Bull Terrier has grasped its top position as the best dog for the family for a decade and has stolen millions of hearts from dog lovers.
Bull Terrier is affectionate and protective of their owners, possesses a petite stature, and it is low-maintenance, and nurturing is so easy. But as a potential owner, it is important to know their food habits, nutrition needs, and quantity of food.
How much should a Bull Terrier eat?
A bull Terrier puppy should have meals 2-4 times a day. The amount should depend on age, activities, and weight. A small Bull Terrier needs 1/3 cup of food daily. Whereas a large, adult needs 4 and ½ cups of food daily. For every 10 lbs. increase, add 1/3 cup gradually until it reaches 100 lbs.
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Like many breeds, Bull Terrier also can’t digest carbohydrates very well and often face digestive issues with starchy and high-GI carbs. So, the diet plan should consist of protein and healthy fat.
You can follow raw food diet, homemade food diet, or commercial food diet for your Bull Terrier.
During the weaning period, the puppy should rely on the mother’s milk only. From the transition between breeder and owner, the diet should not change abruptly and instantly.
It will take time and effort for the puppy to get accustomed to the new environment and food culture. As an owner, you should consult will the breeder about the dog’s food habits, and preferences before taking it home.
After a Bull Terrier reaches adulthood, you can give him raw chicken, meat, steak, etc. Also, you can opt for a commercial food that is convenient and cheaper. But make sure to go through the ingredients and pick the brand suitable for the diet of your dog.
For a Bull Terrier, natural calcium is very important for bone density. So, always include calcium-rich foods, like broccoli in the diet. The quantity of food should vary considering the age and weight.
So, let’s find out how much food you should provide to your Bull Terrier depending on the age_
2 to 3 week old Bull Terrier:
The Bull Terrier is still at a newborn stage. The eyes and teeth haven’t developed yet, and they are fragile with weak metabolism. So, the only food it should consume is its mother’s milk.
If the puppy is underweight and looks like it lacks nutrition, add supplements to the mother’s diet so that the puppy can get enough nutrition.
4 to 5 week old Bull Terrier:
By this period, the puppy should be weaned from the mother and the development of teeth can be visible.
In addition to mother’s milk, you should start giving it dry puppy food. Powder the food and mix it with water or puppy milk formula. Gradually increase the dry powder amount and see the digestion progress.
6 to 7 week old Bull Terrier:
At this stage, they can consume the dry powder and formula by ¾ and 1/4th ratio. This is an ideal time to give the puppies solid food without grinding them.
Make the puppies familiar with solid foods gradually in addition to wet food and formula. By the end of the 7th week, it can consume solid food without any assistance.
8 to 9 week old Bull Terrier:
This is the time when a puppy shifts home from the breeder to a new owner. A new environment can play a crucial role in adjusting and nurturing.
But you should not immediately change the ongoing diet. Consult with the breeder and provide similar kinds of food.
10 to 11 week old Bull Terrier:
At this cycle, the Bull Terrier will weigh 6 to 8 kgs. At this age, they will require at least 460 calories of food per day. You can reduce the mealtimes from 4 to 3 but the nutrition should be consistent and better.
3 month old Bull Terrier:
During this period, the Bull Terrier usually transitions from small to medium size, and they weigh 8 to 14,5 kgs also. Since they grow in height and weight, their nutrition should increase as well.
They should receive 400 to 700 calories depending on size, weight, and growth ability.
4 month old Bull Terrier:
Bull terrier puppies have grown a lot and their activities are becoming more and more powerful.
On the one hand, their body is growing and, on another hand, they are being more and more playful and active physically, their nutrition should be proper and adequate.
5 month old Bull Terrier:
For a Bull Terrier, their weight and growth are significant to identify their age and maturity. Since 5 month old is quite a large puppy, you should start to keep the weight in check.
You should keep the diet in check and balance the quantity of food depending on the weight. If the Bull Terrier is overweight reduce the amount by 1/3rd cup.
6 month old Bull Terrier:
Puppies grow very fast, and 6 months will pass by in a flick. At this stage, the puppies need a consistent diet, either raw food or homemade.
Keep adding solid food with the wet food and check how the Bull Terrier is reacting. The diet should be protein-based and rich in natural sources of calcium and mineral.
7 month old Bull Terrier:
The basic food at this stage should be puppy food since those are more nutritious and healthier than regular dog food, but you should consider giving them raw meat and vegetables to get accustomed to.
Check the level of the commercial puppy food and make sure they are getting enough protein, minerals, and vitamins.
8 month old Bull Terrier:
Since 8 month old is quite a big puppy, the calorie intake should cross 1000 at this point. The meal should be reduced to two meals per day, but the meal should be equally divided into each meal.
Wet food and solid food should not be mixed in one meal due to digestive issues.
9 month old Bull Terrier:
A bull Terrier reaches the maturity stage from the puppy stage at the 14th month. But the transition begets from this stage so their diet should be a mixture of wet and diet food.
Now, you need to feed your puppy based on its current weight. If the puppy is overweight or under, the portion of food should be equivalent to the ideal weight of this age.
10 month old Bull Terrier:
The birthday of your Bull Terrier is knocking at the door, and it is on its way to becoming an adult dog.
You should continue the puppy food, but you can start adding adult food as well in their diet gradually to check the puppy’s reaction. You can certainly introduce them to a home-cook meal like rice and chicken. But beware of the spices.
Bull Terrier feeding chart:
| Age | Expected dog Weight (pounds) | Recommended amount of food per day (cups) | Daily calorie intake | Feeding frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 week | 2lbs | Breastmilk | — | 4 |
| 3 week | 2lbs | Breastmilk | — | 4 |
| 4 week | 3lbs | 1/3 | 139 | 4 |
| 5 week | 5lbs | 1/3 | 150 | 4 |
| 6 week | 6lbs | 1/2 | 233 | 4 |
| 7 week | 7lbs | 1/2 | 255 | 4 |
| 8 week or 2 month | 9lbs | 3/4 | 310 | 4 |
| 9 week | 10lbs | 3/4 | 342 | 4 |
| 10 week | 15lbs | 1 cup | 464 | 4 |
| 11 week | 17lbs | 1 1/4 cup | 512 | 3 |
| 12 week or 3 month | 20lbs | 1 1/3 cup | 576 | 3 |
| 4 month | 30lbs | 1 ¾ cup | 781 | 3 |
| 5 month | 35lbs | 1 ¾ cup | 865 | 3 |
| 6 month | 40lbs | 2 cups | 969 | 3 |
| 7 month | 45lbs | 2 1/3 cups | 1080 | 3 |
| 8 month | 50lbs | 2 2/3 cups | 1145 | 2 |
| 9 month | 55lbs | 2 ½ cups | 1256 | 2 |
| 10 month | 60lbs | 3 cups | 1313 | 2 |
Are you overfeeding your Bull Terrier or not feeding enough?
Feeding a Bull Terrier is not an easy task. Since it doesn’t have self-control potency and has a tendency to overeat, the owner must calculate the portion according to age, gender, maturity, and daily activities.
You will know if the Bull Terrier is well-fed or malnourished from its growth rate and weight chart. The growth and aging should be in sequence for a healthy Bull terrier puppy.
In every month, you should weigh your puppy and jot down the height and weight. Now, check the chart and see whether the weight matches within the range of the chart according to age.
Since for Bull Terriers, the growth indicates food nutrition, you can dissect easily whether your Bull Terrier is underfed or over.
When the weight lifts the range of the chart, the Bull Terrier is overfed. Instead of imposing a strict diet, reduce a small portion of food from daily intake and check the reaction. Note the daily calorie intake and reduce 5-10% from that number.
When the weight is off the margin, try including more nutritious and rich-calorie food, instead of feeding them in a bigger portion. Provide them with low-GI carbs in addition to protein and fats.
How frequently to feed your Bull Terrier?
The frequency of meals should depend on the age of the Bull Terrier. When it is a newborn puppy and depends on only the mother’s milk, there really can’t be any definitive number of meals.
The puppy should be fed whenever it is hungry. After weaning, the meal numbers should be 4 times.
Once it gradually reaches a mature age, the meal numbers should drop, but not the calorie and nutrition. In the 11th week, the number can be dropped to 3. When the dog peaks its mature age, you can reduce the meal number by 1 or 2.
Recommended feeding time:
For a newborn puppy, there is no certain feeding schedule. It should be fed whenever it is hungry.
After weaning, you should build up the food habit gradually. When the meal number is four times, the time schedule should be morning, lunch, snacks, and dinner. Make sure to give a gap of 3-5 hours before the next meal.
When the meal number goes down to two, it should be breakfast and dinner only, for your convenience. The meal gap must not exceed 12 hours. When the Bull Terrier gets older, the meal number should go high again.
Final thoughts:
Depending on the age and growth, the Bull Terrier should receive 2 to 4 meals per day. On average the cups of food Bull Terrier should get can be 1-4 cups. Bull Terrier is flexible to raw food diet or commercial food diet. for best results, include wet and dry food in the diet but don’t mix them.