Adapting Feeding to the Dog's Size and Age
Of all the animal species, the dog is the one that exhibits the greatest range in weight. From the Chihuahua, weighing under 1 kg (2 pounds), to the Saint Bernard, weighing over 80 kg (175 pounds), the ratio is one to eighty, while it is never greater than two or three in cats or humans.

It goes without saying that this wide range is accompanied by significant anatomical and physiological variations between breeds, and these variations lead to specific nutritional requirements and therefore a specific diet.


Growth period and growth ratio are different
Growth curve over time

Growth period:
  • Small Dog: 8 to 10 months
  • Medium Dog: 12 months
  • Maxi Dog: 15 months
  • Giant Dog: 18 to 24 months

Growth ratio:
(increase in birth weight as compared to weight at maturity)
  • Small Dog: 20 to 40 times heavier than birth weight
  • Medium Dog: 40 to 60 times heavier than birth weight
  • Large and Giant Dog: 60 to 100 times heavier than birth weight

The length of the growth period, amount of growth, size of the teeth, energy requirements, relative weight of the digestive tract, and average life expectancy all depend on the size of the dog, and must be accounted for when choosing the type of food. To best meet the dog's needs and keep it in good health, dietary adjustments will be needed at every stage of its life.

Source: Royal Canin Dog Encyclopaedia
"A Chihuahua should not be fed like a St. Bernard"
Different Digestive Capacity
A small breed dog's digestive tarct (7% of its bodyweight) is more than twice the size of a large breed dog(2.7%).
So the answer is to feed large dogs with smaller meals of a concentrated energy food.
Different Energy Requiement
Small breed dogs need nearly twice as much energy for their size as medium and larger breed dogs.
So small breeds need a food that is richer in protein and fat to sustain them.
   
Different Growth Period
Small breed dogs grow to adulthood in 8 months while larger breeds can take up to 24 month.
Small breed puppies need enough nutrients to support their rapid development while large breed puppies should have a moderate energy level to sustain steady growth over a long period.
Different Life Expectancy
The average life expectancy varies from 14 years for small breeds to only 8 years for large breed.
So it is vital to slow down the ageing process at an early stage for large breeds.


In 1980, Royal Canin was the first company in the world to launch a food designed for the growth needs of large breed puppies. In 1997, Royal Canin launched the first programme to take account of the true nutritional needs of dogs of small, medium and large size (Mini/Medium/Maxi nutritional programmes): it thus became the SIZE HEALTH NUTRITION range for dogs / FELINE HEALTH NUTRITION range for cats.

This “nutritional Big Bang” established the four major parameters of Health Nutrition: age, activity level, physiological state and size/breed. It has since become a “given” and all the other major world players in dog and cat health nutrition have come round to this approach.


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