How much to feed
How much should I feed a 10kg dog?
Last updated 23 September 2026 · How we write and check this
Short answer
A 10kg dog, a common weight for breeds like a beagle or a cocker spaniel, generally needs about 160 to 175g of a typical dry food a day. This is one of the most searched weights because it sits right at the point where feeding charts on bags start using wider brackets, so it is worth calculating your dog's own number rather than reading off the nearest line.
Calculating the daily amount
Resting energy for a 10kg dog comes to around 394 kcal, and a typical neutered adult at normal activity needs close to 1.6 times that, about 630 kcal a day. At 350 to 400 kcal per 100g of dry food, that lands near 160 to 175g.
Many bags print brackets like 8 to 12kg together with one shared amount, which is only a rough average. Working out your own number from your dog's exact weight is more accurate than reading the nearest row.
Breed and build differences at this weight
A beagle bred to hunt for hours on scent has a different appetite pattern than a similarly sized but lower energy breed, and beagles in particular are known for being persistent about food regardless of how much they have already eaten.
If your 10kg dog constantly begs but is at a healthy weight, the portion is probably correct and the behavior is learned rather than a sign of hunger.
Confirming the amount is right
Check the waist from above and feel the ribs every couple of weeks. At 10kg, a gain of half a kilogram is a meaningful and visible change, so catching it early makes correcting it much easier.
If you are working from a bag's printed chart and your dog is gaining steadily, drop to the next lower bracket rather than assuming the chart is exact for every dog.
Key takeaways
- A 10kg adult dog typically needs about 160 to 175g of dry food a day.
- Calculating your dog's exact number beats reading a wide weight bracket off a bag.
- Persistent begging at a healthy weight is usually learned behavior, not a sign the portion is too small.
- Half a kilogram of gain is significant at this weight and worth acting on early.