Scarfing food

[alyssa9208]

My 15 week old APBT has always scarfed his food--he doesn't even chew it! We've tried just giving him little bits at a time to try to train him that he doesn't have to eat so fast but that does not work at all. Today he puked up his entire bowl of food (2/3 cups is what he gets per feeding) and it was still hardly chewed. I know it's bad for them to eat that fast but I just don't know how to slow him down. Any advice?

[WagNBragShane]

Hello,

Oddly, I was just responding to someone else who had the exact opposite trouble-- eating too slowly. Dogs have a genetic memory of surviving in a pack when the motto was "eat or go hungry." So, your dog is doing what he thinks is perfectly natural, but yes, if he's eating so fast it's making him sick then it's a good idea to slow it down.

I've often joked that dogs must have their taste buds in the stomach because I'm pretty sure that none of the food ever touches the tongue.

A trick I've heard other people use is to put something in the food bowl with the food, but not something that might get inhaled with the food. The idea is to make the dog slow down and work his way around the obstacle. You can try putting a smaller bowl in the middle of the dinner bowl. I've also heard of owners using "obstacles" like a large ball or favorite dog toy. The idea is that your dog has to work around this obstacle rather than just inhaling everything right from the bowl.

Another trick I've heard from other owners is to quit putting the food in a bowl and to spread it out instead on something like a cookie sheet or some other wide flat surface. This makes it a bit more difficult to scoop up large amounts quickly and makes the dog work at getting all the food a little bit at a time.

You might also try looking at a feeding toy. These can also help keep your dog's mind active. You put the dog's food in a ball and then the dog figures out that the ball will dispense the food in small doses if he/she moves the ball around with his paws or nose. It takes longer to get all the food out of the ball and keeps your dog's mind busy, too. (I find this works best if you have a large area to work with or if you can be around in case the ball gets stuck under a piece of furniture.)

You might try one or a combination of these ideas. Of course, other folks here on WagNBrag probably have some good ideas, too. Let us know what works for you!

Good luck!

Take care,

Shane, WagNBrag Community Moderator

[alyssa9208]

Thanks a lot for the ideas!! We have a toy that dispenses the treats in that way, and that would work if my 2 year old would let him do it by himself haha! I'll try those ideas, they sound like they should work. Again, thanks a lot!!
Happy Holidays,
Alyssa, Etta, and Tank