There is serving size on dry kibble too, it's usually on the side of the bag. Puppies typically need more food than adult dogs. Jackson, who is 1.5 years old, and 16lbs is only fed 1/2 cup a day of Acana kibble (each meal is also mixed with wet food, so he's getting a little more than 1/2cup technically).
The bag suggests a dog his size eat 1 cup - 1 1/2 cups a day.... and I've discovered that would be too much food for him. I used to free feed and he never ate more than 1/2 cup a day so he self regulated well. Now he eats 1/4 cup in the AM (mixed with some wet) and 1/4 cup in the PM (also mixed with wet). Keep in mind, he also gets lots of treats throughout the day for training (I keep pieces small, but he still gets a lot). Acana is also pretty calorie dense at around 430 kcal/cup. He would need more food if were eating something like Pedigree, for example.
I had started a thread on this, thinking 1 cup a day was a good amount for Jackson and most people agreed; but I've discovered (since stopping free feeding) that he never eats 1 cup of food a day.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...d-jackson.html