Stop a Dog from Eating Too Fast
Does your dog gobble down his food way too fast? Eating too quickly can harm your pet's digestion: he may choke, burp, pass gas, bloat, and even vomit. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to slow down your dog's feeding. Address any competitive behaviors when it comes to eating and learn things you can do to physically slow your dog's eating.
Contents
Steps
Slowing Down Your Dog's Eating
- Fill the dog dish differently. Rather than dump the food into a dog dish, turn a metal non-tip bowl upside down. Spread the food in the ring surrounding the center. For your dog to get all the food, he has to circle around the bowl as well as pick his head up to shift to the other side.
- Even something this simple can slow your dog down a bit when it comes to eating and doesn't require any new equipment.
- Purchase a special feeding dish. If you do want to purchase a commercial plastic bowl, try the Brake Fast Bowl or Slow Feeder. They are non-tip bowls with plastic knobs in the center. They don't have grip rings, so they can slide as dogs eat, requiring them to 'chase' their food.
- You could also purchase a puzzle feeder. These make your dog work to uncover food by moving pieces of a puzzle aside.
- Divide your dog's food into portions. Either split the food between several small saucers and spread them around the room, or divide the food among the individual dips in a muffin or cupcake tin. This way at least the dog comes up for air between mouthfuls or has to find the saucers.
- Place a large rock in the center of the bowl and spread food around it. Only use a large rock because some dogs will swallow stones if they are small enough. For small dogs, place 2 or 3 golf balls in a bowl and spread food around them. The dog will have to move the balls aside to eat, slowing him down.
- Be aware that this is only suitable for small dogs where a golf ball is too large to swallow.
- Raise the food bowl. When all else fails, place the food bowl on a low table or chair. This forces the dog to put his paws on the surface and it slants his gullet downhill, which can help decrease the amount of air swallowed. It will also position his head up to make burping easier.
Addressing Competitive Eating Behavior
- Determine if your dog is a competitive eater. Do you have more than one dog? You may find that your dog eats quickly because he fears the other dog will steal his food, or maybe he eats quickly in order to race over and eat the other dog's food. This behavior is called competitive eating.
- Separate food bowls. Feed your dogs from separate bowls placed at either end of the room. This gives each dog a chance to eat from his own bowl without the pressure of the other dog breathing down his neck. If the greedy dog is determined to steal food, then feed him in another room, out of sight of the other dog.
- This takes the pressure off the victim dog and removes the temptation of extra food for the greedy dog.
- Feed your dogs regularly. You may find that your dog will still rush over to eat the rest of the other dog's food purely out of habit. This could be a result of food insecurity. Feeding him on time will create a sense of food security.
- The dog might have had an unfortunate experience that made him feel this is necessary. For example, the owner was late home and the hungry dog found leftovers from an uneaten meal. When the next meal appeared, he bolted his food and went in search of leftovers (from his pal's dish) out of a sense of food insecurity.
- Retrain your dog. If he loves fuss and attention, distract him immediately after he finishes his food. Get him to sit and reward him with lots of positive attention. If this is done consistently, he will come over to you for attention, rather than dash over to the other dog's bowl.
- Stick with it. Persevere with the changes in feeding. While not everything may work, you might find something that helps your dog. Remember, it's going to take time for them to learn to slow down when eating.
- If you still find that your dog is greedy or aggressive over food, it may be a possessiveness problem, rather than a speed eating problem. Dogs are most likely to be aggressive over food if one dog has something the other dog wants.
Understanding the Dangers of Eating Too Fast
- Realize that eating too fast can cause health problems. When feeding your dog is more like throwing raw chicken at an alligator, it can be frustrating. But more than that, gulping down food can lead to several potentially harmful issues.
- Never ignore a habit like eating too fast. Address the issue while keeping an eye out for developing health problems.
- Watch for burping and flatulence. When a dog races through his food, he is also swallowing a large amount of air. This can result in something simple like burping or passing gas, which is not enjoyable for those around but is relatively harmless.
- Be on the lookout for choking. The faster the dog eats, the less he chews. This can cause him to choke if something large that needed to be chewed down to size passes down his esophagus.
- Look for signs of bloating. These include: bloated or swollen belly, walking hunched over, unsuccessful attempts to vomit, listlessness, and pacing. Always call your veterinarian if you suspect bloat. This is an emergency, and it is better to waste a phone call than miss a life-threatening problem.
- Bloating from food can increase the chance that your dog's stomach will twist, cutting off blood supply to the stomach. This can cause irreversible damage to the stomach or death. A dog suffering from this must be seen immediately by your veterinarian. There is no home remedy.
Related Articles
- Avoid Overfeeding Your Dog
- Teach Your Dog to Wait for Treats
- Stop a Child From Eating Too Fast
Sources and Citations
- ↑ The Waltham Book of Dog and Cat Behavior. Thorne. Publisher: Pergamon Press
- ↑ The Dog's Mind. Bruce Fogle. Publisher: Howell Book House
- ↑ Small Animal Internal Medicine. Nelson & Couto. Publisher Mosby. 5th edition
