Dog Community

Gobbles food really fast

Posted : 3/28/2006 8:44:13 AM

My wife and I have an 8-9 month old lab mix. Overall, he's a great dog and about to start therapy school so I can bring him to the school where I teach and to the hospitals to visit children who are ill. The problem is that he eats so incredibly fast that he makes himself sick. We've tried limiting his food and feeding him in 4-5 parts, hand feeding, and sitting with him while he eats to help slow him down a bit, but nothing works.

Now, our 14 week old Malinois is all freaked out because Loomis is such a pig. The Malinois, Kenai, will only eat in his crate. Loomis will listen and stay away, but Kenai feels safer eating slowly in his crate. I don't want this habit to persist too long with Kenai eating in his crate, but I also don't want him to be freaked out by his bigger brother.

Any clues on how to get him to eat slower would be greatly appreciated. [

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glenmar

Posted : 3/28/2006 9:04:39 AM

I have recently switched my inhaler dog to a low metal pan instead of his normal bowl. You can put some big rocks in there too so he has to eat around them and that will slow him down.

Mine are ALL fed in their crates, always.

JoeyBear

Posted : 3/28/2006 9:27:30 AM

Thanks, Glenda, for the advice. I'm going to tell my wife that feeding him in his crate is a good thing and that we should keep doing it. As for the gobler, we'll try the rock idea.

glenmar

Posted : 3/28/2006 9:31:29 AM

You're welcome. But also try a food pan instead of a regular bowl. I got a bunch at Walmart when I had little pups because of the lower sides. They aren't pretty, but they worked for the pups and with Thor, the food is spread out enough that he can't suck it all in with one breath.

Honestly, with more than one dog, crate feeding is really the way to go. Often the FIRST sign that someone is ill is going off their feed and with more than one the ONLY way to know who is and who isn't eating is to feed them separately.

minimom

Posted : 3/28/2006 9:59:51 AM

JoeyBear, other side benefits of feeding pups in their crates is that it associates the crate as a place where good things happen and they are also less likely to use the bathroom where they eat.

JoeyBear

Posted : 3/28/2006 10:04:44 AM

ORIGINAL: minimom

JoeyBear, other side benefits of feeding pups in their crates is that it associates the crate as a place where good things happen and they are also less likely to use the bathroom where they eat.

Thanks a ton for the advice on feeding in his crate. Right now, he's really good in his crate 3 of 7 days of the week. He has accidents some days and this morning he peed about a minute before we woke up. I'd heard before, but forgot, that he would be less likely to pee if he ate in his crate.

huskymom

Posted : 3/28/2006 10:56:14 AM

Hmmm... I forgot about that too.

Another idea might be to make your gobbler work for the first half of his food. One piece at a time to take the edge off. Stuff it in a kong or treat ball. But Glenda's idea works pretty good. I started using a big square container for the girls. They still eat as fast as they can but before they could eat their whole bowl in about 10 seconds. Crusher eats one piece at a time, and never in the bowl. Take one out, eat it beside bowl, stick head back in, take another out, eat beside bowl... I think he does it to tease the puppies. Kind of like my son who will get on the escalator after us so he has a longer ride.

mudpuppy

Posted : 3/28/2006 11:25:56 AM

another option is to feed out of a food-dispensing toy. Buster cube, kong, busy buddy. Slows down the eating, entertains the dog, and builds work ethic and patience.

JoeyBear

Posted : 3/28/2006 7:32:05 PM

Thanks so much for the idea of using a pan!!! I actually used a cookie sheet and it took him longer to eat than our 14ish week old puppy...for the first time. He wasn't happy, but he was very good about taking his time.

calliecritturs

Posted : 3/28/2006 11:06:02 PM

Yep -- I was gonna say to use a low flat pan and several big huge rubber toys! They have to nose around them to get to the food!!

Or shove his breakfast in a Kong -- either mix it with pureed veg, add the kibble pour in and freeze -- or just put the kibble in and plug the end with tahini -- will slow them down, but do try feeding in the crate. Does lots of good things.

labcrab

Posted : 3/29/2006 1:41:49 PM

One more suggestion for the gobbler! Water. Fill the kibble bowl up with water so that the food is literally floating. He will have to "bob" for it and because it's a brand new concept - it really slows them down. It's the ONLY thing that slowed down my boy.