How much should I feed a 6kg dog?

Resting energy for a 6kg dog comes to around 268 kcal, and a typical moderately active neutered adult needs close to 1.6 times that, around 430 kcal a day. At 350 to 400 kcal per 100g, that is roughly 110 to 120g of dry food.

This is the figure to expect for an average pet dog that gets a couple of walks a day, not a working or highly driven dog.

Two 6kg dogs can look very different. A stocky, low energy breed built to conserve energy may do well on the lower end of the range, while a lean, high drive small dog may need the higher end or slightly more.

Rather than guessing, feed the middle amount for two to three weeks, then judge from body condition whether to move up or down.

A frequent error is rounding up generously because the portion looks small in the bowl compared to a family's expectations of what a meal should look like. Trust the scale over how full the bowl appears.

Another common mistake is feeding the amount for the dog's ideal adult weight when the dog is already overweight, which keeps the extra weight on rather than reducing it. Trim treats out of the equation too, since a couple of small training rewards a day can quietly add another 10 to 15 percent on top of an otherwise correctly measured meal.