Puppy eats his food whole General Chat

My GSP strikes again ....he eats like it is his last meal and he just does not chew any of his food. He is on Royal Canine which is the most expensive here, the kibble is the correct size for his breed and weight. I was thinking to get him a slow feeder bowl, would this help?

He also threw up today and I think the culprit is whatever he finds he chews and eats. We are constantly using the command "leave it" and reward him with praise when he drops it out of his mouth however, he wants to chew everything like rocks, empty snail shells, tissue, sticks, wood etc.. it is becoming a nightmare on walks. When it is a big stick he holds it in his mouth and carries with pride which I think is adorable, but I could be the issue here and allowing him to do that whilst not allowing him to hold/chew other items. Any help would be amazing !

A slow feeding bowl would certainly help as
puppies that wolf down their kibble will often regurgitate and eat it a second time - it almost always stays down the second time! I think this type of puppy is better being given their meal soaked - or at least moistened with warm, (not boiling), water.
It won't affect his teeth, you could give them a weekly brushing if you were worried about that. He could move back on to dry kibble as he matures and starts to be less excited by his food.
Keep up telling him to leave rubbish while on your walks, divert his attention and reward him when he responds by looking at you. Puppies are naturally curious so do let him to satisfy his instinct to sniff when it is safe to do so. Are you using a harness to walk him? You might find it easier to turn his head away from waste matter if you were to use a collar on his neck. This can be worn alone or in addition to a harness by using either a double-ended, or a separate lead.

One of my two dogs used to wolf down her food, and would throw it up almost immediately afterwards. Upon the suggestion from the manager at a pet food store I purchased a very inexpensive blender, and would blend her food before feeding her. I wouldn’t turn it into dust, but definitely made the pieces smaller. After a year of doing this I tried feeding her kibble without blending it, and she hasn’t thrown it up since.

Some dogs are just fast eaters. I would address the issues separately.

1. Throwing up. If the vomiting is caused by the fast eating, it should be happening soon after meals. Usually vomiting due to fast eating is because the food irritates the esophagous on the way down. Chewing more or smaller pieces reduce that irritation. Wetting the food can reduce it too.

So I would try the suggestions above.


2. Picking up and chewing on things. You actually have two different commands here.

Leave it means don't pick it up in the first place. When his attention turns to something inappropriate, say "leave it" and redirect him to an appropriate item, then praise him for redirecting. If he likes picking up small items, redirect him to a huge item he can't pick up whenever he focuses on a small item. That will reduce his chewing.

The second command is "drop it". You want to use this when he has something in his mouth already and you want him to drop it. Always reward him with something fun.

I actually teach mine a third related command of "let me see it". I start this with toys. When the dog has a toy in his mouth, I simply hold on to the toy. I don't pull or fight for it, just keep hold of it. I say let me see it and then wait. At some point, the dog will adjust his grip. When he does, I calmly and quietly pull the toy away. Then I make a big deal out of the toy, turning it around and talking to it, and as soon as the dog sits, I give it back to him and praise him.

This teaches him that "let me see it" is a temporary request and he'll get the item back. Unlike drop it or leave it which are permanent commands.

The dogs really start to enjoy let me see it. Toys become more valuable when others show interest in them.

Teaching them this really helps to build trust. They learn that you aren't a meanie who never lets them have anything good. And as that trust builds, they start to willingly bring you their treasures.

Tornado-dog will bring me stolen food because he trusts me. As long as it's not bad for him, I return it to him.

If your boy likes chewing, it's good to always bring a few chew sticks with you on outtings. For Tornado-dog, I carried Happy Belly chews - they don't upset tummies like regular rawhide chews. If he got chewy on things, I gave him one. He'd carry it around happily.

He also really likes twirling something in his mouth. He's find a small round object and just carry it around. He also really likes carrying the small parmesan cheese packets you get with pizza deliveries.

I let him keep the cheese packets. When he gets a round object, I switch it out for a candy. He likes licorice, butterscotch, hard caramels and butter rum life savers. I limited how many he could have each day to one or two, and as he's grown up, they are needed less and less often. But every once in a while he still wants something to twirl around his mouth.

Thank you so much for all your amazing replies! I have started to wet the food and he is eating much slower however, will need to work on the chewing and swallowing of everything around him. Thanks for the tips of having some chews on walks...Great idea. Shall also start trying the new commands.