This is a specific conversation about Dog food — finding the right one — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A five-month-old Rottweiler is right in the middle of that fast, slightly alarming growth phase — and you're right to be thinking carefully about portions, because overfeeding a large-breed puppy at this stage can cause joints to develop under too much load, while underfeeding obviously stunts them. The right food matters as much as the right amount. To give you a useful answer: what are you currently feeding, and have you noticed any digestive issues, loose stools, or anything else worth mentioning?
He's on a generic supermarket puppy food at the moment — the Bakers complete one. No health issues, just growing really fast and I'm not sure if I should be feeding more or less than the packet says. He's about 22kg already.
inparticular.ai
Bakers is one I'd move away from — it's high in artificial additives and cereals, which can cause loose stools and doesn't serve a large-breed puppy particularly well. At 22kg and five months, your Rottweiler is going to hit somewhere between 45 and 60kg as an adult, so the quality and calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of his food right now genuinely matters for bone and joint development. Can I ask — are you open to dry kibble, or are you considering wet or raw as well?
Happy to stick with dry kibble, easier for me to manage portions.
inparticular.ai
Good — dry kibble is actually ideal here because portion control is precise, which is exactly what you need. My recommendation is Royal Canin Rottweiler Junior. It's breed-specific, which sounds like marketing but in this case is genuinely meaningful: it's formulated with a controlled calcium and phosphorus level calibrated for the Rottweiler's growth rate, and it includes EPA and DHA to support joint development during exactly this rapid-growth window. The kibble shape is also designed for a Rottweiler's jaw. At 22kg, you're looking at roughly 370–400g per day split across two meals — but the bag has a weight-based guide and I'd follow that closely rather than eyeballing it. Don't be tempted to feed more just because he seems hungry; large breeds are notorious for eating past their needs if you let them.
That makes sense. How long do I keep him on puppy food before switching to adult?
inparticular.ai
With Rottweilers, longer than people expect — I'd say 18 months minimum, and up to 24 months is fine. They're a giant-adjacent breed and their skeletal development runs well behind smaller dogs. Switching to adult food too early means losing the controlled mineral ratios that protect his joints during the final growth phases. Royal Canin do a Rottweiler Adult when the time comes, which makes the transition straightforward. For now, stick with the Junior, weigh his portions, and don't skip the two-meal-a-day split — one large meal increases bloat risk in deep-chested breeds like his.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll switch him over this week.
inparticular.ai
One last thing — when you switch, do it gradually over about a week. Mix increasing amounts of the new food with decreasing amounts of the old to avoid digestive upset. Even a good food introduced too quickly can cause loose stools that make you think something's wrong when it isn't. Good luck with him — sounds like he's doing well.