Feeding by breed and weight / Herding group
Feeding · Herding group
How much to feed a Old English Sheepdog
A neutered adult Old English Sheepdog at 101 lb needs about 1972 kcal a day, which is 5¼ cups of a 369 kcal/cup food; at the 79 lb end of the breed's range it is 1640 kcal, or 4½ 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 79–101 lb
- 2At 101 lb 1972 kcal a day
- 3Cups 5¼ cups at 369 kcal/cup
Old English Sheepdog feeding table by weight and life stage
Each row is a Old English 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 lb (35.8 kg) | 1025 | 1640 kcal | 4½ | 1845 kcal | 5 | 1435 kcal | 4 |
| 85 lb (38.6 kg) | 1083 | 1733 kcal | 4¾ | 1950 kcal | 5¼ | 1516 kcal | 4 |
| 90 lb (40.8 kg) | 1131 | 1809 kcal | 5 | 2035 kcal | 5½ | 1583 kcal | 4¼ |
| 96 lb (43.5 kg) | 1187 | 1899 kcal | 5¼ | 2136 kcal | 5¾ | 1661 kcal | 4½ |
| 101 lb (45.8 kg) | 1233 | 1972 kcal | 5¼ | 2219 kcal | 6 | 1726 kcal | 4¾ |
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 101 lb Old English Sheepdog the gap between the intact and neutered columns is 247 kcal a day, roughly 0.7 cups. A dog that is already carrying extra weight should start from the inactive column (1726 kcal at 101 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 101 lb and 1972 kcal, 5¼ cups is about 504 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; for a deep-chested breed of this size, two or three smaller meals rather than one large one is the usual advice to reduce bloat risk, and your vet can say whether it applies to your dog. Puppies eat more per pound and more often: see the Old English Sheepdog puppy feeding chart.
How the Old English Sheepdog compares
Calories per pound fall as dogs get bigger, because RER scales with weight to the 0.75 power rather than linearly. A 101 lb Old English Sheepdog needs 20 kcal per pound; a 105 lb Borzoi needs 2031 kcal (19 per lb), a 105 lb Giant Schnauzer needs 2031 kcal (19 per lb), a 100 lb Doberman Pinscher needs 1958 kcal (20 per lb). The breed ranks 114 of 132 by weight on this site. Females of the breed top out around 88 lb, which is 1779 kcal a day neutered.
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.