What Should I Feed My 8-Week-Old Cockapoo Puppy?
Posted on 15th July 2026
You've done the research. Bags of puppy food lined up, a shiny new bowl, maybe even a feeding chart pinned to the fridge. Then your puppy actually arrives, and every bit of that confidence goes out the window the second they turn their nose up at dinner, or you spot something in the garden that doesn't look right.
Feeding a Cockapoo puppy well isn't really about finding the “perfect” food. It's about the habits you build around mealtimes in those first few weeks — consistency, hygiene, and knowing what's genuinely normal versus what needs a vet.
Most of the feeding problems I see aren't about brand choice at all. They're mistakes made with the best intentions — leaving food down all day, guessing at portions, reaching for chicken and rice the second stools go loose.
Here's exactly what to feed, how often, how much, and the mistakes worth avoiding while your puppy settles in.
Should I Change My Cockapoo Puppy's Food Straight Away?
No — keep them on exactly what the breeder was feeding, for at least the first one to two weeks.
Moving home is already the biggest change your puppy will go through. A new food on top of that gives their gut two things to adjust to at once, and if stools go loose, you'll have no way of knowing whether it's the move or the meal.
Before you collect your puppy, ask the breeder for a small bag of their current food, or the exact brand and variety written down. This is worth covering off during your Cockapoo puppy's first 7 days at home, alongside everything else you're settling into together.
Once your puppy is eating normally, comfortable in the house, and stools have been consistently normal, you can change food if you want to — but do it gradually, mixing old and new over seven to ten days.
How Often Should I Feed My Cockapoo Puppy?
At 8 weeks old, aim for four small meals a day, spread out through waking hours. You can drop to three meals by around 12 weeks, and most Cockapoos are on two meals a day by six months — check the guidance on your specific food and adjust with your vet if needed.
Feed at roughly the same times each day. Be the clock — predictable mealtimes make everything else (toilet training, naps, settling) easier to read.
One of the biggest mistakes I see is leaving food down all day so the puppy can graze whenever they want. It feels generous, but it backfires:
- You lose the ability to spot appetite changes early — often the first sign something's wrong
- Toilet training gets harder, because you can't predict when they'll need to go out
- Food left sitting out is a hygiene problem in its own right (more on that below)
Instead, put the bowl down for 15–20 minutes, then pick it up — eaten or not. Your puppy learns mealtime has a start and an end, and you get useful information every single day.
How Much Should I Feed My Cockapoo Puppy?
The right amount depends on your puppy's current weight and their expected adult size, so start with the feeding guide on the food packaging and split the daily total across their meals. Weigh your puppy weekly so you can adjust as they grow.
The other common mistake is not measuring at all — filling the bowl by eye, or using a “cupped hand” guess. It's an easy habit to fall into, and it's very easy to get wrong in either direction. Cockapoos can be prone to weight gain as adults, so accurate portions now set the pattern for later.
Use a proper measuring scoop or kitchen scales for every meal, not just when you remember.
Keeping Feeding Time Hygienic
Food hygiene is one of the most overlooked parts of feeding a puppy, and poor hygiene is behind a surprising number of the “my puppy's gone off their food” or “my puppy has an upset tummy” messages I get.
- Wash the bowl after every meal — don't just top it up on yesterday's residue
- Store dry food sealed, cool, and dry, not left open in a utility room or garage
- Never leave wet or mixed food sitting out for hours — it attracts bacteria and pests, and a hungry puppy will eat it even once it's turned
- Wash your hands before and after handling wet or raw food
This is exactly why leaving food out all day is a double mistake — it undermines routine and it's a genuine hygiene risk.
My Cockapoo Puppy Has Diarrhoea — Should I Feed Chicken and Rice?
The instinct is understandable: stools go loose, so you switch to a bland chicken and rice diet and wait to see if it settles. At this age, don't do this on your own — call the vet instead.
A few reasons this matters more with a young puppy than an adult dog:
- Puppies dehydrate much faster than adult dogs, and diarrhoea speeds that up
- Young puppies are still building up vaccination cover, so infection risk is higher
- Switching food again — even to something “bland” — adds another variable, which makes it harder for you or your vet to work out what actually caused it
Call your vet the same day if your puppy is under 16 weeks old, off their food, lethargic, vomiting, or if there's any blood in their stool. If you want to understand the more common, less urgent causes of loose stools first, my guide to why does my Cockapoo puppy have loose poos goes into this in more detail — but diarrhoea in an 8-week-old puppy is always a vet call, not a home remedy.
Supporting Blogs:
My Cockapoo puppy has gone off their food
Resources:
Stop the Evening Chaos: Helping Your Cockapoo Puppy Settle, Focus, and Feel Safe
Freebies:
The Cockapoo Puppy First 7 Day Guide
Watch on YouTube
Why Your Cockapoo Puppy Follows You Everywhere
Why Hand Feeding Can Help Your Cockapoo Puppy
In the first week or two, try hand feeding a portion of each meal rather than putting the whole thing straight in the bowl.
It sounds small, but it does real work. Your puppy starts to associate hands near their food with good things, not competition — which matters later if you ever need to move a bowl, add food, or have children nearby at mealtimes. For a sensitive or anxious puppy especially, it's a calm, low-pressure way to build trust in those first days in a brand new home.
Keep it simple: take a small handful from their measured portion, offer it calmly, and praise gentle taking. Ten minutes here and there is plenty — this isn't about control, it's about connection.
Why This Matters
Feeding isn't just nutrition. It's one of the first places your puppy learns whether this new home is calm and predictable, or chaotic and confusing.
Rushed, inconsistent mealtimes are just one more unpredictable thing stacked on top of everything else that's new to them this week. Get feeding steady, and you've built one more foundation — not a trick, just something solid underneath everything else you're teaching.
You Are Not Getting This Wrong
If you've left food out, eyeballed a portion, or reached for chicken and rice at the first loose stool — that's not a failing, it's just what most new owners are never told. Every one of these is a habit you can change starting with the very next meal.
Pick one thing to start today: measure tonight's portion properly, or commit to washing the bowl after every feed. Small, consistent changes are what settle a puppy's gut and your own nerves.
For the full first-week picture — feeding, sleep, toilet training and settling in together — grab my free First 7 Days guide.
— Clair
Founder, Cockapoo52