How active is he?

I know I keep comparing him to my Frodo but he's the only big guy I've got to go on
Frodo is around 30kg now and very active! He gets about an hours exercise every day and more at weekends, most of that spent pelting around at mach speed! At home he's then either wrestling the littl'uns, chasing his wobbly or just rolling around making weird noises keeping himself entertained....
He gets about 250g dry food a day, mixed in with a total of around 100 - 200g of wet food, plus something to chew on like a raw neck/wing/leg or some dried animal body part.

Not a clue how much 4 - 5 cups is in real money but sounds like a fair bit if he isn't massively active.
From my dry food adventures (and three dogs, one prone to being a chunk), I've found that about 10g per kg works for me and mine, so if they had nothing but dry food, 10kg Rory would have 100g, 30kg Frodo 300g and little 7.5kg Ripley 75g.
Obviously I suppose that depends on the brand of food and dogs metabolism, but like I said, it works for us

As BlueJay - I too think the exercise and activity counts for a lot.

I remember one time when I had my last GSD and just couldn't get her out for so many miles/hours etc. because I was about to give birth and then home with a brand new baby (4hrs old!) and it had always been ME that walked and exercised the dog. So she got very short trips just to the field over the road for a bit of ball fetching.

Her breeder (who was a pal of mine which is how I got her in the first place because I used to 'foster' her mum for them for ages) told me he could tell she wasn't getting as much exercise even tho' she wasn't FATTER. He said he can tell by 'muscle tone'.

I remember when I he brought her mum to me the first time - years before that - he said DON'T LET HER GET 'SOFT'! Saying she's not a dog for cuddling up on the sofa with or just playing in the garden with the kids - she's a working breed dog and she needs exercise and mental stimulation. And she got plenty of it in and around Berkshire on the commons, in the woods etc. Agreed she could sleep in the house with us but not in the bedrooms. She slept in my kitchen. That's why, when I eventually got one of her pups - she was never allowed upstairs or on the furniture either - but she slept on a big square turning stair halfway up a turning staircase.

I am surprised to read people sometimes saying their dogs are 'muscled' or 'well toned' when they don't get very much regular exercise. I can tell the difference even with porky Bella - you can still see her well defined muscles compared with some couch potato dogs I know.

I could tell the difference myself after that. But still recall him coming straight over to the dog and feeling her (both of 'em actually!) to check she was in 'good condition' as well as happy and healthy.

Just the same as humans in my view. If you aren't very active and don't take much exercise - you aren't going to have the same 'toned' body as someone who is. Like at the other extreme - if you spend your whole life working out you are going to look like Charles Atlas (or the female equivalent!)

Also food related. You just don't NEED as much food to maintain half the activity of someone who is very active. But for myself - and very true of Bella too - if I am just dossing around - I'm always peckish - I eat out of boredom.

If we got out for very long walks Bella doesn't get her first food until well after midday. She is fine with it. If we were home she'd have been barking and badgering me to feed her until I did.

He's very active. After all... he IS a Labrador mix. He runs a lot each day outside... and he also gets long walks on most days. He goes all over the place, as well... so he is often very stimulated/excited.

Nigredo is VERY good at being still because he does volunteer therapy and running around like a dolt isn't tolerated in those situations... but when he is outside... he runs a lot and he never stays still for long.

He is just as or more active than my Brownie (Lab/pitty/chow mix) who was VERY active... and Brownie really never had a drop of fat on his body. He has lots of toys... and they are mostly bones, antlers, etc. because he is incredibly destructive.