Owning a Boston Terrier puppy is such a precious time in your lifelong bond with your dog. But knowing how much to feed a Boston Terrier puppy is crucial to your dog’s development and health.
We suggest using a Boston Terrier feeding chart to monitor the amount of food you should be giving, but we have also broken down everything that you need to know in order to give your dog the right amount of food.
We will guide you through each stage of development, how much food your dog needs, and what kind of food he needs.
How Much Should A Boston Terrier Puppy Eat?
The amount of food that your Boston Terrier puppy should be eating each day will depend entirely on how old he is.
When he is a new puppy, from birth to 6 weeks old, your pup will only be relying on his mother for milk, so you will not need to worry about kibble at this point.
After 6 weeks, your puppy will be on puppy food, only feeding about a half of a cup of food daily.
By the time that he reaches his first birthday, your pup could be up to as much as 1.75 cups of food every day.
Boston Terrier Feeding Chart
Using a Boston Terrier feeding chart can help you get an idea about how much food to feed your Boston Terrier puppy each day.
Sometimes, the feeding chart is not enough, and you should look into calculating your puppy’s resting energy requirement (RER).
The RER can tell you about how many calories your puppy should be consuming daily, based on his individual caloric needs. In order to calculate your dog’s RER, you take the puppy’s weight in kilograms to the ¾ power multiplied by 70.
This amount needs to be tripled it if your puppy is 8 to 16 weeks old or doubled if your puppy is 5 to 12 months old.
That means if you a 4-month-old puppy who weighs 22 pounds will need 1,200 calories a day in order to grow well.
4 Week Old Boston Terrier Puppy
When your Boston Terrier puppy is 4-weeks old, food will not be something that you have to keep a close eye one.
At 4 weeks, your puppy will still be with his mother and be reliant on her for nutrition.
You can attempt to introduce puppy kibble at this age, but a puppy, even if interested in the kibble, is not ready to be weaned off of his mother’s milk at this age.
If your pup isn’t interested in the kibble at all, wait another week and try again.
6 Week Old Boston Terrier Puppy
If your puppy is 6 weeks old, you should be trying to get him to eat more kibble, but he may not be weaned off of his mother’s milk just yet.
You can offer your puppy ¼ cup of food at a time, and your puppy might have a voracious appetite after all, of he might not.
He is not ready to be adopted away from his mother at this point and it is rare that dogs are completely weaned yet, but some dogs do wean earlier.
8 Week Old Boston Terrier Puppy
By 8 weeks old, your puppy should be completely weaned off of his mother milk and be ready to be adopted out. Ideally, you should feed your Boston Terrier puppy 5 small meals a day.
This is not always possible for all dog owners, unless you are home with your puppy all day, every day. At this age, you should only feed your puppy about a half of a cup of food a day, which has been split into the 5 separate meals.
10 Week Old Boston Terrier Puppy
The amount of food that you feed your Boston Terrier puppy at 10 weeks is not very different than the amount that you feed your puppy at 8 weeks.
It should still be between a half of a cup and two-thirds of a cup of dog food. You should still aim to give your puppy 5 meals a day if it is possible, but if it isn’t, give them as many as you can.
12 Week Old Boston Terrier Puppy
When your Boston Terrier puppy has reached 12-weeks old, you can drop him down to four meals a day.
If you cannot manage to feed him that often, you can go for three times a day. Keep the meal sizes the same.
The amount of food that you should be feeding him is about 2/3 of a cup. Just divide it into the 4 meals so that they are all the same.
14 Week Old Boston Terrier Puppy
There are not a lot of differences in the feeding schedule of a 14 week old Boston Terrier puppy.
You should still be trying to feed your puppy 4 times a day, keeping the meals equal. The Amount of food is still at 2/3 of a cup.
Remember these are not big dogs so they do not require a lot of food each day, so even though it seems like a small amount, it is the right amount.
16 Week Old Boston Terrier Puppy
At 16 weeks old, you can increase the amount of food that your dog eats each day.
You can feed him between two-thirds of a cup and one and a quarter cup of food each day, dividing it still into 4 meals a day.
Your dog should still be on puppy kibble as well as he is still developing and requires the added calories and fat that puppy kibble. If you cannot swing 4 equal means, you can try 3 meals a day.
6 Months – 12 Months Old Boston Terrier Puppy
As the Boston Terrier puppy feeding chart would show, when your Boston Terrier puppy is 6 months old, you can reduce the amount of food that he eats to only 3 meals a day.
Your pup will likely be eating about 1.25 cups of food each day, split between the 3 meals.
At 12 months old, you will need to move your dog off of puppy food and can reduce him to just 2 meals a day. He can eat up to 1.75 cups of food each day.
12 Months & Above Boston Terriers
After the 12-month mark, your pup should be eating adult kibble and you should stick with between 1.25 and 1.75 cups of food every day.
An adult Boston Terrier can consume around 404calories each day.
Anything more than that would be too much for your dog. 2 meals a day is still ideal, to give your dog enough time to digest his food, preventing both bloat and hunger. It can help your dog maintain a healthy weight as well.
Understanding Boston Terrier Puppy Nutritional Needs
Every stage of Boston Terrier puppy development has different nutritional needs.
As a newborn and young puppy, your Boston Terrier puppy needs his mom’s milk for proper calories and nutrients. By the time that he is an adult, he will be reliant on adult kibble for the best-balanced nutrition.
A young Boston Terrier can have about 436 calories every day. These dogs are still growing and have much faster metabolism than their adult counterparts, which is why adults should only have 404 calories a day.
The essential nutrients for a Boston Terrier include healthy fats, which can come from salmon and omega-3s. All dogs need a good amount of protein as well, which they can get from chicken, salmon, or even eggs.
Their vitamins should come from veggies, such as broccoli and kale, or fruits, such as apples, blueberries, and bananas. Your Boston Terrier does not need any grains or fillers, however, so that in mind.
How Many Times A Day To Feed A Boston Terrier Puppy?
The amount of feedings that your Boston Terrier puppy needs each day will depend on his age.
When he is just starting out, he can eat as much as 7 times a day, but this is when he is drinking his mother’s milk and even that is an estimate.
At 8 weeks old, your Boston Terrier puppy should have 5 meals a day, but this is not reasonable for all dog owners. If you cannot swing 5, then aim for 3 meals a day. At his first birthday, you can reduce the amount to 2 meals a day.
Kibble vs Wet Food For Boston Terrier Puppies
The question of whether to feed your Boston Terrier puppy wet or dry food is a natural question.
Wet food as some advantages. It can help with weight gain if you have an underweight puppy. It can also make it easier to chew if your dog has tooth problems, is sick, or is dehydrated.
On the other hand, wet food can cause dental issues and it costs quite a bit more to buy. In general, if you can feed your Boston Terrier puppy dry kibble, it is the better way to go for his health and your wallet.
Switching From Puppy Food To Adult Food
When your Boston Terrier puppy is approaching his first birthday, it will be time to switch him from puppy food to adult food.
Puppy food is important for growing dogs as it will give him a good balance of fats, calories, and essential puppy nutrition. But, adult dogs do not need all of that.
When the time comes to switch out your dog’s food, you will need to do it gradually, over the course of several days.
Start by mixing the adult food in with the puppy food. Over a week, drop the amount of puppy food and increase the amount of adult food, until it is all adult food.
What If My Boston Terrier Puppy Won’t Eat?
It is always disconcerting if you puppy will not eat. You do not need to immediately jump to fear and the worst case scenario, however.
The first question is whether you just adopted the pup. If he is in a new environment, it might take a few days for him to adapt well enough to feel comfortable to eat. If you have recently changed your dog’s food, he might also be less inclined to eat.
If there have been no obvious changes, then see if he is eating just less or not eating at all. As their appetites increase and decrease through growth spurts, a reduction is not unheard of. But, if he is flat-out not eating, it is time to see the vet.
Can You Freefeed A Boston Terrier Puppy?
Freefeeding is the practice of putting out your dog’s food and allowing your dog to eat it as much as he wants throughout the day.
Some owners will try to put several days’ worth out, with the assumption that your dog will eat when he is hungry. Unfortunately, that is not a good idea.
If you freefeed your pup, you will not be able to see how much he is eating. Your dog can also eat the entire day or days’ worth of food in a single sitting, putting them at risk for obesity while also not teaching your pup moderation.
Best Puppy Dog Food For Boston Terrier
1. Purina ONE Natural High Protein +Plus Puppy Food
Editor’s Choice
Our top choice for the best food for Boston Terrier puppies is the Purina ONE Natural puppy food.
Overall, this food contains a lot of good ingredients to help out a growing puppy, including real chicken, beef fat, fish oil, and vegetables.
The biggest downside to the food is that it has a large amount of corn gluten meal as well as rice flour, both of which are filler ingredients that do not contribute to nutrition.
Pros
- Real chicken is first ingredient
- DHA
- Glucosamine
- Puppies love the flavour
Cons
- High amounts of corn gluten meal
2. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Small Breed Puppy
Runner-Up
Our second choice for the best foods for your Boston Terrier puppy is the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Small Breed Puppy food.
This food has been formulated for small breeds specifically. It has high amounts of DHA and ARA, which will help with both vision and brain development.
It seems that does who have more sensitive stomachs can have reactions to this food, so make sure to watch your dog closely if you are switching to this food.
Pros
- Made for small breeds
- DHA and ARA
- Omega 3 fatty acids
- No corn, wheat, or soy
Cons
- Can cause stomach upset
3. Purina Beneful Healthy Puppy
Another great choice for Boston Terrier puppies is the Purina Beneful Healthy Puppy. This food is high in protein and made with farm-raised chicken.
There are no artificial flavours or preservatives found in this food at all and its small kibble size is perfect for smaller breeds.
This food does have a number of filler ingredients such s whole grain corn, soybean meal, and corn gluten meal. These are all potential allergens.
Pros
- Farm-raised chicken
- No artificial flavours or preservatives
- Small kibble size is perfect for small breeds
- 23 essential vitamins and minerals
Cons
- Contains lots of filler ingredients, such as corn gluten and soybean meal
4. Royal Canin Small Puppy
The Royal Canin Small Breed Puppy food is another option for you. It is probably the most expensive of the options we have listed out here, which means it might be prohibitive for some dog owners out there.
The food was made with the energy needs of small dog breeds and comes in a small kibble size for the small breeds to have an easier time chewing.
It also is good for the immune system and the ingredients should not cause stomach upset.
Pros
- For puppies who will be 22 pounds at most as adults
- Meets the energy needs of small breeds
- Small kibble size
- Highly digestible
Cons
- The cost can be prohibitive
5.Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream
The final food that we are going to look at is the Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream smoke-flavoured salmon puppy food. This food is completely grain-free and high in a lot of protein.
This food has a ton of great ingredients and is made in the United States, so you can trust that the ingredients have been approved carefully.
The only downside to this food is that because of the strong fishy smell, many puppies do not find this appetizing.
Pros
- Grain-free
- Supports healthy digestion
- Made in the USA
- Probiotics
Cons
- The taste of this food is not appetizing to all dogs
Is A Raw Diet Healthy For A Boston Terrier Puppy?
If you think about it logically, it should seem like puppies should be able to eat raw meats and foods, since dogs are carnivores or omnivores.
The idea is that dogs would eat things raw out in the wild, so you should be able to give them raw foods.
The American Veterinary Medical Association is very against the use of raw diets, especially for puppies. Raw meats contain bacteria, which can be extremely dangerous to a puppy, making it safer to just cook the meat first.
Meat is good, because it is fresh and has high proteins, but puppies do not have the best immune systems to battle the risks that come with raw foods.
How Much Do Boston Terrier Puppies Grow Each Week?
It is important to remember that a Boston Terrier is a small breed dog.
When looking at how much they grow each week, it is about the same rule as other small breeds, meaning they will grow a lot in a short period of time, and then be done growing altogether.
The amount gained each week is not much at all. It works out to about a quarter of a pound every week, but not all Boston Terriers are the same size.
Some are bigger than others. Bigger Boston Terrier puppies will have more growth each week, gaining about two-thirds of a pound weekly.
How Much Water Should A Boston Terrier Puppy Drink?
The final piece of information when looking into how much to feed a Boston Terrier puppy is how much your dog should be drinking.
Water consumption is extremely important and while you do not want to leave water out all night if you are still housebreaking your dog, there are still some ideas to watch out for.
In general, Boston Terrier puppies should have between 1 and 2 cups of water each day. It is also perfectly fine to leave the water out so the dogs can drink as they need do, but make sure your puppy is drinking water.
