them. In addition, the gender of the dog will also play an important role in deciding the right amount of food for them.
2 to 3 week old Blue Heeler:
When your blue heeler is 2 to 3 weeks old, you will need to feed them about a quarter to half cup of food per day. Make sure to spread this portion across five to six meals.
Since they are still quite young, the puppies will not be able to eat large portions of food yet, so you will need to feed them after every three to four hours.
Young blue heelers are not as active as the older ones. So they do not need muc food. However, they will get hungry quite frequently. So you will need to provide them with smaller portions of food much frequently.
4 to 5 week old Blue Heeler:
when your blue heeler is 4 to 5 weeks old, you will need to feed them between ¼ to ½ cups of food every day. But you should not offer them such large portions at once. Instead, spread this into smaller portions and about five meals a day.
6 to 7 week old Blue Heeler:
A six to seven week old blue heeler will need about half a cup to three-quarters of food every day. They should eat this food in smaller portions, ideally between four to five meals a day.
Note that your blue heeler will not be able to enjoy food in larger portions yet. So they will grow hungry pretty frequently. This is why you will need to serve their food in small portions, albeit after every four to five hours.
8 to 9 week old Blue Heeler:
by this time, the puppy will have grown quite a lot. You will need to serve them larger portions of food in order to keep them content. The ideal amount of food for them per day would be between half a cup to one cup.
You can lessen their meal number as well. Three to four meals a day will suffice perfectly. Make sure to offer them food after every six hours. Otherwise, the blue heeler will not be able to perform up to its potential in the farm.
10 to 11 week old Blue Heeler:
if you are catering to a blue heeler of 10 to 11 weeks, then you will need to provide them food pretty frequently. As they are still at their growing age, they need food in smaller portions frequently. This is because they are still pretty young and cannot indulge in large portions yet.
The recommended amount of food for them is half a cup to one cup per day. But this food needs to be served to them across three to four meals a day. This should keep your dog well-fed.
3 month old Blue Heeler:
A 3 month old blue heeler should be fed about one cup of food every day. This food should be spread across multiple meals a day, ideally into breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
They will not be able to eat eat large portions of meal at once, so you will need to serve them with smaller portions three to four times a day.
4 month old Blue Heeler:
A four month old blue heeler will need about a cup of food every day. In order to make sure that they are well fed, you should provide them with at least three meals a day. They are still quite young, and will not be able to eat larger portions of food.
5 month old Blue Heeler:
A five month old blue heeler will need about a cup and a quarter of food every day. In order to make sure that they are getting enough food, make sure that you are serving them at least thrice a day.
6 month old Blue Heeler:
A 6 month old blue heeler will need at least one and a quarter cup of food every day in order to remain healthy and active. Spread this food across two to three meals a day.
7 month old Blue Heeler:
A 7-month old blue heeler will ideally need about one and a half cup of food every day, spread across two to three meals.
8 month old Blue Heeler:
The ideal amount of food for a 8-month old blue heeler is one and a half cup to one and a quarter cup of food every day. Make sure to spread this amount of food into two meals a day to keep them well-fed.
9 month old Blue Heeler:
The right amount of food for a 9-month old blue heeler would range between one and three-quarters to 2 cups, spread across two meals a day.
10 month old Blue Heeler:
A 10-month old blue heeler should eat about two cups of meal a day. Since these animals are pretty active they need at least two meals a day in order to stay healthy and content.
Blue Heeler feeding chart:
| Age | Expected dog Weight (pounds) | Recommended amount of food per day (cups) | Daily calorie intake | Feeding frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 week | 2 to 3 lbs | ¼ -½ cups | 91 | 5-6 |
| 3 week | 2 to 3 lbs | ¼ – ½ cups | 91 | 5-6 |
| 4 week | 3 to 5 lbs | ¼ to ½ cups | 126 | 4-5 |
| 5 week | 3 to 5 lbs | ¼ to ½ cups | 126 | 4-5 |
| 6 week | 4 to 6 lbs | ½ to ¾ cups | 152 | 4-5 |
| 7 week | 4 to 6 lbs | ½ to ¾ cups | 152 | 4-5 |
| 8 week or 2 month | 5 to 11 lbs | ½ to 1 cup | 183 | 4 |
| 9 week | 5 to 11 lbs | ½ to 1 cup | 183 | 4 |
| 10 week | 6 to 12 lbs | ½ to 1 cup | 206 | 3-4 |
| 11 week | 7 to 14 lbs | ¾ to 1 ¼ cups | 256 | 3-4 |
| 12 week or 3 month | 10 to 15 lbs | ¾ to 1 cup | 303 | 3-4 |
| 4 month | 15 to 19 lbs | 1 cup | 413 | 3 |
| 5 month | 20 to 25 lbs | 1 ¼ cups | 514 | 3 |
| 6 month | 23 to 27 lbs | 1 ½ cups | 568 | 3 |
| 7 month | 24 to 29 lbs | 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups | 588 | 2 |
| 8 month | 26 to 31 lbs | 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups | 624 | 2 |
| 9 month | 27 to 33 lbs | 1 ¾ to 2 cups | 640 | 2 |
| 10 month | 28 to 35 lbs | 1 ¾ to 2 cups | 660 | 2 |
Are you overfeeding your Blue Heeler or not feeding enough?
It is important to understand whether you are feeding your blue heeler appropriately. If you do not feed them the right amount, then they will not be able to perform their task upto their best potential.
In order to help your furry friend lead a healthy and happy life, it is essential that you provide them with the right amount of food daily. If you end up overfeeding or underfeeding them, then it will cause a range of health issues for your blue heeler.
Overfeeding them may lead to loose motion at night. If you overfeed your blue heeler on a regular basis, it may even make them obese. Moreover, if you underfeed them, then it will also cause bad bowel movement for your blue heeler.
How frequently to feed your Blue Heeler?
Blue heelers are working class dogs. They like to work on a regular basis, and are much happier when you assign them a task. So in order to cater to their active lifestyle, you will need to make sure to feed your blue heeler frequently, especially the young ones.
However, as the dogs grow older, you can offer them food less frequently as they will able to eat larger portions then. After six months of age, you can provide them only two meals a day and it will suffice.
Recommended feeding time:
The recommended feeding time depends on the number of meals that you are planning to offer. If you are feeding a younger blue heeler, then you will need to offer as many as 5 to 6 meals a day. In that case, you will need to provide them food after every three to four hours.
The younger blue heelers will need to be fed more frequently. Puppies as young as a few weeks old will need to be fed about 5 to 6 times a day, albeit in smaller portions.
On the other hand, if you are feeding an older blue heeler, say of four months of age, then you will need only 3 meals a day. In that case, you can opt for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Final thoughts
You should feed young Blue Heeler about half a cup of food on average, spread across four to five meals a day. As they grow older, they will need as much as 2 cups of food a day. Make sure to consider the height, weight, gender, and activity level of your dog when deciding how much they should eat.