[Willowgirl]

My Willow is seven months old now. She’s been swallowing her puppy kibble food without chewing. I noticed because a few days she threw it up but it wasn’t watery or anything. It was just like in her throat maybe? So since then I’ve been keeping a close eye on her. She is not chewing her puppy kibble she’s just swallowing it!! So I have been hand feeding her thr kibble to make her eat slow. I even tried one piece at a time. She just swallows it without chewing. I’ve been told to have her on puppy food until she’s 18 months so what do I feed her?? Currently she’s on nutrisource puppy. You guys are always so helpful. Thank you in advance!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Dogs' teeth aren't designed for grinding food. As long as she's not eating so fast she gets sick or gulps air, this wouldn't worry me.

Here's a quick explanation:

If you've ever watched a dog eat you've probably marveled at how quickly it gulps down its food. You might even wonder why, no matter how hungry a dog is, it will often eat as much food as you put in front of it.

Dog Manners

Dog owners may be concerned about this behavior, but it poses no problems for the dog. People chew their food and try to teach their children to eat slowly because digestion for humans begins in the mouth.
Our saliva mixes with food and prepares that food to be broken down into its primary nutrients once it enters the stomach.

A dog's digestion, on the other hand, doesn't begin until the food reaches the stomach so they do not need to take time chewing their dinners.

Speedy Eaters

Most dogs probably eat so quickly because in the days before they were domesticated, they had to survive by eating their prey before another dog or scavenger animal stole it. The evolutionary programming of dogs dictates that they eat and keep moving. As a species in the wild, they didn't have the luxury of hanging around and eating at their leisure.

Even their teeth aren't designed for them to savor their food. While most of the teeth in a human's mouth are flat and designed to facilitate chewing, most of the teeth in a dog's mouth are pointed, and designed to allow a dog to grab its food and swallow it whole.

Hundreds of years of domestication hasn't changed most dogs' eating habits very much. Even if a dog has been given regular, dependable meals every day, it will still gulp those meals down in a flash, ensuring that no scavenger will take its food away.

How Dogs Eat

Why do dogs seem to gulp down any and all food put in front of them?

indianapublicmedia.org

 

[lily cd re]

If you are worried she eats too fast you can buy or make a slow feeder bowl. To make one you just take a smaller bowl and invert it in her regular bowl then pour in her usual amount of food. STOP hand feeding her all or most of her food. She will come to expect that is the way to eat and I don't think you want to be handing her one bit of kibble at a time for the next 15 years. None of our dogs chews their food BTW.

 

[Willowgirl]

Oh my goodness I was not expecting this!! See this is why I come to you guys! I thought I needed to find her bigger food. Ya I really don’t want to hand feed her. It’s pretty disgusting. She gets saliva all over me. I am not buying anything because of the virus. Do you think just giving her a little at a time would be good? Perhaps there’s a diy slow feeder I can make from things around the house?
Thanks!!

 

[reraven123]

Put a couple of largish rocks in her bowl that she will have to eat around.

 

[Willowgirl]

Put a couple of largish rocks in her bowl that she will have to eat around.

Oh wow! That’s a fantastic idea! Thank you

 

[PeggyTheParti]

And if you do decide to buy a slow feeder, this one worked great for our mini. It slowed her down, but not to a frustrating degree:

Outward Hound Fun Feeder Interactive Dog Bowl, Purple, Regular - Chewy.com

Buy Outward Hound Fun Feeder Interactive Dog Bowl, Purple, Regular at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

There are many different styles to choose from.

 

[Mfmst]

It’s a good thing that your puppy is an enthusiastic eater! I saw a floor mat with silicon spikes that looked effective and dishwasher safe. If you could train and treat for kibble that would be #puppygoals.

 

[Willowgirl]

I was driving on the coast today and saw a pet store completely empty so I went in and got her a slow feeder. She keeps getting distracted and running outside to bark at something. It’s really slowed her down.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

It’s a good thing that your puppy is an enthusiastic eater! I saw a floor mat with silicon spikes that looked effective and dishwasher safe. If you could train and treat for kibble that would be #puppygoals.

I use kibble as training treats! Wonderfully cost effective. The key for Peggy is to use different kibbles for meal times vs. training. She gets Honest Kitchen as treats, Farmina for meals. I love Honest Kitchen for treats because it's human-grade, so I don't worry about having it in my pockets or feel the need to wash my hands constantly. And it smells good!

 

[Willowgirl]

I use kibble as training treats! Wonderfully cost effective. The key for Peggy is to use different kibbles for meal times vs. training. She gets Honest Kitchen as treats, Farmina for meals. I love Honest Kitchen for treats because it's human-grade, so I don't worry about having it in my pockets or feel the need to wash my hands constantly. And it smells good!

Oh wow that is such a good idea!! Willow will take her regular kibble for training. She loves it!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Oh wow that is such a good idea!! Willow will take her regular kibble for training. She loves it!

Yay! Good girl, Willow. That's super useful. Then you can reserve the high-value rewards for very specific training situations. For those, we carry a string cheese with us on walks and other outings. Never know when you'll need it!

 

[Willowgirl]

Yeah I need to find some high reward item. The problem I have is I just adore her. If she’s being all cute I’ll have her twirl and jump and shake and then give her the high value item!!! So I’m constantly having to find a new one for when we are out. She won’t pay attention to me if we are out on a walk and a person is in view.

 

[Michigan Gal]

I feed raw and I've watched Boston terrors swallow chicken drumsticks whole. No problems. They have to be trained to chew before swallowing. You might consider getting a larger kibble.

 

[Willowgirl]

I got a slow feeder yesterday. She doesn’t even finish her food now. I’m glad someone suggested it! Thank you!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I got a slow feeder yesterday. She doesn’t even finish her food now. I’m glad someone suggested it! Thank you!

That's really good to hear. It sounds like she might be tuning in a little better now to her satiety signals.

 

[Willowgirl]

So it’s been a week and she’s doing really well with the slow feeder. She isn’t eating as much as she did before which is good because she was eating nearly three cups a day before and now about 2. Thanks for the help guys!!