Some dogs eat slowly, taking their time for each bite to savor the taste, while others eat it voraciously like they are never going to see their food again.
It is pretty common for dogs to chew their food quickly unless it is in big pieces and they have difficulty swallowing it.
Their teeth are sharp and curved to chew into anything, including grappling, ripping, and tearing food.
Unfortunately, eating quickly and swallowing a whole food chunk can sometimes be quite dangerous for your dogs, even affecting their digestive system.
Make the chewing rather boring or time-consuming by using an outward hound feeder or using a high-quality diet. Other ways may include hand-feeding them, offering smaller meals each time, or putting an obstacle in their existing food bowl.
Read on to learn the effective tactics to let your dog chew their food.
Most Effective Tactics to Let Dogs Chew Their Food
Though it might be in dog’s nature to swallow whole food, it is not always the safest idea for them to eat too quickly.
The stomach becomes overstretched and rotated by excessive gas content, which can lead to an upset stomach, choking, vomiting, decreased return of blood to the heart, and loss of blood to the stomach.
It can lead to a life-threatening condition that must be treated immediately.
Follow these simple tactics to let your dog chew their food and make them healthy for years to come.
1.Use Outward Hound Feeder
An outward hound feeder is a bowl with raised walls or barriers within the inner area. It is designed to make your dog work for their food and take smaller bites.
The interactive feeders stimulate your dog to help relieve boredom and make eat-time playful by making their food challenging to reach.
It not only entertains your dog but also helps slow down the entire process, significantly improving his digestion, providing less bloating, less gas, less choking and regurgitation of food, and overall better gut health.
Get an Outward hound feeder for your dog today from Urban Pet Supply.
2. Provide High-Quality Diet
Your dog may develop a voracious eating habit if they do not get essential nutrition, which can lead to difficulty swallowing food.
Therefore, feeding them high-quality food containing all the essential nutrients their bodies need is vital.
- Add some supplementary nutrient products to their diet and feed them.
- You may also provide them with different food if they appear bored with eating the same food.
- Replace their meal to cover a range of foods and get as many nutrients as their body requires.
- Your dog might be suffering from parasites that are getting the nutrients that your dog needs. So, make sure to check for medical conditions and parasites regularly.
3. Hand Feed
Feeding your dog out of your hands is a great way to slow down their eating habit and let them chew their food.
According to research, hand feeding them will slow down their eating habit.
Hand feeding them not only drives their appetite but also teaches great manners and impulse control.
There are multiple benefits of hand feeding your dog.
- Sitting down with your dog at each meal to hand feed meals can help increase their interest in eating meals by chewing it.
- It teaches your dog great manners and impulse control.
- Avoid over-feeding the dog and causing nutritional imbalances.
- Helps dogs become psychologically and behaviorally healthy.
Not only will this reinforce what your dog already knows, but it will also increase your bond with your dog.
Check the infographic below for more information:
4. Feed Smaller Meals Frequently
Instead of feeding your dog big meals once or twice a day, break it up and feed them lesser meals more frequently throughout the day.
Sometimes the key to handling a dog that eats too fast is to feed small meals throughout the day. It ensures that your dog is not feeling hungry and worried over food.
However, it could be challenging to put this into practice if you have to leave home for work during the day.
Technology such as PetSafe Smart Feeder can allow you to control portion size and meal times from your phone remotely.
Feeding them a small amount of food frequently in their food bowl can eliminate the risk of choking or vomiting related to excessive overeating.
5. Put an Obstacle in their Food Bowl
Obstruction in the bowl will make your dog work around it and take small bites due to a constricted space. Just make sure whatever object you put in the bowl cannot be easily swallowed.
You can place any object that is non-sharp into your dog’s food bowl to make it more difficult for it to eat.
The obstacle can range from anything like a squeeker ball to a kong tire. Keeping these objects cannot hurt your dog, instead it keeps them entertained.
The only concern is good hygiene, as whatever you put in there should be non-destructive and clean.
Check out these toys, which can be some good interference with your dog’s eating pace.
6. Calm Your Dog
It is common for dogs to be scared of humans or other animals, especially when eating, fearing that they will steal their meal and end up starving.
The scarcity mentality forces them to gulp down food and can turn aggressive toward anyone nearby it thinks is a competitor.
In such a case, pet owners should train their dogs to correct their behavior. Ensure that the environment in which you feed your dog is calm and the dog does not feel the risk of losing his food.
Soothe your dog by assuring them that their food is all theirs. Keep their food separate and consider feeding each individually if you have several dogs.
They will be able to dine in peace. As a result, it will slow down their eating pace chewing it.
Conclusion
With these simple tactics, you can dismiss the worry about the dangers of your voracious eater.
If you think your canine is not slowing down and chewing their food well despite your best efforts, try getting a veterinarian's help.
Get in touch with Urban Pet Supply, the best pet store in Urbandale, for more information.
