Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Ways to Slow Down Your Meals
• Part 2 of 3: Coping with Competitive Eating Behavior
• Part 3 of 3: The Dangers of Eating Food Too Fast

Is your dog in a hurry when he eats? Eating food too quickly can negatively affect its digestion: the animal may choke, suffer from belching, gas, bloating and even vomiting. Fortunately, there are several ways you can slow down your dog's feeding process. This article will show you how to cope with competitive feeding behavior and get your dog to eat more slowly by physical methods.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Ways to Slow Down Your Meals

1. 1 Alternatively, go to the food bowl. Instead of filling the non-tipping bowl in the usual way, turn it upside down. Distribute the food in the recess ring that surrounds the main bowl of the bowl. To eat all the food, the dog will have to pick it around the entire circumference and periodically raise its head to move to the food in another part of the ring.
   • Even such a simple step, which does not require the purchase of additional equipment, can slightly slow down the process of feeding a dog.
2. 2 Purchase a special slow feeding bowl. If you're ready to splurge, get your pet a slow-feeding bowl. These bowls are usually made of plastic, they do not tip over and are equipped with pins inside that prevent the dog from grabbing food in large portions. In addition, these bowls usually lack anti-slip rings, so the dog has to follow the escaping food.
   • You can also buy a puzzle bowl for your dog. In this case, the pet will need to work to get to the food, moving the various elements of the puzzle.
3. 3 Divide the food portions into portions. Either scatter the food into several small bowls at once and place them in different parts of the room, or put it in a baking sheet with muffin tins so your dog has to take out each piece of food separately. This will at least be able to let your pet out of excess air between sips, or it will be forced to look for other saucers of food.
4. 4 Place a large rock in the center of the bowl and distribute the food around it. Use only a large stone, as some dogs may swallow the stone if it is too small. Small dogs can put 2-3 golf balls in a bowl and distribute food around them. The pet will have to move the balls to the side to eat the food, which will slow it down.
   • Please note: Golf balls should only be used with small dogs that are physically unable to swallow golf balls.
5. 5 Place the bowl higher. If all of the above methods do not work, place the bowl on a low table or chair. This will force the dog to rest its front paws on a raised surface, with the animal's esophagus in an almost vertical position, which helps to reduce the amount of air swallowed. In addition, when feeding from the stand, the dog's head is higher, so it will be easier for the animal to regurgitate air.
   • Note that in a number of cases, there has been a link between rack feeding and an increased risk of bloating. Refrain from this measure if your dog's breed is prone to bloating.

Part 2 of 3: Coping with Competitive Eating Behavior

1. 1 Find out if the dog is in a rush out of greed. Do you keep several dogs at once? Perhaps one of them eats too quickly because she is afraid that other dogs will steal her food. Or she may be in a hurry in order to have time to eat her own food and grab someone else's. This behavior is called competitive eating behavior.
2. 2 Divide the dog bowls. Feed the dogs from separate bowls at opposite ends of the room. This will give each pet a chance to eat quietly from its own bowl without feeling another dog breathing down the back of its head. If a greedy dog ​​tends to steal someone else's food, feed him in a separate room so that he does not see other dogs.
   • This will relieve the prey dog ​​from external pressure and the greedy dog ​​from excess food.
3. 3 Feed your dogs regularly. Your dog may still be in a rush to eat other competitors out of habit. This may be due to her feelings of insecurity. Feeding on a strict schedule will give your dogs confidence in getting their food.
   • Your dog may have had negative past experiences that led him to consider eating fast food a necessity. For example, her former owner returned home late one day, and a hungry dog ​​was forced to eat up the remains of uneaten food. The next time during feeding, she quickly swept away her food and went to look for leftovers in other bowls (her own relatives) out of a sense of her own insecurity.
4. 4 Re-train your dog. If your pet loves affection and attention, distract him as soon as he finishes eating his food. Have him sit in front of you and reward him with a generous amount of positive attention. If you do this constantly, he himself will begin to come to you in search of attention, instead of rushing to other people's bowls.
5. 5 Follow your chosen tactics strictly. Do not undo the changes you made. While not all methods may work, you may find one that will help your dog. Remember that it will take a while for your pet to get used to eating more slowly.
   • If your dog is still greedy and even aggressive about food, then you are probably dealing with a possessive instinct and not a nutritional problem. Dogs are most likely to be aggressive about food when one of them has what the other dog wants.

Part 3 of 3: The Dangers of Eating Food Too Fast

1. 1 Understand that eating food too quickly can lead to health problems for your pet. If feeding your dog is more like tossing a raw chicken into the mouth of an alligator, it can't help but be frustrating. But more importantly, haste to feed can lead to a whole host of potentially dangerous problems.
   • Never close your eyes to the hasty habit of eating your dog. Start fighting it right away, while making sure that your pet does not develop any associated health problems.
2. 2 Notice the effects of haste such as belching and flatulence. When the dog is rapidly absorbing food, it swallows a lot of air with it. This can lead to such consequences as belching and increased gas production, which is not very pleasant for others, but relatively safe for the dog itself.
3. 3 Make sure the dog does not choke. The faster the dog eats, the less it chews. Because of this, it can choke if a large piece gets into the throat, which should be chewed in order to grind it for safe passage through the esophagus.
4. 4 Pay attention to bloating. Symptoms include an enlarged (distended) belly, a hunched gait, unsuccessful attempts to regurgitate, lethargy, and restless walking. If you suspect your dog has bloating, be sure to call your veterinarian. It is better to consult once again than to miss a life-threatening problem.
   • Bloating caused by rapid consumption of food increases the risk of gastric volvulus, which will completely disrupt the circulation of the organ. This can lead to permanent damage to the stomach and even death of the pet. A dog with a bloated stomach should be taken to the veterinarian immediately. There is no home remedy for this problem.