Puppies love to do everything with gusto. And for some, this extends to their eating habits as well. These little chowhounds devour every last morsel of food within seconds of it being set down.
As you can imagine, this is not a particularly healthy habit. Fast eating can cause stomach upset or more serious conditions, like aspiration (inhaling food) or bloat, which is life-threatening.
Since you can't simply explain to your puppy the good reasons for eating slowly, you must find creative ways to get them to slow down instead. Here are a few feeding hacks you can try to get your puppy to take their time with meals:
- Puzzle toys/feeders. These brainy toys make pets work for their food, releasing a few kibbles at a time as your puppy figures them out.
- Cupcake pans. Ditch the food bowl and use a cupcake pan! Your puppy will have to dig through each cup of the pan to get all their food.
- Cookie sheets. If the cupcake pan isn't working, try spreading your puppy’s food on a cookie sheet. Your pup can't take huge gulps when their food is spread so thin.
- Slow feeder bowl. These bowls come in all kinds of fun and intricate designs that force your puppy to take more time rooting out all the kibbles.
- Training with meals. Plan training sessions for mealtimes and reward your puppy with handfuls of kibbles. Your pet will enjoy both the food and the attention.
- More frequent meals. If all else fails, feed your puppy smaller meals more frequently so they can only snarf up so much food at a time.
If at any point your puppy seems inappropriately ravenous, appearing hungry even after being fed, or if your puppy is losing weight, be sure to consult your veterinarian about their eating habits. Excessive hunger can sometimes be a sign of an underlying disease.
Flex your puppy’s mental and physical muscles with a wide variety of foraging toys.
