Having raised 15 puppies for service work, we’ve had lots of experience with food gulpers. You know the ones: the food bowl is down for 10 seconds and the food is gone. The dog doesn’t stop to enjoy or even chew his food, it’s basically inhaled. Sometimes the food will come back up — the whole meal — in a foamy lump on your floor. (And if you have Labradors, they’ll re-eat it. Ewww, gross!)
There are several reasons to slow your dog down when he’s eating his food. First, digestively, it’s not good to eat that quickly. The result is often the aforementioned pile on the floor. The dog inhales lots of air as he’s gulping and the stomach says “Get out!” With that air comes all the food. Ick. Another reason to slow your dog down is to get more out of meal time. Meal time doesn’t have to be just about getting your dog the required nutrition and calories. Your dog’s meal can do double-duty — it can entertain, it can teach, it can tire your dog out (mentally and physically). Here’s how to get more out of your dog’s meal.
Scatter
Ease: Super Easy
Cost: Free
How: Scatter your dog’s food across the lawn. Your dog can look for each individual kibble and work to free those kibbles from the grass. Don’t do this if your lawn is chemically treated, obviously. If your dog has never found food in the lawn, take a moment to show him how to do it. With your dog close by, toss some food into the lawn very close to your dog. Point out the individual kibbles to him so he understands there’s food to be found. As he gets better at this, you can scatter the kibble farther and wider.
Cautions: Be sure your dog isn’t eating sticks or plants while he’s finding kibble. Also, don’t use this method if you chemically treat your lawn.
Obstacles
Ease: Super Easy
Cost: Free if you have toys or tennis balls on hand. Otherwise, the cost is minimal.
How: Put enough tennis balls (or other dog toys) in your dog’s bowl on top of the food. I like tennis balls because they fit nicely in a dog bowl and are harder to pick out of the bowl than other dog toys. The dog needs to eat around the tennis balls, which takes longer and slows the dog down.
Cautions: Use appropriate sized objects. Be sure the tennis balls or objects are too large for the dog to swallow.
Specialty Bowls
Ease: Super Easy
Cost: Pricey
How: Simply put the food into the specially made bowl. There are many different versions of bowls made to slow down eating. They each look a little different, but they all work similarly: there are built-in obstacles requiring the dog to work to get the food out, thereby slowing the dog down.
Cautions: These bowls are made of plastic and are generally safe.
Other Ideas
You can also put your dog’s food into a food dispensing toy such as a Kong. These ideas require substantially more effort on your part, as you have to fill the toys before each meal. There is some cost involved, although Kong’s are usually less expensive than the specialty bowls.
Your Turn: Have you ever had a food gulper? What solutions have worked for you and your dog? Please share!