How to stop my dog eating too quickly.

Some dogs eat as if they've never seen food in their lives before ..... it's eaten before you've even put the bowl on the floor, so to speak. Sometimes we think it's funny or natural, but really, it's not very healthy, and can cause serious problems in some dogs.

So please have a think about what's going on. Perhaps they are eating so quickly because of genetics (think labrador). Perhaps they are eating quickly because they don't want another dog, or you, to steal their food. Perhaps they are eating quickly because they want to get done and then get back to see what you're doing. Perhaps they are seriously hungry all the time.

Eating too quickly can certainly be considered a behaviour problem, so please do get in touch and we'll be delighted to help your dog or puppy eat in a more healthy way.

Here's some handy tips to help to slow it all down eating.....

Put the food in the bowl, and then add some water - not too much, just experiment. And you don't want to leave it to soak. The dog's eating slows down because they have to take water and food into their mouths at the same time.
Use a large tray instead of a bowl, and scatter the food on it. The kibble pieces have to then be eaten in smaller mouthfuls.
Scatter the food on the floor or on the grass and let your dog snuffle around to find it and munch it up.
Use a food ball, like the Canac Food Ball, or a Molecule Ball, or a Kong-stuff-a-ball. Again, this encourages the dog to essentially forage for the food. Most dogs absolutely love the challenge of hunting for their own food like this.
If you feed wet food, then again you can use a food toy like a kong. Put the food in their and the dog has to lick the food out of it,

No doubt there are loads of other ideas - please do share them with us......

And, please do take care with any of these games, or in any case, if your dog behaves aggressively over food - please contact a behaviourist for help.