# Eating Too Fast



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

You can try adding water, letting it soak for a few minutes, leaving a little water in the bottom of the bowl, or spreading her food out on a cookie sheet, or on the floor or dividing it into the cups on a muffin tin. Can put it in a dispensing toy, such as Kong Wobbler, so she has to work for a bit to get it out or soak it a bit and stuff it into a Kong.


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## B and G Mom (Oct 29, 2014)

Belle was that way for her entire life. We used every truck in the book to slow her down, we started by putting a ball in her food bowl so it would roll around and hide some of the food. We'd also feed her a few smaller portions. That worked for a while, next we moved to the "break-fast" bowl, it had pillars in it that she would have to eat around, worked for a few years, eventually we bought her a puzzle bowl.


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## Lucy222 (Aug 15, 2016)

We bought Lucy a "Gobble Stopper" It seems to be working fairly well so far. Takes her a couple minutes to eat her meals as opposed to 30 seconds! lol
Gobbler Stopper Slow Feeder | Petland Canada


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## joeyb1277 (Oct 31, 2016)

We put field hockey balls in our dog's bowlwith food. That way he had to eat around the balls. We also cut everything in half..so he had 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners.


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## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

I'm not sure why the speed of consumption is something one should be worried about. Just means they're hungry and like their food.


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## wdadswell (Dec 17, 2015)

Snuffle mat!! Hands down!! I googled directions on how to make it and it was super easy. A little time consuming, but it worked really well! I tried everything else and this worked the best. I just bought a couple of those soft flannel blankets at Value Village and cut up strips.


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

I use a slow feeder with my 5 month old Golden. Got it from Petco for only $11.99. Works great! This is the one I got: Outward Hound Fun Feeder Teal Drop Dog Bowl, Large | Petco Store


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

Wolfeye said:


> I'm not sure why the speed of consumption is something one should be worried about. Just means they're hungry and like their food.


It's definitely something to worry about - it can lead to life threatening conditions like bloat due to gulping excessive air into their stomach. Also less serious effects such as regurgitation, My puppy threw up his breakfast before from eating too fast. The slow feeder has worked wonders.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Wolfeye said:


> I'm not sure why the speed of consumption is something one should be worried about. Just means they're hungry and like their food.


Dogs, especially large breed puppies, absolutely should not be inhaling their meals because it increases their risk of bloat, which can be fatal. It also increases the likelihood that they will regurgitate their meals after they eat, which is annoying but not dangerous. But, bloat is quite dangerous.

Sorry, just noticed someone had already responded to this!


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## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

Champ said:


> It's definitely something to worry about - it can lead to life threatening conditions like bloat due to gulping excessive air into their stomach. Also less serious effects such as regurgitation, My puppy threw up his breakfast before from eating too fast. The slow feeder has worked wonders.


Huh. Well, never knew that. Of course, I've also never had a fast eater, though none of my dogs have been big on chewing their food. Fenris was fed free-choice and always had food available. Bagheera too, has free access to food most of the time. I wonder if that's some of the rapid eater issue. Limited access to food. It will be interesting to see if my pup has any issues.


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## B and G Mom (Oct 29, 2014)

Not to mention that eating too fast also gave Belle terrible gas - so not only did we worry about bloat, but she could stink us out of the house if she ate too fast!


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## wdadswell (Dec 17, 2015)

Wolfeye said:


> Huh. Well, never knew that. Of course, I've also never had a fast eater, though none of my dogs have been big on chewing their food. Fenris was fed free-choice and always had food available. Bagheera too, has free access to food most of the time. I wonder if that's some of the rapid eater issue. Limited access to food. It will be interesting to see if my pup has any issues.


I don't believe so. My pup was a scarfer until he was 6 months old. Some dogs will stay that way. I keep his bowl out 24/7 now and he eats what he wants. I actually try to encourage him to eat more, by adding egg in it at night. My other dog is the same way. My year old Golden is lean and rarely eats all 3 cups, that I give him.


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## Guido (Sep 2, 2016)

What about handfeeding? Works when you are feeding kibble. It also turns every meal into a training moment. Win-win, I'd say.


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## GoldenRetrieverFever (May 4, 2016)

https://www.amazon.com/Outward-Hound-Feeder-Bloat-Purple/dp/B00FPKNRG4/ref=pd_sim_199_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=25Q5YMATE75J4T9APGRP

This is what I use for food-obsessed Merlin. He would literally inhale his food and now he finishes at the same time as his housemates that eat at a reasonable pace. They make three different designs. I've used them on several dogs that have lived with me, all with fantastic results.


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

Wolfeye said:


> Huh. Well, never knew that. Of course, I've also never had a fast eater, though none of my dogs have been big on chewing their food. Fenris was fed free-choice and always had food available. Bagheera too, has free access to food most of the time. I wonder if that's some of the rapid eater issue. Limited access to food. It will be interesting to see if my pup has any issues.


I've had 3 goldens in my lifetime. The first Golden was very picky - we had to feed him canned food as he was not a fan of dry. It was a pain to get him to eat at all. My second Golden ate what he was supposed to - he'd stop when he felt full and ate very slowly. He chewed each bite, took the time to relax and look around at us, and would only eat if I sat by him. Now I'm on my third, a 5 month old puppy who inhaled his food in less than 20 seconds. I wouldn't free feed him because I don't think he'd ever stop. I give him 4 cups per day but he always wants more. I'm not sure what causes the differences as I've had one of each; a picky eater, balanced eater, and an "inhaler!" My current was from a litter of 12 so I wonder like the OP if the early competition had something to do with it as well.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

Champ said:


> I've had 3 goldens in my lifetime. The first Golden was very picky - we had to feed him canned food as he was not a fan of dry. It was a pain to get him to eat at all. My second Golden ate what he was supposed to - he'd stop when he felt full and ate very slowly. He chewed each bite, took the time to relax and look around at us, and would only eat if I sat by him. Now I'm on my third, a 5 month old puppy who inhaled his food in less than 20 seconds. I wouldn't free feed him because I don't think he'd ever stop. I give him 4 cups per day but he always wants more. I'm not sure what causes the differences as I've had one of each; a picky eater, balanced eater, and an "inhaler!" My current was from a litter of 12 so I wonder like the OP if the early competition had something to do with it as well.


That's interesting  My boy is from a litter of 7, and he's a pretty balanced eater. I can't (and won't) free feed him, because he will probably keep on eating, but he's a very slow eater. It takes him about a minute or two to eat a cup and a half of food. I watched his litter eat once when they were 5.5 weeks old, it was a fairly calm affair. Food for thought.


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

aesthetic said:


> That's interesting  My boy is from a litter of 7, and he's a pretty balanced eater. I can't (and won't) free feed him, because he will probably keep on eating, but he's a very slow eater. It takes him about a minute or two to eat a cup and a half of food. I watched his litter eat once when they were 5.5 weeks old, it was a fairly calm affair. Food for thought.


Funny thing is I thought I had a picky eater again the first few weeks Bear (the inhaler) was home! He'd graze over his food a little bit but never finish. I was concerned he wasn't eating enough. Turns out he was probably just shy/adjusting.


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## sterling18 (Oct 31, 2016)

Scout would wolf his food down. We wound up putting a pretty big rock, nothing they can pick up or swallow in his bowl. He had to navigate around it to get to his food. Slowed him down slightly. I saw at the pet store they have these bowls with channels and grooves in it so food gets slight lodged in it and they have to work at it to get to it. Either way mine was a beast when it came to food.


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## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

Champ said:


> I've had 3 goldens in my lifetime. The first Golden was very picky - we had to feed him canned food as he was not a fan of dry. It was a pain to get him to eat at all. My second Golden ate what he was supposed to - he'd stop when he felt full and ate very slowly. He chewed each bite, took the time to relax and look around at us, and would only eat if I sat by him. Now I'm on my third, a 5 month old puppy who inhaled his food in less than 20 seconds. I wouldn't free feed him because I don't think he'd ever stop. I give him 4 cups per day but he always wants more. I'm not sure what causes the differences as I've had one of each; a picky eater, balanced eater, and an "inhaler!" My current was from a litter of 12 so I wonder like the OP if the early competition had something to do with it as well.


Interesting observation. I can only say that Bagheera is also from a large litter (13) and that he's a solid, but un-passionate eater. He regularly leaves food in his bowl if it's just plain dry kibble, but eats all of the very same kibble it I mix in a teaspoon of wet food. I've always held the belief that dogs won't starve themselves. They may prefer a certain food, but ultimately, they'll eat whatever you put in front of them if they are hungry. I think a LOT of weight gain may be due to switching dog foods to "get them to eat" or adding special incentives when it isn't necessary. They simply won't starve. It's not in their makeup. Fenris was never overweight yet he always had food in is dish. Same food for all 10.5 years. 

Even so, dogs are different. Some may indeed overeat if fed free-choice. I haven't had any such dog though.


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## bixx (Sep 8, 2015)

Make a snuffle mat and let her sniff out her food. Strange to read that this originated from the Netherlands (I am from the Netherlands) but we do have them here for sale though it's much cheaper to make them. Just get a rubber doormat with holes, a couple of old fleece blankets. It has to be fleece since they can withstand a dog's chewing. Cut in fat strips and tie through each of the holes. When you are finished, you can "lose" all the dry kibble in it for your dog to find. 

https://trixiespetbehaviourandtraining.com/free-instructions-how-to-make-a-snuffle-mat/


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