# Puppy isn't chewing her food



## Liddy (Jan 12, 2010)

Our 4.5 month old, 23 lbs shar pei/lab mix pup is essentially inhaling her food without chewing! She came home from the shelter eating Science Diet Puppy and we're gradually making the shift to Innova Puppy. We're feeding her 3x/day with approx a cup at each feeding (which is a bit more than the bags recommend). She's highly food motivated! In the last 2 days we're finding she's not chewing the food. She can just suck it up with her tongue and swallow without much effort or thought. 
We have ordered a 'break fast' bowl with the 3 pegs that stick up, which we hope will slow her down.
How can we get her to chew the food? Other suggestions to slow her down?
Thanks so much!


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Dogs are gulpers by nature so swallowing their food with out chewing is not an uncommon problem. T he problem comes when they gulp large amounts of food whic can lead to bloat and vomiting. Since you're only feeding 1 cup 3 times a day I don't think you're at risk for bloat (since it usually affects dogs closer to 5 aned over 50 lbs) but vomiting could be an issue. 

Breakfast bowls can help as well as putting a few tennis balls in her dish. I trained a golden that was a fast eater and we had to put 3 tennis balls in his dish to get him to slow down. Also I've seen others suggest using a cookie sheet insted of a bowl as it spreds out the food more and makes them work harder at getting a good mouthful. last option to teach her to slow down is to drop her food in her dish by the handful. Being a pound puppy it doesn't surprise me she gulps her food. Given some time I think she'll realise that food isn't going to disappear or be sparce like at the shelter and she may just slow down onher own eventually.


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## glasgow (Jul 11, 2008)

My goldie was a greedy pup too and I ended up scattering the food on the floor and putting the food into cubes and feeder balls to slowed him down a bit. 
I ended up putting a handful of food in the bowl, then I fed him a handful from my open hand, then dropping more food in the bowl, this was great for teaching gentle mouth control too (although it took ages).
You may find once she settles in a bit more she slows down with her meals.
I tried a tennis ball in his bowl at first, but he just picked it out and hoovered up the food!


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

You can also use an interactive bowl with ridges built into it so it's harder to get the kibble out. Or put the food in a couple of treat toys so it slows her waaay down.


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## Liddy (Jan 12, 2010)

Good suggestions... We've been trying something new at each meal to see which works best. I think one problem is that the kibble she has right now (Innova) is quite small--easily slurped and swallowed!


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Liddy said:


> Good suggestions... We've been trying something new at each meal to see which works best. I think one problem is that the kibble she has right now (Innova) is quite small--easily slurped and swallowed!


That would be a great food to put into a buster cube or another food despensing toy. Like another posted said, it definitely slows them down but also gives them mental stimulation. I have several client's that re-arranged their feeding shcedule for their dogs to corrolate with the times they wern't home and left their meals in the buster cube to entertaine themselves during their down time. Of course this option does open the door to some potty accidents so maybe not the best option for a puppy still learning potty habits (if your still is working on house breaking)... but you can do it for the pup while your around so you can let them out to potty when they're done.


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## DeniseV (Nov 8, 2009)

Liddy said:


> Our 4.5 month old, 23 lbs shar pei/lab mix pup is essentially inhaling her food without chewing! She came home from the shelter eating Science Diet Puppy and we're gradually making the shift to Innova Puppy. We're feeding her 3x/day with approx a cup at each feeding (which is a bit more than the bags recommend). She's highly food motivated! In the last 2 days we're finding she's not chewing the food. She can just suck it up with her tongue and swallow without much effort or thought.
> We have ordered a 'break fast' bowl with the 3 pegs that stick up, which we hope will slow her down.
> How can we get her to chew the food? Other suggestions to slow her down?
> Thanks so much!


OMG. I just posted a similiar thread! I didn't even see yours.

My situation is a bit differerent...she doesn't eat fast; she doesn't even want to eat first thing in the morning. But when she does eat, and it is at a normal pace, she just swallows, no chewing!

I am hopeful we will both get some some good advice. There are alot of great people with great experience..I will watch this post and mine. I have a pug...she is five months old...So weird they don't chew! I can not believe she hasn;t choked yet. I hope that day never comes.

Denise


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

Anatomically, digestion in a dog starts in the stomach, not in the mouth like humans. Humans must chew their food so it can interact with digestive enzymes in the mouth to begin digestion. Dogs do not work the same way. Digestion starts in the stomach. It is not a problem for most dogs not to chew their food. Some dogs will swallow chunks too large to pass through certain sphincter valves in the esophagus and beyond causing the food to come back up. But otherwise, not much of a problem.

That being said, when it is a problem I have used several methods with foster dogs. You can spray a baking sheet with water and sprinkle a meal's worth of kibble, then freeze the pan. The dog has to pick the kibble off the frozen pan at meal time. You can buy a bowl that has ridges or tall bumps in it that the dog has to eat around, slowing them down. I think the name of ours was Brake-fast. You can put approriate sized rocks in a large stainless steel bowl to accomplish the same thing. Just be sure that the rocks are way too large (think WAY too large, more than fist-sized for a lab type dog) for the dog to swallow. You can put kibble in a clean, empty plastic soda bottle and let the dog roll it around to get pieces out. I have used interactive kibble toys. And you can hand feed one piece at a time to modify behavior, make it a learned habit to eat slowly.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Very well put, good suggestions Briteday. All sound like great fun if I were a pup


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## Liddy (Jan 12, 2010)

briteday said:


> Anatomically, digestion in a dog starts in the stomach,


Thanks so much for the info! That helps a lot. So far she's keeping the food down and the break fast bowl (arriving next week) should slow her a bit.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

I have nothing to add to these good answers, but I do require a larger picture of your pup. I have a Lab/Shar Pei mix, too!


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## Liddy (Jan 12, 2010)

FilleBelle said:


> I have nothing to add to these good answers, but I do require a larger picture of your pup. I have a Lab/Shar Pei mix, too!


Ok, I'm trying to upload a pic of Liddy-- we have a relative consensus that there's shar pei in her, and lots of thoughts/opinions as to what else she may be. If this "attachment" works I'll post a few more.


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## Liddy (Jan 12, 2010)

FilleBelle said:


> I have nothing to add to these good answers, but I do require a larger picture of your pup. I have a Lab/Shar Pei mix, too!


A few others:


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

Aaaahhh, yawning puppy cuteness!!! 

I can see the Shar Pei in the muzzle. Those ears, though...could she have some Shepherd in her?!?


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## Liddy (Jan 12, 2010)

FilleBelle said:


> Aaaahhh, yawning puppy cuteness!!!
> 
> I can see the Shar Pei in the muzzle. Those ears, though...could she have some Shepherd in her?!?


It's highly possible! This is a pic of her and what we're told is her brother:


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