5 Ways to Stop Your Dog From Eating Too Fast
If you’re worried about your dog eating too fast, you’re in good company. While some breeds are notorious for being speed eaters, any dog of any breed can eat too quickly.
Many pet parents come to discover their pup is highly food-motivated. That can be a huge plus in dog training, but the same characteristic can become problematic when it leads to health hazards like vomiting or bloat.
The good news is that you can help your dog slow down at meal time with some strategic adjustments. Here’s what you need to know.
Why Do Dogs Eat Fast?
“Dogs can eat fast for a couple of reasons,” says Dr. Nancy Welborn, an assistant professor of veterinary clinical sciences at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge. “It could be enthusiasm for food—something we all understand—or it could be a protective measure. If there are multiple animals in the home or they’re fed together in a high-population setting like a shelter or breeding facility, they’ll start gulping faster.”
Dogs’ canine ancestors may give us some clues to where this habit comes from, too. When wolves kill a large animal like a caribou, they eat according to their hierarchy. Pack leaders chow down first. Then, the rest have to compete for leftovers. Your dog’s speed-eating could be traced back to the need to beat others to the chase.
Scarcity is another factor that could come into play. Most wild canines have a feast-or-famine approach to eating. When food is available, they stuff their bellies because their next meal is not guaranteed. It’s possible that this could be another behavior dogs have maintained with the passage of time.
Even more recent history points to benefits for dogs eating quickly. In the early days, when dogs first began hanging around humans, they may have still had to scarf down food as they scavenged for our scraps. While our pets no longer have to fend for themselves in these ways, some researchers believe their ancestral history could still impact their eating behavior to this day (1).
In some cases, dogs could also be more ravenous than usual due to more individualized issues, like an underlying health condition. Cushing’s disease or diabetes could lead a dog to gobble down food. The key thing to look out for is a change in eating behavior. That’s a sign that veterinary attention is needed.
Problems When Dogs Gulp Down Food
“Typically when dogs eat too fast they’ll gulp,” Dr. Welborn says. “They’re gulping air at the same time, which can cause vomiting or regurgitation.” It’s common to see a dog rapidly gobble down food only to throw it back up a moment later—an icky and frustrating problem.
In rare cases, rapidly eating large volumes of food could potentially lead to a veterinary emergency known as bloat, Dr. Welborn says. Bloat happens when your dog’s stomach becomes swollen with food or gas. Because of increased pressure in the stomach, usual attempts to get rid of excess food and air—like burping or digestion—don’t work.
Bloat is a severe and rapidly progressive condition that can be life-threatening. It can become especially dangerous when your dog’s stomach turns on itself, which is known as gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV).
Warning signs to watch for include:
- A swollen belly
- Dry heaving without producing anything
- Anxiety
- Standing and stretching
- Pacing
- Chewing at belly
- Looking at belly
- Drooling
- Pale gums
If you suspect your dog is suffering from bloat, seek immediate veterinary attention.
5 Ways to Slow Down a Dog Who Eats Too Fast
While it may seem like an impossible task, you can slow down your dog’s feeding frenzy with some help. Start with these tips.
Use a slow feeder. This is Dr. Welborn’s number one piece of advice. Maze-like dog bowls called slow feeders distribute kibble down deep in grooves so your dog has to work to get the kibble out.
Fill up a muffin pan. If you have a muffin pan on hand, this strategy works similarly: By dispersing food into muffin holes, you force your dog to slow down and dig in.
Shrink portion sizes. Instead of one or two larger meals, feed your dog three or four smaller meals throughout the day.
Make them “hunt” for their food. Hide kibble throughout the house or use puzzle feeders for your dog to gradually consume the day’s calories.
Do scatter feedings. Scatter food on a clean surface for your dog to scramble after.
Having a dog who eats too fast can lead to small headaches like a mess to clean up or seriously scary situations like bloat. Thankfully, there are fixes you can use to slow your dog down. With these tricks, you can create a more peaceful meal time for you and your pup.
Reference
- Bradshaw, John W S. “The evolutionary basis for the feeding behavior of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and cats (Felis catus).” The Journal of Nutrition vol. 136,7 Suppl (2006): 1927S-1931S. doi:10.1093/jn/136.7.1927S
