We’ve all either seen or own a dog who swallows the whole meal in one gulp. That can’t be healthy, dog! A habit like that is hard and usually impossible to untrain. That being said, there are some tips I can give you to help slow your dog down.
Read them through and let me know what you think and how you expand upon them:
- If you feed dry food, try not using a bowl and just spreading it on the ground.
- Here’s a classic: put a tennis ball, big rock, or some (non edible and big enough not to be swallowed) object into the bowl. This will slow them down as they eat around it and need to move it back and forth to get to the food.
- Want to have some fun? This one is especially good if you feed your dog raw food. Take chunks of meat and throw it into a field or hide it around the yard for your dog to find. This also allows your dog to use his nose in a positive manner and their natural instincts to „hunt“ for food – something most dogs are not given the chance to.
- You can buy (or make) a small washable dog baggie that they can carry around, holding their daily food ration. Whenever you are hanging out or they did something correctly, you can give them some of the food. So instead of getting it all at once or twice daily, they get tiny bits throughout the day. This completely eliminates them eating too much at once.
- Buy a dog puzzle and get your dog to work for their food! This isn’t a great option if you’re short on time, though.
- Put your dog’s food in a bowl and then have them do some tricks. After each trick was successfully performed, give them a handful of food until nothing is left. Dogs love a job, especially if food follows!
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