April 1, 2020

Shop Team K9

Are you wondering why your dog is eating too fast? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First off, it’s possible they may have had to compete for food when they were puppies or part of a litter. It’s also possible they may not be getting enough digestible nutrition from their food, which can make them feel extra hungry. It could also be something more serious such as a parasite preventing them from getting the nutrients they need. Regardless, if you’re unsure you should always consult a vet. However, if the speed your dog is eating at makes you nervous, there are a few things you can do yourself to slow it down. So here are 5 ways to slow down your dog’s eating if they are eating too fast.

1. Give your dog more frequent, but smaller meals

Instead of giving your dog 1 or 2 big meals everyday, break it up and feed them smaller and more frequent meals throughout the day. This can make your dog feel less hungry all the time and as a result, stop them from scarfing down their food when you give it to them. If you do this, your dog will soon get to know that another meal will be coming soon and they won’t feel as obligated to inhale the food they currently have.

2. Use a slow feeder or a puzzle toy

As natural predators, some dogs have an instinct to hunt for their food. Slow feeders and food puzzle toys are specifically designed to make your dog work for their food and take smaller bites. Not only will your dog be entertained, but it will also help them to slow down while they’re eating.

3. Use a muffin pan

Similar to a slow feeder, your dog’s food will be able to be divided up among the cups on a muffin pan, preventing them from eating it all at once. You could also flip the muffin pan upside down so that your dog has to work around the inverted cups in order to get to their food. Bundt pans also work well. They have smaller, narrower spaces that your dog will have to work around if they want to get all their food.

4. Put a ball or toy in their bowl with their food

If you put a ball or toy in your dog’s food bowl while they eat, the new obstruction will make them work around it and they will have to take smaller bites due to the constricted space in the bowl. Just make sure whatever object you put in their bowl can’t be swallowed easily.

5. Turn mealtime into training time

Instead of simply putting your dog’s food bowl down on the ground, use mealtime to practice up on their obedience skills or teach them some new tricks. While doing this, you can reward your dog with bites of food instead of your regular training treats. This is like knocking out two birds with one stone. You’ll be able to teach your dog some new things and feed them at the same time.

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