Feeding guidelines...

A lot of companies over estimate what dogs should be fed.

What are the kcals per cup, what do they recommend, and how much does he weigh?  Activitiy levels?

 Tootsie eats EP Holistic and gets 1/3 of a cup am and pm.

 The only thing I use the amounts listed on the bag for is comparing the nutrition level of different foods - the recommended amounts are basically how much you have to feed to hit your dog's recommended daily amounts of vitamins, minerals, etc., not calories.  This is one reason why the crappy foods recommend you feed more of the food than those foods that are of higher quality.

360kcals/cup

 They recommend 4 3/4 - 5 2/3 C per day for a dog Hugo's size.  He weighs 88 lbs. and we feed him 5 C per day (2 1/2  C morning and night).

 He's fairly active -- we go running just about every day (in addition to a morning walk) and we get him to the dog park usually once a week.  He also gets a lot of play time in the back yard (fetch, etc.), as well as obedience classes once a week and play dates with dog friends. 

 I've asked the vet and she says he's within a healthy weight range, but I just get worried!

The food I use is 505 kcals per cup.  My crew are between 70 and (opps) 100 lbs. Thor is on a diet!!  They get about 3 C per day, some a bit more, some a bit less.  So roughly 1500 kcals per day.  You could probably cut back just a bit, but, you want to know your dogs IDEAL weight and keep as close to it as possible.  The extra weight is hard on joints, which is why old Thor is dieting!

 I don't trust it.  Not on any food.  Its way too gereralized.  A husky metabolism, and likely a Malamutes as well, is geared to do as much as possible on as little calories as possible.  So my 80+/- lb husky eats less than 2 cups a day to stay at a good weight.  Granted if he was training, he'd likely go up another half cup or so, but the bag wants me to feed him 4 cups.  I'm not sure of the kcals. 

OTOH, my friends GSD who is on the same food, and who doesn't move as much eats almost the recommended amount and maintains a very slender build.  And my small dog(36 lbs) eats the same as my big dog and stays very slim.  She's just a bundle of energy though and the beast tends to be very laid back.  

I agree, the feeding guides on dog food bags most of the time, are WAY to high. Back when I first got Bailey, and didnt know much about dogs, he was eating Purina One ( ) and the bag said for a dog his size (70 pounds and medium acivity level) , he should be eating 2 or 5 cups a day. It was way to much for him, he started gaining a ton of weight, and i eventually cut it back to 2.5 cups a day, and even with daily walks and runs at the park and with the bike, he maintained his normal weight on it. He eats all BARF now, so i dont have to measure anymore, i go by the weights on the packs the meat is in.

My dad, feeds his dog Jack (spaniel mix, 33 pounds) Pinccale. He is very playful but not super high energy, he only goes for a short walk in the morning and then runs around and plays with Bailey in the afternoon, and he gets 2 cups per day. I have no idea why my dad feeds him so much. It just seems like way to much food for a dog his size, its only .5 cup less than Bailey ate, and bailey is twice Jacks weight. But Jack isnt gaining weight on it, he just has HUGE craps, lol.

 My older dogs eat half of what the bag suggests. The young dog eats the low end of what the bag suggests. They're all pretty active, with a three dog household, plenty of fetching, swimming, obedience training, etc etc.

 My 70lb dog is on Taste of the Wild, and he get 1cup in the morning and 1cup at night, and almost every day he gets 1 raw meaty bone. The recommendations on the bag can be a good starting point, but really just look and feel your dog. You should be able to easily feel the hips and ribs, but not see them. If he's too skinny feed him more, if he's too fat feed him less.