how to make puppy chew his food?

Question

I have a 5month old siberian husky...and he just gobbles is food up without chewing it first, I think this may be upsetting his stomach, any ideas on how to make him chew his food first before he swallows? my vet already suggested putting a big rock in teh center of teh feeding bowl.

my puppy has soft stools and my vet has eliminated wrms or parasites as being teh cause and says it could be his diet...we are going to change his diet but could teh gobbling of his food also be causing him to have soft poop?

Answer 1

Dogs aren't designed to chew their food in the manner that people do. Thier teeth are made for ripping & tearing and they only crack foods down into pieces small enough to swallow.
I wouldn't worry at all about not chewing it's completely natural & normal...as far as eating too fast you can use a rock or you can feed smaller frequent meals throughout the day.
Lose stools could be caused by foods that contain corn, wheat, soy..if you are feeding a food with these products i would recommend changing.

Answer 2

I also have huskies. Through the years, I've owned many huskies. Some people choose to feed their dogs in increments say 1 cupful in the morning 1 cupful at night. I think this may be appropriate for some breeds, but not all. I leave a good amount of food out for my dogs all day long so they can eat whenever they want. To me, this makes them less greedy for it. They eat little bits throughout the day. Kinda of like humans. They eat when they want because they know it's there. There's no competition factor because they know there's always a supply of food ready and waiting for them. However, I believe, through experience only (no scientific stuff here) that if you give them limited amounts at certain times of the day, they're going to "inhale" it like there's no tomorrow because they are pretty much starving at that point. Think about it. What if we as humans were only allowed a bowl of oatmeal in the morning and a bowl of oatmeal at night? Putting a big rock in the middle of the bowl sounds ridiculous to me. Why take a chance of her chipping her teeth etc. Also, if she's being a chowhound and eating too much, she may have a belly ache, and a hard lesson...so I think she'll learn on her own to eat a bit more civilized ;) Good Luck! Huskies Rule!

Answer 3

Sounds like your vet is suggesting a low tech version of a puppy bowl which has a middle island inside the bowl but is actually used to keep the puppy from stepping inside the bowl while eating. If you want your dog to slow down you can try putting it's kibble in a treat dispensing toy so he has to work to get his food and it'll come out slower.

Wet food will not slow the dog down only increase dental issues of not properly brushing.

You said you think it is upsetting his stomahc..why do you think it??! Is your dog showing signs of upset stomach from the food...?? My dog if it gobbles too quickly will almost immiately throw it up no other side effects. If your dog is having gastrio problems from the "other" end I would have you dog checked out by your vet, if the vet says it's from gobbling get a second opinion.

Also, if you're concerned your dog might choke cause he's not chewing by his kibble in a smaller size if available. It'll give him the nutrients he needs but make smaller peices to choke on and require him to scoop his food out of the bowl more than bigger chunks.

Answer 4

My puppies inhale their food as well. We purchased these special bowls at Petsmart that have prongs inside of it to slow down their eating. They have to eat around the plastic prongs so it takes them longer (not much but it seems to helps a little) Also, my pups are small but in our puppy class our instructor said for large breed dogs they should have the elevated bowls because when they bend over while eating the inhale a lot of extra air which will cause bloating and gas. I'm not sure if you knew that but I thought it was interesting. Good luck

Answer 5

i can see you have a problem but most dogs gobble. my dog eat very slow takeing small bits but she has always done this you might ask a vet. or get a food puzzle so she has to work for her food. they are great to use and helps the dog have fun for a longer time and make her eat slower you use dry food but a kong you can use peanut butter or can cheese in it. try it. it might help.

Answer 6

well some dogs willl swallows with thier foods if its just a small sizes dried dog foods ? maybe happens if your dog just really hungery just with out chewing the food . cause my dog do that shes will chew some of her dried food or just swallow it , she do that cause she s hungery or she just likes the taste of it ? maybe you can try to gave him a puppy can foods instead might help him .

Answer 7

I have a husky that does the same thing - I call it inhaling his food - it's how he eats and he has never had a digestion or stomach problem

Is yours throwing up?

Answer 8

There are bowls that have pegs in them that force the dog to work around them. This slows there gobbles. You should feed them twice a day by there weight.

Answer 9

try wet food- its less likely to hurt his stomach. also, he might just be so excited your feeding him that you might not realize hes doing it becase hes really hungry

Answer 10

dont kown