Many nutritionists feel that developmental bone problems, such as hip dysplasia, may be due to puppies growing too rapidly. They recommend mixing puppy food and adult dog food together to slow this rate of growth. For this reason, among others, puppy diets should not be supplemented or overfed in an effort to increase the growth rate. Feeding the adult dog Different breeds of dogs reach adulthood at different times. Toy or miniature breeds can be fully grown in as little as eight to 10 months, whereas giant breeds may require 18 months or longer.
Many dogs continue to mature for another year or two.
A rule of thumb is that the amount of time that it takes for the dog to stop growing in height is about as much additional time as it will require to fully mature. Since the dog is no longer growing as quickly as when it was a puppy, it no longer requires the nutrient-rich puppy food. The dog should now be switched to an adult dog food. Continued feeding of a puppy food promotes obesity and other health problems. For example, a 100-pound Labrador Retriever may weigh 10 times as much as a terrier but only require six times as much food.