My dog eats his food so fast, is that ok, or is it unhealthy for him, if so what can we do?

Question

We give him 1 cup of food 2 times a day. We have him trained to sit and wait to go to the food until we say go, and as soon as we say go, he has that food gone in 2 seconds, I am sure he doesn't even really chew it, he just inhales it. If we try to take the food away to slow him down he trys to eat faster. It's like he thinks if he doesn't eat it fast it won't be there. We got him when he was 7 weeks old, and he has never had issues with other pets trying to eat his food if he didn't eat it fast. So I am not sure why he would do that. He is 8 months old.

Answer 1

You are doing the right thing to ask your dog to wait before he starts eating -- it is unlikely that it has anything to do with him bolting his food. Having him wait to start eating is just simple respect, just like families who say grace before they eat or expecting kids to ask to please pass the salt instead of reaching across someone's plate. I agree with the answers that suggest that you find a way to naturally make the dog slow down.

I think the idea of a golf ball is a bit scary since that's a swallowable size, but the brick is a great idea. There is even a dog bowl on the market that has three "posts" in the middle to slow down fast eaters. To take it one step further, you could put your dog's entire meal inside a Kong toy or a Buster Cube or some other toy that would make him work for it. FAR from being "mean", making your dog work for his meal would give him something entertaining to do in his day. In human terms, the more fancy and expensive a meal is, the longer it takes, right? As opposed to a cheap-o fast food meal that you might eat in five minutes? You're giving your dog the VIP treatment if you can make that bowl of kibble last an hour by stuffing it into a toy or hiding it around the living room. Get creative, and you might find that you both have fun in the process.

Answer 2

I have a 2 year old rescued Belgian Malinois that is the same way. The only main problem with them eating so fast is that if your dog is a large breed (especially one with a deep chest) you run a risk of having your dog bloat (also called gastric dilatation or gastric dilation volvulus; the latter is when their stomach rotates after bloating) from swallowing too much air. This is a serious medical condition that is life threatening, especially if not caught in the early stages.

My Malinois was starved and eats so fast that he has gotten bloat twice in the 10 months that I have had him. I try to slow him down by feeding him in a shallow bowl with a brick in it and adding water to his food. The brick is there to make him eat around it and therefore slow him down (that is what my vet told me to do). All of his helps quite a lot, but I do still have to watch him. It also helps that I feed him three times a day, but I know that it may not be possible for some people. You can also try hand feeding your dog, but it can be time consuming and hard if you are in a hurry.

Answer 3

READ THIS ...

First and foremost, your dog is not just hungry as cited by others. Second, making the dog sit and wait is fine but once you say OK the dog will begin to eat the food just as before.

I have an Akita that was exactly the same as your dog ... what did I do to slow down his eating? I would give my dog small amounts of food from my hand. Not only did this help with his eating, but it also helped him realize that I am the alpha.

I also have another Akita and regarding the food issue with other pets, this is a real issue. I was successful in this by standing between the two dogs while they were eating. I also would feed both of them, first one, then the other ... both realized that I was in control and that there was no reason to be aggressive towards food.

Good luck - I hope this helps!

Answer 4

it depends on what breed of dog u have, some dogs live to eat and other eat to live!
Something that is good to try is have him eat only when he is hungry.
Once you have given him his usual feed fill his bowl up again.
If he eats it all fill it up again.
and keep doing this until your dog realises that your not going to take the food away and he will then eat only when he is hungry.

this is really good if you need to go away for a day or two cause that way u can fill up his bowl with enough food for that time and you wont have to get someone to come and feed him or put him a kennel.


other wise if you don't like this idea try soaking the dry food in some water first so that it when he does eat it so fast this wont cause any problems, like bloat and air bubbles.
Good Luck and Merry Christmas

Answer 5

I'm sorry I didn't take the time to read your other answers, but here is what my vet told me to do for my Great Dane. He gets 2 cups twice a day at which time he ate them in the amout of time your dog is eating 1 cup. lol. I give hime 1 cup wait till its gone, then give him the other cup. I don't know if your having the vomiting problem I had, but if I gave it all to him he would eat it all and the throw it all back up, not even chewd! It was a disaster, we went threw this every day, this system works much better. Try 1/2 a cup, then when that is gone, another 1/2 a cup. He will get used to that then maybe eat slower. Thats what Zues did. We even split up the 4 cups throughout the day so he doesn't have to wait so long to eat. that way he's not so hungry... Good luck to you!!

Answer 6

Some dogs will naturally adopt this method of eating, others eat more delicately. I have a few of each!

One concern for dogs that inhale their food is that they will eat quickly and bloat. For this reason, I often add water (enough to make the kibble float) to slow down the consumption of food. Bloat is serious and often fatal if not addressed immediately by the vet.

I hesitate to add anything to the dish (golf balls were suggested) in case the dog believes that is part of the meal. Then you'll be making a trip to the vet for a whole new reason!

Answer 7

Your problem is quite common for certain breeds.
One thing you can do is put a golf ball in his food dish so when he eats he has to push the ball around with his nose to get the food and he'll get the food slower.

Another thing is to run the kibble through a food processor or blender to break it up.

The best thing may be to simply switch to a small kibble. Then when he eats fast at least the smaller kibble can be digested easier.

You don't have to worry if he has gained weight and is showing signs of good health.

Answer 8

Dogs have huge stomachs. They don't have the feeling of being full only eating 1 cup of food. I feed my dog 1 1/2 cups twice a day mixed with wet food and she devours it in a matter of seconds, then looks for more. Dogs a gluttonous by nature so we as owners must cap the amount they can eat otherwise they will get too fat.
Don't worry about him, he's only being a normal puppy.

Answer 9

Dogs derive most of their satisfaction from smelling the food, of course this does not mean you can let him smell the food in lieu of eating. That is cruel and probably will get you bit, I know I would. Most dogs are from hunting stock, where their instincts tell them to eat fast and eat until they can't hold anymore. You never know when you bring down another prey for supper.

Answer 10

Dogs are genetically programmed to eat quickly, it is a survival technique in the wild. Nobody can steal your food if it is inside you.

You can try hand feeding your dog. Use it as training time and ask your dog to do things for food. Or you can try putting a tennis ball or two into the ball to slow him down. Or putting water on the kibble will slow him down.