Shiba Inu Feeding Chart Based On Shibas Age & Weight

What does the Shiba Inu feeding chart cover? Knowing the right food and diet to feed your canine friend is one wish for every Shiba Inu owner. Like other dog breeds, Shiba Inu needs a balanced diet with the necessary nutritional value for healthy growth.

Shiba Inus have food allergies which often cause skin irritations, diarrhea, and vomiting. So, understanding the right food ounces to feed your Shiba is a big boost.

That said, a Shiba Inu feeding guide takes you through the right proportions to feed your Shiba Inu from one stage to another.

In this Shiba Inu feeding guide, you’ll learn how much food to feed your pooch friend at different ages.

Shiba Inu Feeding Chart Guide

Despite being among the smallest Japanese Spitz breeds, Shiba Inus lie in the medium-sized dog breeds.

The chart below shows the number of cups to feed your Shiba at different ages from 1 month to 2 years.

Shiba Inu Age	Expected Weight (lbs)	Daily Dry Kibble / Cups
1 month	3 – 6 lbs	0.3 cup x 3
2 months	4 – 8 lbs	0.3 to 0.5 cup x 3
3 months	7 – 10 lbs	0.3 to 0.5 cup x 2
4 months	9 – 12 lbs	0.5 to 1 cup x 2
5 months	10 – 14 lbs	0.5 to 1 cup x 2
6 months	12 – 16 lbs	0.5 to 1 cup x 2
7 months	14 – 17 lbs	0.5 to 1.5 cups x 2
8 months	15 – 18 lbs	0.5 to 1.5 cup x 2
9 months	16 – 21 lbs	0.5 to 1.5 cup x 2
10 months	17 – 23 lbs	0.5 to 1.5 cups x 2
11 months	18 – 25 lbs	1 to 2 cups / Free feed
1 Year	18 – 25 lbs	1 to 2 cups / Free feed
2 Years	18 – 25 lbs	1 to 2 cups / Free feed

When deciding the amount of food to feed your Shiba Inu, there are many other factors to consider. These factors include age, activity, level, and current weight.

Also, food allergies influence your feeding schedule significantly.

Remember that this Shiba Inu feeding chart will guide you in deciding the average food amount to feed your canine friend.

That said, THIS GUIDE ISN’T A MUST-FOLLOW!

If you’ve been feeding your canine friend more or little food than the indicated amount, there is no cause for alarm.

Each pup grows at its rate and thus might need different food amounts at various ages. You should adjust accordingly not to feed your Shiba Inu excess or little than enough food.

My encounters with other Shiba Inu owners introduced me to some facts, such as that Shiba Inu needs more calories than the ones suggested by pet food manufacturers.

Also, enough quality food is a cheat sheet to prolong your Shibas lifespan. So, ensure yours feeds on a balanced diet incorporated with enough exercise.

How Much Food Should I Feed My Shiba Inu?

Identifying the amount of food to feed your Shiba Inu depends on their age, activity level, and weight, among other factors.

That said, below is an explanation of the amount to feed your Shiba Inu, depending on age.

2 Weeks Puppy (The Neonatal Period)

At 2 weeks, your puppy still depends on the mother for all their needs, including feeding. So, they should still be suckling at this time.

Suckling is crucial for the early Shiba Inu stages as it has all the necessary body requirements. So, the puppy is still dependent on the mother for nourishment.

In addition, some pups might be yet to begin opening their eyes at this time. Most Shiba Inu puppies open their eyes after 2 weeks, anywhere between 10 days and 14 days.

Your puppy is also beginning to walk, so there’s no need for a lot of energy. Staying close to their mother helps regulate their body temperature and offers safety.

There’s still no reason to introduce your puppy to any external feeding during this time.

However, if the mother has problems breastfeeding, you can get a dog formula; this hardly happens as dogs are good mothers and care for their puppies.

Check out; ways to stop puppy biting?

3 Weeks Old Puppy / Shiba Inu Feeding Chart

At three weeks of age, your Shiba Inu puppy will have started showing signs of activity and wanting to walk around. However, they’ll still spend most of the time lying by the mother’s side.

So, they’ll still depend on the mother for food, that is, milk which has all the requirements. They can instinctively feed on their own when they feel the need.

During this stage, there is no need to introduce external food. Let the puppy feed on the mother’s milk to grow with a robust immune body.

The only reason you should interfere is the same as previously; that’s if the mother has breastfeeding issues. So, ensure to feed the mother enough food.

4 Weeks Puppy

Four weeks old, puppies are more active and start to play around as their eyes are now open. Also, the puppy starts to explore their surroundings and plays with littermates.

At this stage, you can consider introducing your puppy to external puppy food bit by bit. Nevertheless, their primary source of nourishment is still the mother’s milk.

However, start providing small bits of puppy food to determine their interest. Don’t force your puppy to take puppy food.

Attempt placing the food under their nose and observing their reaction. In most cases, puppies won’t eat, but that’s a step toward future feeding.

At 4 weeks/One month, the puppy’s digestive system is not yet fully developed. So, you shouldn’t force them into feeding external food.

If the puppy shows interest, provide small amounts of food mixed with water to ease digestion.

5 Weeks Puppy

A five-week-old Shiba Inu puppy is more active and likes to feed on puppy food and water. Even Shibas, who didn’t want to taste puppy food, should show more interest at this stage.

Nevertheless, the Shiba Inu puppy’s stomach isn’t fully developed, thus the need to keep an equal ratio of food and water.

Providing the proper ratios of food and water offers their digestive system enough time to develop.

In addition, your Shibas puppy must suckle at five weeks of age. So, don’t restrict it; however, they don’t need to suckle as much as before.

That said, ensure to strike a balance between Shiba Inu puppy food and the frequency of suckling.

At this stage, the mother automatically starts weaning off the puppies. So, you should see less suckling; however, if they’re still affectionate, don’t force your puppy to leave the mother yet.

6 Weeks Puppy

A 6-weeks-old puppy starts to cease milk consumption slowly. In addition, most puppies cease to suckle completely between 6- and 7 weeks of age.

That said, it’s essential to introduce puppy food at this stage to act as the primary source of nourishment.

Also, a 6-weeks old puppy has more confidence and wants to explore its surroundings more as the body develops and gains more energy.

The energy from the mother’s milk is no longer enough to suffice their body’s energy requirement. So, puppy food is crucial at this stage.

Also, you should start increasing the puppy food as you decrease the water intake. A lot of water intake causes frequent urination, especially in puppies.

7 Weeks Puppy

A 7-week-old puppy should exhibit a lot of appetite in consuming puppy food. This is the stage when they show complete interest in dry dog food.

So, provide enough puppy food at this stage and strike a good balance between the amount of food and water. The ratio should be 90:10 for food to water.

Feed your puppy the right amounts of food, as they can easily overfeed during this stage. Ideally, the best way to feed them is to avail small kibble amounts three to four times daily.

Don’t be surprised if your Shiba Inu puppy is still breastfeeding at this stage. Some puppies wean off late than others.

In addition, this is usually your puppy’s last breastfeeding stage, as the mother’s milk is almost ending.

8 to 9 Weeks Puppy

An eight-week-old puppy should be able to switch entirely from the mother’s milk to puppy food. Your puppy shouldn’t depend on the mother for food from this stage.

This is the best stage for a breeder to release a puppy to new owners. The newfound experience allows Shiba Inu puppies to adapt to a new environment.

At this time, you have to control what your puppy eats and how much they eat. Implement a robust feeding schedule as soon as your puppy arrives home.

Since your puppy consumes more dry food, ensure drinking water. Water makes it easy for puppy Shibas to digest food and avoid stomach issues.

At nine months, a puppy shouldn’t depend on the mother for anything. They should be able to feed on dry food by themselves.

10 Weeks Puppy

10 week old Shiba Inu puppy has a high energy level and is more active. So, they need much more food to cater to energy requirements.

That said, you must maintain your puppies feeding schedule while slowly adding half a cup of dry dog food to every meal.

Your Shiba Inu puppy hits their first growth spurt at this stage. So, keep an eye on their weight to avoid obesity. You can also regulate their feeding based on body growth and weight.

Four meals a day usually work best for me. You should provide between 1 to 1 and ½ cups of puppy food every time you feed them.

The ideal weight for your Shiba Inu puppy at this age is between 7 and 11 pounds.

11 to 12 Weeks Puppy

At this stage, your Shiba Inu isn’t a puppy anymore. They’re almost grown adults and can do almost everything by themselves.

You should provide them with at least half a cup of food to keep up with their growing body requirements.

At this stage, your Shiba begins to chew on almost everything they can find. It’s good to introduce obedience training at this stage or earlier.

The chewing behavior results from the teething. It usually causes a need to chew on anything, thus frequently chewing with your canine friend.

Also, never leave your Shiba Inu puppy unattended, as they could ingest something poisonous that can cause health problems.

Ensure you invest in some chewing toys. They’ll be crucial when you redirect your Shibas energy from chewing something or excessively biting.

3 to 6 Months Puppy

This is the period when your Shiba Inu will grow the most. The higher energy level within the breed causes them a lot of appetite triggering more growth.

Ensure to maintain the puppy feeding schedule you used previously. However, you can add some food based on their energy level.

A 6-month-old Shiba Inu should have a healthy weight between 12 and 17 pounds. Don’t ignore monitoring your Shibas body weight.

6 to 12 Months Puppy

During this stage, your Shiba Inu puppy is almost fully grown and can feed up to two and a half cups of dry dog food.

Due to the higher feeding rate of dog food, provide enough water. The more your Shiba consumes dry dog food, the more they need water.

Also, the growth rate should visibly reduce at this stage. However, your puppy will continue to put in a healthy growth rate.

After your Shiba Inu puppy is past their first birthday, start switching from puppy food to adult dog food.

Their digestive system is fully grown and ready to handle adult dog food. Continue doing it gradually until your Shiba is used to adult dog food.

That said, an adult Shiba should eat between 1 and 2.5 cups of adult dry dog food at one year. This food should be spread out between two daily meals.

The food should weigh between 17 and 20 pounds.

How Many Times A Day Should I Feed My Shiba Inu?

Shiba Inu puppies between 6 and 12 weeks should feed 3 to 4 times a day while older Shiba Inus should eat 2 to 3 times a day.

That said, the number of times you feed your Shiba Inus daily depends on their age, weight, and activity level.

So, Shiba Inu puppies that are more active need body energy to suffice their activity. This calls for more feeding times, thus the 3 to 4 feeding times.

In addition, puppies with less activity shouldn’t be fed much food as it can cause bloating and other stomach-related problems.

The weight of your Shiba Inus is crucial when determining the number of times you feed your canine friend.

If your Shiba Inu has grown overweight, you should restrict the number of feeding times to 2 or 3 times daily.

Remember, dogs that tend to lay and are less active are prone to obesity. So, observe your Shibas behavior and feed them accordingly.

If they’re lazy and hardly exercise, don’t feed them a lot of food. On the other hand, if your Shiba Inus is hyper and has a high activity level, you can feed them more food.

My adult Shiba Inus usually eats twice a day. However, there are occasional treats between the two meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Shiba Inu Puppies Eat Adult Dog Food?

No. Shiba Inu puppies aren’t supposed to feed on adult dog food as it can cause bloating and related stomach problems.

Puppies usually undergo growth and hormonal changes that don’t allow for the processing of adult food.

How Often Should You Feed Your Shiba Inu?

You should feed your Shiba Inu 2 to 3 times a day. However, you’re allowed to intervene with occasional treats from time to time.

Also, ensure you don’t feed your Shiba Inu a few minutes to sleep time. This can cause frequent urination and make them mess up their bedding at night.

How Do I Choose the Right Food for My Shiba Inu?

To choose the right food for your Shiba Inu, you must understand any possible allergies and the ingredients to avoid, like chicken and grain foods.

Select your Shibas food based on the ingredients. So, select foods with 30% protein and 15% fat content.

Ensure the food you select has no grain ingredients and preservative-based fillers.

Can I Feed My Shiba Inu Raw Food?

Shiba Inus largely like raw food as they were initially bred for hunting. So, you can comfortably feed your Shiba Inu raw food.

You should ensure that it has the proper ingredients and no allergens.

Concluding Statements on Shiba Inu Feeding Chart Guide

You should feed your Shiba Inus the proper amount of food depending on their age and weight. This helps avoid excess or less feeding.

Also, consider the weight of your Shiba Inu before preparing the feeding schedule. You can easily cause your canine friend obesity problems if you feed them excess food with many calories.

Ensure to feed your canine friend high-quality food to avoid weight issues. Besides, high-quality food improves your Shibas overall body health.

Be observant to identify what foods your Shiba Inu has an allergy to. That way, you know what to avoid the next time you’re making a purchase.