14 week puppy eats too fast!

Jax · 05-30-2008, 11:06 AM

Hello everyone, could really use some advise here. Jackson, my 14 week male eats like he has never seen food before! He has been like this since he came home. At first I contributed it to him being the runt; thought he would grow out of it. (?) He is NOT aggressive towards me, I pet him, mess w/the food, etc; but I tell you he does not chew his food. He has learned to sit before his food bowl is put down; then he dives in. His digestive system must be good, because he is not helping breakdown the food with time consuming chewing! I worry about bloat with him eating so fast. And to give him a treat ~ you have to watch your fingers. he will sit, but i am having a hard time getting him to say seated and gently take the treat. I am concerned that, even though his aggression is not directed towards me, it could turn that way the older he gets. He is a very smart boy, and I want to be smart on how I handle this. Thanks for you help!

Jackson's Mom Annette

zeus and me · 05-30-2008, 11:17 AM

I hold treats in the palm of my hand covered by my fingers. if my pup attempts to grab it fast I say no! and withdraw my hand.he only gets the treat if he sits and waits for me to get my hand to him without trying to snap it out of my hand.

for eatting to fast I dont know

my pup likes to eat anything other then his 40+ dollar a bag dog food lol! but he is at 33 pounds and not quite 4 mo so I guess he is doing ok

**errica** · 05-30-2008, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeus and me

I hold treats in the palm of my hand covered by my fingers. if my pup attempts to grab it fast I say no! and withdraw my hand.he only gets the treat if he sits and waits for me to get my hand to him without trying to snap it out of my hand.

We spent a lot of time training Athena to take treats super gently. I have two nephews that love to give her treats and I couldn't have her snapping a milk bone out of their tiny hands...

So we would do the same thing as Zeus and Me, and actually not give her the treat at all if she didn't calm down quickly. Now I can hold a treat a fraction of an inch from her nose and she won't do anything until I give her the green light and she takes it so delicately it's actually comical.

As far as the food goes, Athena did this when we first got her, I think that she had been a bit deprived in her previous home. We would stop her when she was eating really fast and make her sit, down, stand, etc to break her focus on the food bowl. After a couple weeks of this she caught on that if she ate slower then we didn't stop her. Now she will take 5 minutes to eat her 2 cups of kibble, and she actually chews!

**BackInBlack** · 05-30-2008, 11:52 AM

Put his food on a cookie sheet. With it spread out...it will take him longer to eat it.

**greenkouki** · 05-30-2008, 11:55 AM

you could also try a "brake-fast" bowl to slow him down.

too bad it's not stainless steel though :/

gracieface · 05-30-2008, 11:56 AM

you can put some water in with the food, I have found it has slowed my guys down a little bit- there are bowls available that have bumps in the bottom that is suppose to work too but I haven't tried these

dragonflyz · 05-30-2008, 12:10 PM

Add some water and a little canned then stuff a kong and freeze it. it will take him time to eat and it will stimulate his little mind.

**ellenm** · 05-30-2008, 03:08 PM

I have owned 2 very picky eaters in the past, and a voracious appetite is wonderful thing! The two I have now eat in minutes, if not under a minute. I agree with the adding of water so they have more of a soupy mix, or the cookie sheet idea. I also rest my dogs for an hour after eating to not have them run around with a full belly.

Use a word for taking a treat like "gentle" or something so he knows the food won't be released to him until he gently takes it. I keep my fist closed and make them sit until they calm down and are gentle taking the treat. Work with him yourself for a bit before trying with children!

His eagerness for food is not something that would normally get twisted and used on you as aggression, as far as I know. As long as he lets you touch him while he eats, take up the bowl, take a bone away, etc he should not have any problems with this in the future. It is the dogs who guard their food and toys from their people from day #1 who are going to have to be watched and worked with pretty intensely to get over this.

**outlaw** · 05-31-2008, 05:36 PM

You want to see a FAST eater, you should see my pug! He eats a little over 1/2 a cup in under 30 seconds! I am not kidding. It is just ridiculous how fast he eats, then he just stares at Mia, waiting for a piece of her food to fly out of her dish so he can snag it! Unfortunately I think she is learning to eat fast because Bandit does. I do try to slow her down a little. She gets 2 1/2 cups so it does take her longer to eat, but she will not leave one piece in her bowl, or anywhere in the vicinity!

I guess we should be thankful we don't have picky eaters!

Patches Mom · 05-31-2008, 05:51 PM

My little Doxie eats super fast I started putting a ball in her dish slows her down some. I like the Break fast bowl too bad there is not a metal one Buddy would eat the plastic knobs off?