Feeding by breed and weight / Herding group
Feeding · Herding group
How much to feed a Icelandic Sheepdog
A neutered adult Icelandic Sheepdog at 30 lb needs about 794 kcal a day, which is 2¼ cups of a 369 kcal/cup food; at the 20 lb end of the breed's range it is 585 kcal, or 1½ cups. That is the maintenance figure before treats, from the resting energy requirement formula and the Merck Veterinary Manual's factor of 1.6 for a neutered adult.
- 1Adult weight 20–30 lb
- 2At 30 lb 794 kcal a day
- 3Cups 2¼ cups at 369 kcal/cup
Icelandic Sheepdog feeding table by weight and life stage
Each row is a Icelandic Sheepdog at that weight. Columns are the Merck factors: a neutered adult (×1.6), an intact adult (×1.8) and a dog that is inactive or gains weight easily (×1.4). Cups assume 369 kcal per cup, the label figure for Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice (adult dry); change it to your bag's number on the sizer.
| Weight | RER | Neutered adult | Cups | Intact adult | Cups | Inactive / weight-prone | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 lb (9.1 kg) | 366 | 585 kcal | 1½ | 659 kcal | 1¾ | 512 kcal | 1½ |
| 23 lb (10.4 kg) | 406 | 650 kcal | 1¾ | 731 kcal | 2 | 569 kcal | 1½ |
| 25 lb (11.3 kg) | 433 | 692 kcal | 2 | 779 kcal | 2 | 606 kcal | 1¾ |
| 28 lb (12.7 kg) | 471 | 754 kcal | 2 | 848 kcal | 2¼ | 659 kcal | 1¾ |
| 30 lb (13.6 kg) | 496 | 794 kcal | 2¼ | 893 kcal | 2½ | 694 kcal | 2 |
RER = 70 × kg0.75; factors from the Merck Veterinary Manual. Calorie density from the Purina product page (3790 kcal/kg, 369 kcal per 8 oz cup, about 96 g). Checked 2026-10-20.
Why the number is lower than the bag says
Bag feeding guides are written for an active, intact adult and often run above the neutered-maintenance figure; for a 30 lb Icelandic Sheepdog the gap between the intact and neutered columns is 99 kcal a day, roughly 0.3 cups. A dog that is already carrying extra weight should start from the inactive column (694 kcal at 30 lb) and be weighed every two weeks. Treats and chews count: a single dental chew can be 70–100 kcal, which adds up faster than it looks across a week.
Formulas get a healthy adult into the right range; body condition keeps it there. Ribs should be easy to feel under a thin layer of fat, and the dog should have a visible waist from above. If that is not the case after four weeks, adjust by about 10% and re-check — and ask your vet before changing a dog with a medical condition, a pregnant or nursing female, or a working dog in season.
Grams and meals
At 30 lb and 794 kcal, 2¼ cups is about 216 g a day of a 96 g/cup kibble — a kitchen scale is more repeatable than a scoop. Split into two meals for an adult. Puppies eat more per pound and more often: see the Icelandic Sheepdog puppy feeding chart.
How the Icelandic Sheepdog compares
Calories per pound fall as dogs get bigger, because RER scales with weight to the 0.75 power rather than linearly. A 30 lb Icelandic Sheepdog needs 26 kcal per pound; a 31 lb French Bulldog needs 813 kcal (26 per lb), a 32 lb Dachshund (Standard) needs 833 kcal (26 per lb), a 24 lb Basenji needs 671 kcal (28 per lb). The breed ranks 46 of 132 by weight on this site.
Adult weight from Wikipedia breed infobox/body, checked 2026-10-21. The AKC standard states the height but not the weight, so the weight here is from Wikipedia breed infobox/body. Figures are maintenance starting points for a healthy adult; they are not veterinary advice.