The 12 Best Dog Foods for Small Dogs of 2026

Best Overall

Royal Canin Small Breed Adult Dry Dog Food

$60 at Amazon View on Chewy View on Petco

Since little dogs need more calories per pound of body weight than larger breeds due to their higher metabolic rate, a nutrient-rich and calorie-dense food is best. Formulated to suit the energy level of little dogs, Royal Canin Adult Small Dog Dry Food also contains the fatty acids EPA and DHA that keep small dogs' skin and coats healthy, as well as L-carnitine that helps them to metabolize fat and maintain a good weight.

Specifically targeting dogs between 10 months and 8 years of age, weighing between 9 and 22 pounds, this formula is considered highly palatable, especially good for pups that turn their nose up quickly at foods they don't like. In addition, the kibble is specially designed in size and shape to be perfect for tiny jaws.

Although the ingredient list contains several high-quality foods, including brown rice, fish oil, and chicken fat, the first ingredient is corn. While corn does have some nutritious value, ideally, the first ingredient would still be some type of protein-rich, high-quality meat. This blend is otherwise nutritious and well-suited for small breed dogs, meeting the nutritional standards of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) as well as the National Research Council (NRC).

_{Flavors: Chicken, vegetable | Package Sizes: 2.5-pound bag, 14-pound bag}

Best Budget

Purina One Plus Small Breed Adult Dog Dry Food

$11 at Amazon View on Chewy

$19

$17 at PetSmart

Purina One Plus Small Breed Adult Dog Dry Food is our favorite high-quality, affordable option for small-breed dogs. Formulated for adult dogs weighing 20 pounds or less, this dry food is nutrient-rich with zero fillers, an ideal blend at a price you can manage even on a tight budget.

Real lamb is the first ingredient, making this food high in protein for good muscle development, and there are no artificial flavors or preservatives. Carefully created for the high-energy lives and activity levels of smaller dogs, it’s highly digestible, nutritious, and fortified with vitamins and minerals to support a healthy immune system. It’s also made with essential fatty acids and calcium for a healthy coat and bones.

_{Flavors: Lamb and rice | Package Sizes: 3.8-pound bag, 7.4-pound bag, 15-pound bag}

Best for Weight Management

Purina Pro Plan Small Breed Weight Management Dog Food

$55 at Amazon $21 at Chewy

$22

$21 at Petco

If a small breed dog is carrying even a little bit of extra weight, it can impact their health significantly, especially in the form of joint issues. To help your dog lose weight safely, Purina Pro Plan Weight Management Adult Small Dog Dry Food provides plenty of nutrients in a low-calorie formula. A specialized shredded recipe, this food offers high protein with real chicken as the first ingredient to maintain muscle mass while losing weight.

It also provides antioxidants for immunity, phosphorus and calcium for strong bones and teeth, and guaranteed live probiotics to aid digestion. The only downsides were an inconsistent kibble size and texture, where dogs occasionally eat around larger pieces, eating only the smaller ones.

_{Flavors: Chicken and rice | Package Sizes: 6-pound bag, 18-pound bag}

Best for Allergies

Wellness Simple Limited-Ingredient Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

$54 at Amazon View on PetMeds

With a single-protein formula designed for highly allergic small breed dogs, Wellness Limited Ingredient Diet Small Breed Salmon & Potato Dry Food for Adult Dogs offers complete nutrition with fewer difficult-to-digest ingredients. It has a recipe rich in omega fatty acids for a healthy coat and skin, taurine for a strong heart and good blood pressure, as well as prebiotic fiber and probiotics for enhanced digestibility. It also has glucosamine for joint health.

This food makes an excellent alternative for dogs that are allergic to beef or chicken, too, and is also tolerated by the bellies of even the most sensitive, allergy-prone dogs. It’s nutritionally dense while also low-calorie, making it ideal for dogs that are limited to low activity due to an illness or injury as well.

While on a grain-free diet, it is advisable to have your dog monitored by your veterinarian due to the potential connection between a grain-free diet and canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

_{Flavors: Duck and oatmeal, turkey and potato, lamb and oatmeal, salmon and potato | Package Sizes: 10.5-pound bag, 26-pound bag, 40-pound bag}

Best for Sensitive Stomachs

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Adult, Small & Mini Breeds

$24 at Amazon $24 at Chewy View on Petco

While a sensitive belly can befall any age or breed of canine, older and smaller dogs are the most frequently affected. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach and Skin Small and Mini Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food provides prebiotic fiber and other easily digested nutrients to optimize a sensitive dog’s digestive health.

Real chicken is the first ingredient, meaning the food has an authentic, protein-rich, and nutritious formula. A blend of essential fatty acids and vitamins contributes to a shiny coat and healthy skin as well, while amino acids and other ingredients balance out the recipe. It’s also a well-known brand that is decades old, plus it's American-made, so you can trust the quality.

_{Flavors: Chicken and barley | Package Sizes: 4-pound bag, 15-pound bag}

Best Subscription

The Farmer’s Dog

View on Thefarmersdog.com

Dog food delivery services can offer convenience and quality to pet parents. The Farmer's Dog earns high marks for its high-quality, fresh, human-grade ingredients and recipes that are less processed than traditional dog foods and contain zero preservatives.

Customization is simple. You fill out a questionnaire about your dog's age, activity level, health, and dietary habits, and then each meal plan is tailored to your specifications. You choose by protein and what you do or do not want to be included. 

For small dogs, the meals average around $2.80 per day. Shipping is free to any of the lower 48 states, and meals arrive frozen.

All you have to do is thaw for 12 hours in the refrigerator before you're ready to serve, though we wish the bags were resealable, and portioning can get a bit less messy. Once thawed, each pack stays fridge-safe for up to four days. Round-the-clock customer service makes it very convenient to adjust your plan, including the timing of deliveries and food quantity. 

_{Flavors: Beef, turkey, pork, and chicken | Package Sizes: 1 pack (3-4 portions)}

Best for Senior Dogs

Nutro Natural Choice Small Breed Senior Dry Dog Food

$21

$16 at Amazon View on Chewy

Ideal for small breeds aged 8 years and older, this nutrient-dense, all-natural food provides real chicken as a main ingredient, giving senior dogs the protein they need for strength and energy. Other ingredients include split peas, whole grain brown rice, whole grain oatmeal, fish oil, chia seed, dried pumpkin, dried kale, dried spinach, biotin, calcium, and several B vitamins, creating a nutrient-dense food to keep your aging pup’s plate bursting with healthiness while remaining free of chemical preservatives.

It’s important to read the label carefully, as you’ll need to adjust your feeding amount according to your dog’s activity level in order to either get to or maintain your dog’s appropriate weight. This food can be served to your dog dry or slightly moistened for aging pups with fewer teeth or sore gums. Nutro pledges to keep its ingredients natural by working alongside farmers who are devoted to improving the condition of the soil. It also helps to know that this well-established company has been in business for almost 90 years.

_{Flavors: Chicken and brown rice | Package Sizes: 5-pound bag}

Best for Small Breed Puppies

Eukanuba Puppy Small Breed Dry Dog Food, 15 lb

$50 at Amazon $87 at Chewy $15 at Petco

When you’ve got a new small breed puppy—or a litter of them—Eukanuba brings top-level nutrition to give them the best possible start. Formulated for pups up to 12 months old, this chicken-flavored recipe boasts a high-quality ingredient list including chicken (number one), fish oil, biotin, several B vitamins, and more.

Chicken provides plenty of protein to fuel little pups’ energy levels and encourage growth, especially muscle development. High DHA levels in the formula encourage good brain development for easily trainable puppies, while fiber and prebiotics ensure proper digestion, and a solid blend of vitamins and antioxidants enhances the strength of puppies’ little immune systems.

This formula comes in three different-sized bags, too.

_{Flavors: Chicken | Package Sizes: 4.5-pound bag, 15-pound bag, 28-pound bag}

Best Natural

Merrick Healthy Grains Dry Dog Food

$50

$45 at Amazon $24 at Chewy

$24

$20 at Petco

For the all-natural dog parent household, Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Small Breed dog food recipe should fit the bill. The first ingredient is real deboned chicken, followed by chicken meal, brown rice, barley, turkey meal, oatmeal, chicken fat, quinoa, salmon meal, and more, so this option brings optimal nutrition to your little canine’s dish.

A healthy coat and skin are supported by the food’s high level of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, while the joints and hips are kept in prime condition with glucosamine and chondroitin, and the small-sized kibble is perfect for hungry little mouths. Taurine supplementation brings a preventive measure to the food, as it helps ward off several diseases, improves brain health, promotes muscle strength and heart health, and regulates blood flow. Ancient grains promote a healthy digestive system as well.

Made in Hereford, Texas, this food is created in FDA-monitored facilities.

_{Flavors: Chicken | Package Sizes: 4-pound bag, 12-pound bag}

Best Variety Pack

Purina Beneful IncrediBites Just For Small Dogs

$12 at Amazon $11 at Chewy $12 at Walmart

If your dog perks up when a new flavor is placed in their bowl, we highly recommend introducing them to the IncrediBites Just for Small Dogs Variety Pack from Purina Beneful, which offers three wet food recipes: salmon, chicken, and beef. The IncrediBites variety pack consists of three-ounce cans with easy-to-open pull tabs packaged in a case of 12 or 30. Within each case, the three recipes are evenly divided with 4 or 10 of each.

The IncrediBites wet food is made into finely chopped, easy-to-chew bites using real beef, chicken, or salmon as the lead source of protein, along with tomatoes, carrots, and wild rice. The food is made in the United States and is free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. The portion sizes and bites are specifically formulated for small dogs and can be served on their own or combined with Purina Beneful IncrediBites for Small Dogs kibble for a blend of tender and crunchy.

_{Flavors: Beef, chicken, salmon | Package Sizes: 3-ounce cans, 12 or 30 count}

Best Paté

Blue Buffalo Delights Small Breed Adult Dog Variety Pack

$18 at Amazon $18 at Chewy

$18

$18 at PetSmart

There are five soft paté recipes in the Delights Small Breed Adult Dog food line from Blue Buffalo. The wet food is packaged in 3.5-ounce trays with easy-to-open foil lids. The reduced-size portions are perfect for smaller appetites, and the texture is easy for little mouths to consume.

All of the paté recipes are made with real beef, chicken, or turkey as the first ingredient along with broth, vegetables, and flaxseed. The food is more hydrating than kibble, and each serving is enhanced with vitamins and minerals that toy dogs need. Each recipe is sold on its own and in variety packs combining two recipes in a pack of 12 or 24. There are three paté flavor pairings of Delights variety packs: filet mignon and Porterhouse, roasted turkey and grilled chicken, and top sirloin and grilled chicken.

Blue Buffalo never uses by-product meals, corn, wheat, or soy in its foods for pets, and the brand manufactures all of its pet food in the United States using human-grade ingredients.

_{Flavors: Filet mignon, Porterhouse, roasted turkey, grilled chicken, top sirloin | Package Sizes: 3.5 ounce cans; 12 or 24 count}

Best Extra-Small Kibble

Wellness Wellness Complete Health

$20 at Amazon

Toy breeds may need even smaller kibble pieces than other small dogs. Because toy dogs have higher energy levels and faster metabolisms, they tend to eat faster, too. To help them with their speedy mealtime eating routine, Wellness has made a kibble with extra-small pieces to prevent choking. In addition, the size of the pieces is meant to encourage your toy dog to chew, which in turn can help reduce plaque and support your toy dog's overall oral health. To get an idea of the size, the kibble is smaller than most dry cat food.

There's a lot of goodness packed into those tiny pieces of kibble. Recipes include proteins as the first ingredient, followed by wholesome grains and carbohydrates such as oatmeal, brown rice, peas, and oats. Healthy fats include chicken fat, flaxseed, and other natural flavors. Superfoods and vegetable ingredients include spinach, broccoli, carrots, parsley, apples, blueberries, and kale. To help toy dogs with allergies, sensitive stomachs, and digestive health in general, recipes include dried plain beet pulp, dried chicory root, and probiotics. Last but not least, you'll find taurine, glucosamine, and chondroitin for joint and heart health.

Because the kibble is so tiny, you may end up with excessive dust in the packaging. It's just grain residue from smaller pieces that may have fallen apart, but it helps to separate the kibble from the dust to prevent your dog from inhaling the otherwise harmless residue.

_{Flavors: Chicken and rice, turkey and brown rice, turkey and oatmeal, turkey (for seniors) | Package Sizes: 4-pound bag}