Eating Way To Fast

southerngirl

southerngirl

Honored Member
My puppy is eating way too fast. She finished her 2 1/3 cup way before Missy is done with her 1 1/3. When there is food around she goes frantic trying to gobble it down. If you've ever watched animal cops when they give starving dogs food and they gobble it down, that is how the pup eats.
She is 6 months almost 7 and ways 40 pounds.
Any ideas on how to slow her eating down, it can't be good for her.
I've tried tossing some of her food on the floor at a time she still eats it really quickly, but it did slow down the time she eats it, but I can't do this on school morning. I've also tried putting a ball in her bowl, but it didn't slow her down.
 
kassidybc

kassidybc

Experienced Member
You could try purchasing one of those puzzle feeders, that makes the dogs work their mind, plus eat a lot slower, because they can't gobble it up all at once!

Here's a couple I found on Amazon, but you can probably find them at your local pet store too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00859SBQI
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001F0RRUA
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006G54OU

You could probably make something similar somehow... I'm sure there's more creative people on here that can tell you how! :) I'll let you know if I think of anything though.
 
sara

sara

Moderator
Staff member
First thing you should try is to float the kibble in warm water. That's all I needed to do to slow Mouse down. She used to eat so fast she'd choke.
 
jackienmutts

jackienmutts

Honored Member
Feeding her in something like a Kong Wobbler or any food toy (like a Tug-a-Jug, etc) would definitely slow her down, and she'd really have to work for all her food. You could also just put her food in a large kong and give it to her. She'd have to at least push the kong around to get her kibble out and she'd stop for a few seconds to eat it off the floor, so it would slow her down a little bit.

They also make bowls to slow down "gulpers" such as: http://www.eatslowerpetdishes.com/

And - as Sara said above - moist food takes longer to eat so floating kibble is a good idea, plus she'd be getting additional water.
 
southerngirl

southerngirl

Honored Member
Thank you guys I have a toy similar to the kong so I'll use that, I'll also do the floating kibble and see which one works best.
I would go by the bowl or puzzle, but I don't have the money.
 
648117

648117

Honored Member
We got a go slow bowl for Lewis and it didn't slow him down, he still gulps his food and eats way faster than Holly.

You could try a larger kibble or large biscuits, then she would have to break them up to eat them which would slow her down.
 
southerngirl

southerngirl

Honored Member
648117 said:
We got a go slow bowl for Lewis and it didn't slow him down, he still gulps his food and eats way faster than Holly.

You could try a larger kibble or large biscuits, then she would have to break them up to eat them which would slow her down.
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I don't think there is a bigger kibble than what we have and if we change her food we have to change Missy and Chases food. Missy is very picky and won't eat when food is changed.
 
brody_smom

brody_smom

Experienced Member
When we first got Brody, we made a feeder using a large yogurt container (750 ml in Canada, don't know what it is in the US). Just get a utility knife and cut a hole in the lid, slightly off center. The hole should be just a little bigger than one kibble piece. If she finds it a little too difficult, you could cut another hole in the side. It took him a little while to figure it out, he chewed on it a bit. But it was free and it worked. We bought him a Kong Wobbler on sale later on, and it's all we ever feed him from.
 
MaryK

MaryK

Honored Member
Came on the thread a little late:( But so glad to hear it's working out for you.

Leaf was a speed eater, with time she's slowing down a little, plus I do feed raw which has definitely slowed her down a lot, especially when she has her egg mixed into the meat.
 
Dlilly

Dlilly

Honored Member
Once day I decided to feed Rory outside, but I tripped and his bowl of food fell into the grass. >.< It took him a while to find all of the kibble. If you aren't worried about your dog eating off the ground, you could make a long trail of kibble on the ground. That would slow her down!
 
MaryK

MaryK

Honored Member
Good suggestion Dlilly. One of our trainers actually uses that technique with one of his own dogs who's a food bolter. He says it works like a dream, takes her ages to eat all her food, plus uses her natural 'hunting' instincts. Good for the mind and the body!!!!!!!!!

Wish I could use it with raw feeding. Problem here is ants! Legions of the nasty, stinging biting little critters would swarm over raw food in a nano-second!:mad::eek:
 
southerngirl

southerngirl

Honored Member
I've been either stuffing the food in her kong like toy or spreading it on the floor a little at a time. But some mornings I don't have time and just give it to her to inhale.
 
MaryK

MaryK

Honored Member
southerngirl said:
I've been either stuffing the food in her kong like toy or spreading it on the floor a little at a time. But some mornings I don't have time and just give it to her to inhale.
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Understand about mornings and lack of time:rolleyes:

Any way you'd have time to stuff the Kong the night before to save time in the mornings?
 
sara

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Seriously, float the kibble in warm water. It truly does slow them down, and large breeds are at risk for bloat so having her food in water will help lower the risk.

No dog should actually eat dry food, anyway, as it dehydrates them.
 
southerngirl

southerngirl

Honored Member
sara said:
Seriously, float the kibble in warm water. It truly does slow them down, and large breeds are at risk for bloat so having her food in water will help lower the risk.

No dog should actually eat dry food, anyway, as it dehydrates them.
Click to expand...
Will do:)
 
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