Skip to Content

How Much Should a Samoyed Eat – Samoyed Feeding Chart

Originally bred for herding, Samoyeds are great companions due to their friendliness, energy, reliability, and loyalty.

These are medium-sized dogs that make great family and guard dogs, while some help when it comes to trekking. While male Samoyeds tend to be more laid-back, bold, and friendly, they are usually harder to train.

On the other hand, female Samoyeds are easier to train comparing to the male Samoyeds. However, the female Samoyeds are more wary, independent, and territorial.

Now, let us find out how much a pet Samoyeds should eat and learn many more facts regarding these fluffballs.

How much should a Samoyed eat?

Apart from the dependency of the amount of food on a Samoyed’s age, size, gender, and activity, an adult Samoyed tends to consume 2-3 cups of food every day. However, the food amount also depends on the brand of food. Hence, it is best to check the back of the package before feeding your pet.

The amount of food a Samoyed should consume each day heavily depends on the dog’s age, size, gender, and activity level.

A dog’s weight decides the amount of calories it needs per day when it’s resting. It’s called RER (resting energy requirements).

This means, the calories or energy any animal needs to carry out normal body functions—like breathing, sleeping, and so on— at rest according to their body weight.

However, this is the base level of energy which is then multiplied by 3 if your puppy is at an age below 4 months and multiplied by 2 if your puppy is older than 4 months.

Additionally, a spayed or neutered dog will have 1.6 multiplied whereas an intact one will have 1.8 multiplied. Similarly, an active dog needs 2-5 multiplied with its RER.

This process gives us the appropriate calorie needs of our pets and in turn, their food needs.

Below is a brief guideline to the amount of food Samoyeds eat at a certain age:

2 to 3 week old Samoyed:

A 2-3 weeks old Samoyed puppy is very young and gets almost its whole nutrition from its mother. As a result, we do not need to provide them with additional food and let their mother take care of them.

When they are supplied with dog food eventually, the intervals are kept short since our puppies have small stomachs and high energy.

They intake small portions of food and play a lot, hence, 3-4 hours of intervals between meals is best for them.

4 to 5 week old Samoyed:

When our puppies are 4-5 weeks old, despite their calorie demands remaining the same, the intervals between each meal increase a bit since they are able to intake more food at a time.

According to their weight which ranges from 5 pounds to 10 in the case of both males and females, they need 300-600 calories every day, which is ½ cup of kibbles to 1 cup.

6 to 7 week old Samoyed:

Samoyeds of 6-7 weeks are not that different from the ones of 4-5 weeks except for their size and size is a great factor that decides the amount of food.

Since they weigh between 5 pounds to 10 pounds, both male and female, they need 4 meals a day and has needs 300-600 calories every day. Which roughly translates to ½ cup of kibble to a 1 cup.

8 to 9 week old Samoyed:

A Samoyed of 8-9 weeks, that is, a 2-month-old Samoyed’s average weight range increases slightly, getting a boost to 10-15 pounds, for both male and female.

This increases their calorie intake to 600-900 calories. In this time period, owners can experiment between 3 meals a day to 4, but it is better to observe your puppy’s needs before increasing or lessening your puppy’s intake.

10 to 11 week old Samoyed:

This age range is almost the same as the previous one with their weight ranging from 10-15 pounds and calorie intake of 600-900 calories.

3 month old Samoyed:

At the age of 3 months, a male Samoyed would need a calorie intake of 900-1140 cal with a weight range of 15 lb to 20 lb while a female would need 600-1140 cal with a weight range of 10 lb to 20 lb. In this stage, they need 1-2 cups of kibble, and 3 meals a day.

4 month old Samoyed:

This age is the age when the calorie needs of your dog slightly drop.

While a male weighs between 20-30 pounds with a calorie need of 760 to 1000 cal, a female weighs 15-25 pounds, their calorie needs 600-760 cal, which roughly translates to 1-2 cups of kibble.

5 month old Samoyed:

A five-month-old male Samoyed weighs 25-35 pounds while a female weighs 20-30 pounds.

Their necessary calorie intakes are 840-1100 cal and 760-1000 cal consecutively, which is 1 ¼ to 2 cups of kibble. They need 3 meals a day and more calories based on their level of activity and physical exhaustion.

6 month old Samoyed:

Six-month-old Samoyeds weigh between 25-40 pounds, where the male weighs 30-40 pounds and needs 1000-1200 cal while females weigh 25-35 lb, with a need of 840-1100 cal.

They normally take 3 meals a day and the amount varies with their size, activity level, and health exceptions but equals 1 ½ to 2 cups of food.

7 month old Samoyed:

After the sixth month, you can experiment if your dog likes two meals a day or three but it’s better to consult a vet on the matter first.

A 7 month old male Samoyed weighs 35- 45 lb (1100-1360 cal) while females weigh 25-40 lb (840-1200 cal). This is 1 ½ to 2 ½ cups of food.

8 month old Samoyed:

These Samoyeds weigh between 30-50 pounds with a need for 1000-1400 cal, and more if they are active dogs, which is approximately 1 ¾ to 2 ½ cups of kibble.

While the males weigh 35-50 lb (1100-1400 cal), the females weigh 30-40 lb (1000-1200 cal.)

9 month old Samoyed:

9-month-old Samoyeds need 1 ¾ to 2 ¾ cups of food every day with an interval of 8-12 hours in-between. The males weigh 40-55 lb (1200-1580 cal) while the females weigh 30-40 lb (1000-1200 cal).

10 month old Samoyed:

Male Samoyeds of 10 months of age weighing 40-60 lb need 1200-1600 cal of calorie while female needs 1000-1360 cal with a weight of 30-45 lb.

Two meals a day is enough for them and they need 1 ¾ to 2 ¾ cups of food.

Samoyed feeding chart:

AgeExpected dog Weight (pounds)Recommended amount of food per day (cups)Daily calorie intakeFeeding frequency
2 week5-10 lb.½- 1 cup300-600 cal6-8 times
3 week5-10 lb.½- 1 cup300-600 cal8 times
4 week5-10 lb.½ – 1 cup300-600 cal4 times
5 week5-10 lb½- 1 cup300-600 cal4 times
6 week5-10 lb.½- 1 cup300-600 cal4 times
7 week5-10 lb.½- 1 cup300-600 cal4 times
8 week or 2 month10-15 lb.1 – 1 ½ cup600-900 cal3-4 times
9 week10-15 lb.1 – 1 ½ cup600-900 cal3-4 times
10 week10-15 lb.1 – 1 ½ cup600-900 cal3-4 times
11 week10-15 lb.1 – 1 ½ cup600-900 cal3-4 times
12 week or 3 month10-20 lb. 1 – 2 cup 600-1140 cal3-4 times 
4 month15-30 lb.1 – 2 cup600-10003 times
5 month20-35 lb.1 ¼ – 2 cups760-11003 times
6 month25-40 lb.1 ½ – 2 cups840-12003 times
7 month25-45 lb.1 ½ – 2 ½ cups840-13602-3 times
8 month30-50 lb.1 ¾ – 2 ½ cups1000-14002-3 times
9 month30-55 lb.1 ¾ – 2 ¾ cups1000-15802-3 times
10 month30-60 lb.1 ¾ – 2 ¾ cups1000-16002-3 times

Are you overfeeding your Samoyed or not feeding enough?

It’s important to feed your Samoyed the proper amount of food. Both overfeeding and underfeeding your Samoyed could have major health repercussions for your beloved companion.

As mentioned before, a Samoyed typically consumes two to three cups of food per day. Nevertheless, this sum greatly fluctuates based on the age, size, and gender of the animal.

Whether your Samoyed is overweight or underweight might help you assess whether you are overfeeding or not feeding it enough.

When trying to feel the ribs, if you need to press harder than necessary to feel their ribs, or if you cannot feel their ribs at all, they are overweight. This shows that your Samoyed is being overfed and as a result, it has gained weight.

On the other hand, your dog is underweight if you can feel their ribs directly under their skin. Physical signs include narrower abdomen and ribcage tucked too close to it.

This indicates that you don’t give your Samoyed adequate food every day. Since being underweight is typically an indication of health issues, your dog will undoubtedly exhibit signs of being weak and lethargic while underweight.

How frequently to feed your Samoyed?

A fully grown Samoyed needs two meals a day. The frequency of a Samoyeds food intake depends foremost on their age.

It also depends on the activity level and health issues. For instance, an active, and intact dog or puppy will need more calories than inactive and spayed dogs and puppies.

Overall, estimations are: a puppy of 2-3 weeks would need 6-8 meals per day due to their small stomachs while from the 4th week till 3 months they’ll need 3-4 meals.

It can steadily become 3 after that and become two once a Samoyed is at least 12 months old.

Recommended feeding time:

A fully grown Samoyed would need two meals a day with an interval ranging from 8 hours to 12 hours. Hence, it is better to do a breakfast-dinner routine than any other to avoid your dog over-eating or becoming hungrier.

However, like before, the intervals at which your puppy should be fed depending on their age and activity level. Puppies will need food every 3-4 hours since they have small stomachs and are very playful and energetic.

Eventually, the meals become 4 times a day, to 3 and finally to 2.

Final thoughts

To sum up, on average, Samoyeds need 2-3 cups of food. Additionally, Samoyeds need different amounts of food and calories at different ages. Their calorie needs depend on their age, activeness, and size, to name a few and these factors are multiplied with their RER (resting energy requirements.)