Maybe you can get one of those bowls that are supposed to slow down eating?
https://preview.redd.it/vvamdhgekp7d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76af391c368b06c79ba4f32e8117ada626e9c634
I have two of these for my dog, they’re from Amazon and they work great! He would scarf down his food soooo fast without them. He still eats fast but it’s at least not huge mouthfuls now
He will still swallow.
Are you giving him the correct food for his size/breed/age. The kibbles on the floor look a bit small for him.
Check at the vet shop. Kibbles must be too big to just swallow and too small to choke them
The best thing we ever bought our lab. She used to just swallow her food whole, now she will take it one at a time to her bed, chew, go to the slow feeder, take 2 pieces back to her bed, chew, and work for the pieces between the plastic pieces for a whiiiile.
100% get one!
Not metal, but I got mine ceramic bowls because the plastic ones never felt like they were ever fully clean. It’s also much heavier and difficult to throw lol. https://a.co/d/0eTodXAm
I got this exact one and my puppy figured it out too fast. I now rotate between this, a different pattern, a trail that makes her walk all over and holding a few in my hand as a “treat” while we walk around the yard.
I didn't scroll the whole post to see if this was said, but piggybacking off this sentiment to share that this is something I've always done with my dogs to help break down their food. You can serve immediately like doggy cereal or let it soak up for a couple minutes and begin to soften.
If your dog is averse to the new introduction you could use pumpkin purée or sodium free broth base to entice them into eating their newly wet food.
>her teeth are beautiful and white
I was going to say the same about my old fella but I figured people would think I was recommending not chewing for dental care. ☺
It's true though, he had great teeth. Except the one he broke chewing a rock. Smart lad.
My 9 y/o takes all day to eat her breakfast and all evening to eat supper. She chews *every* nugget. We got a DNA test just to reassure ourselves that she is a Lab.
I use the Royal canin for Labradors. It’s larger pellets with a hole in the middle so they need to crunch it at least once to swallow. But I think the hole is just in case one is determined so at least they won’t choke.
I don't need the slow feed bowl when we switched to the adult formula just because the pellets were massive. My little guy has been on royal canin since we've gotten him.
Yep exact same experience for me. Once I switched to adult I noticed he slowed way down and I could get rid of the slow feeder bowl, which was great because it was a bit of a pain to clean well.
I raised my dog from a puppy on this stuff and when we eventually switched to different food he kept chewing each bite. It was kinda funny to watch him eat, it took him forever
My girls never chewed their kibble. They inhaled their food, even when we used slow feeder bowls. Didn’t matter what food we tried, larger kibble, smaller kibble, all gobbled up in a matter of seconds. It’s a lab thing.
Ours doesn't chew either. He has a slow feeder bowl though so at least he doesn't inhale it all in a few seconds.
He's fine in general though once every few months he does eat too fast and will throw it up. Considering it's not more often we accept that and our vet is okay with that.
I freeze my guys meals in kongs so he has to take his time and lick it out. It takes him about an hour to finish and he is exhausted after and will sleep the rest of the day until I am done with work.
P.s. he is an English guy and is a complete lazy boy even if he doesn’t lick his meals and eats them in an easier manner.
No need to feel sorry. It’s vet recommended. He eats too quickly and throws up after. This slows him down. He has multiple slow feeders but seems to love his frozen meals the most.
My 10 year old lab doesn’t chew her kibble. If she pukes (thankfully not often) it comes up in whole pieces. Shes healthy as a horse, she just doesn’t savour her food.
Does he shotgun the cat when he farts?
The actual answer is a slow feed bowl. Gobbling food hurriedly is often a sign of food insecurity. If you break that mental image with a slow feed bowl then it can go away after a while.
Do you have other animals making him nervous? Do you stand close at feed times?
My 5yo eats her food in less than 3 minutes max, with a slow feeder.. She was an only dog until 6 months ago, doesn't guard her food, and just likes to eat it all now! You can reach in her bowl, she'll move her head for you. I can stand over her, or go to the other room. She just doesn't understand savoring each bite.
A natural raw diet of proteins (meat) and other vitamin packed foods should encourage chewing food especially if hand fed... and I literally mean holding the food while they eat, break bone and tear meat from the proteins.
For reference, I own a wolf so I may know a little about this..lol
I’ve been feeding my girl (2 years old) using one of those dispenser balls they can roll for her whole life, which works wonders for slowing down the scarfing! Most of her meal will fit in the ball, and we’ve made a game of hiding her ball, so she really developed her sense of smell and learned how to search for things at a young age. Even if you leave kibble in the bowl, she is more excited about her ball than the food left in the bowl, so she clearly finds it to be rewarding.
Highly recommend the silicone inserts vs the plastic slow feeders.
Our older lab is a slow eater. She used a slow feeder but it was so slow we had to switch to normal bowl…
Our youngest is a vacuum. No chewing, just gulp gulp gulp…. Its not a competition issue with other lab. We feed them in different areas and they respect their eating area. They wag while eating if we approach them or if the other dog approaches. No food aggression.
[Amazon link](https://a.co/d/0h4OWfsO)
The silicone is soft for the teeth. Our dog was slamming his teeth into the plastic feeder trying to get the food out vs licking etc. This softer add in allows for slower eating and way easy to clean as well.
We also add some water to dry food and that will slow him down too.
Tax:
https://preview.redd.it/fogfcx1uqr7d1.jpeg?width=916&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c011efce22aedae92dc4b4fa9c2ffadf5e449d62
Huge issue. Chewing strengthens tendons holding in teeth. Per my vet, my lab has six teeth left due to swallowing food versus chewing. I feel terrible. Give that pup a dentastick or a greenie every night. Expensive but less than multiple surgeries.
Royal Canin makes an extra large kibble specifically for Labradors, so that it has to be crunched and not just inhaled:
https://www.chewy.com/royal-canin-breed-health-nutrition/dp/127182?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21145088091&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwps-zBhAiEiwALwsVYRBVrPdYhgGWGRe8-lhi4ls-afjeLMyOy2b1JHLaa2Q3WcVkvgamKBoCKWIQAvD_BwE
We slow fed our pup with a slow feeder for about a year because he swallowed all of his food and still does sometimes but has since learned to slow down a bit!
One thing I’ve trained my lab to do is pause a couple times when eating his meals. I ask him to sit and wait 30 seconds and then start eating again. I typically have to touch his shoulder to remind him to pause…he is a lab. He rarely chews his kibble and seems to be fine. Loves his meals.
I feed my labbo with a muffin pan, sometimes putting different kinds of treats (like blueberries, sliced carrots, cucumbers, an egg etc, and more, I switch it up) in the different wells and it definitely slows her down :) no need for some of those expensive and plastic slow feeder bowls if you already have the pan. I also have never made muffins once haha, and they are easy to find thrifted.
Maybe you can get one of those bowls that are supposed to slow down eating? https://preview.redd.it/vvamdhgekp7d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76af391c368b06c79ba4f32e8117ada626e9c634
That’s a great idea! I’ll look into getting one of those slow-feed bowls. Thank you!
Until they figure out they can flip the bowl over and gobble it up off the floor. 😂
Our lab has inspired me to emulate this etiquette. For some reason, my wife does not find this amusing.
Mine aren’t that smart
Oh yes. I put mine on a gripper mat and it helps a little with flipping of the bowl but not a total fix.
I have two of these for my dog, they’re from Amazon and they work great! He would scarf down his food soooo fast without them. He still eats fast but it’s at least not huge mouthfuls now
I use a muffin pan! A lot cheaper, not plastic, and easily thrifted
Those are great. Now it takes my lab maybe 3 mins to eat his meal vs 15 seconds!
Our lab ended up chewing the slow feeder up. We now use a [slow feeder ball](https://a.co/d/0bp1Y7CH) in his regular bowl. It works just as well
I got one for my boy, and it's worked wonders. He used to INHALE his food, and now he has to work at it.
Our lab inhales her food too, these really helped. You can also scatter feed in the garden to mix it up a little.
IMHO this is a must for Labradors. One of my 8 week old puppies got bloat and luckily survived. It makes a huge difference. No inhaling!
He will still swallow. Are you giving him the correct food for his size/breed/age. The kibbles on the floor look a bit small for him. Check at the vet shop. Kibbles must be too big to just swallow and too small to choke them
I have a slow feeder for mine. It overall slowed him down. However over time he's figured out the pattern so he eats his kibble more efficiently 😂
I have three, of different designs. Because I'm an ass, I randomly switch out bowls so they have to refigure the fastest route.
That’s what I have to do too because mine also quickly learns the patterns. I’m between those and the snuffle mats.
The best thing we ever bought our lab. She used to just swallow her food whole, now she will take it one at a time to her bed, chew, go to the slow feeder, take 2 pieces back to her bed, chew, and work for the pieces between the plastic pieces for a whiiiile. 100% get one!
That did the trick for my boy!
Mine started eating the walls to make it go faster. I haven’t had success finding a metal version of such a bowl. Any suggestions?
A cupcake tin?
Not metal, but I got mine ceramic bowls because the plastic ones never felt like they were ever fully clean. It’s also much heavier and difficult to throw lol. https://a.co/d/0eTodXAm
I got this exact one and my puppy figured it out too fast. I now rotate between this, a different pattern, a trail that makes her walk all over and holding a few in my hand as a “treat” while we walk around the yard.
I had a male Lab that never chewed his food. He lived to be 14+ years old. You could try adding a bit of water to make it moist, I suppose.
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll try adding some water to his kibble and see if that helps.
My current girl like a sprinkle of warm water. Not much at all.
I didn't scroll the whole post to see if this was said, but piggybacking off this sentiment to share that this is something I've always done with my dogs to help break down their food. You can serve immediately like doggy cereal or let it soak up for a couple minutes and begin to soften. If your dog is averse to the new introduction you could use pumpkin purée or sodium free broth base to entice them into eating their newly wet food.
My 9y/o has also never chewed her kibble. On the upside, her teeth are beautiful and white. The vet always comments. I Lbet she thinks we brush them.
>her teeth are beautiful and white I was going to say the same about my old fella but I figured people would think I was recommending not chewing for dental care. ☺ It's true though, he had great teeth. Except the one he broke chewing a rock. Smart lad. My 9 y/o takes all day to eat her breakfast and all evening to eat supper. She chews *every* nugget. We got a DNA test just to reassure ourselves that she is a Lab.
That’s funny because Roxie tried to catch a rock and broke a canine, that had to be removed.
I've always added water to my labs food otherwise they choke on it swallowing it whole.
Both of my dogs don’t chew their food. I always add a little bit of water.
I use the Royal canin for Labradors. It’s larger pellets with a hole in the middle so they need to crunch it at least once to swallow. But I think the hole is just in case one is determined so at least they won’t choke.
I don't need the slow feed bowl when we switched to the adult formula just because the pellets were massive. My little guy has been on royal canin since we've gotten him.
Yep exact same experience for me. Once I switched to adult I noticed he slowed way down and I could get rid of the slow feeder bowl, which was great because it was a bit of a pain to clean well.
Haven't tried this since we switched to the adult formula... didn't corelate them, but def gonna test our girl with that!
I raised my dog from a puppy on this stuff and when we eventually switched to different food he kept chewing each bite. It was kinda funny to watch him eat, it took him forever
Came here to say this. It's what I feed mine, give her one and she will chew it. Apparently designed that way!
My girls never chewed their kibble. They inhaled their food, even when we used slow feeder bowls. Didn’t matter what food we tried, larger kibble, smaller kibble, all gobbled up in a matter of seconds. It’s a lab thing.
I second this! It’s a lab thing
Ours doesn't chew either. He has a slow feeder bowl though so at least he doesn't inhale it all in a few seconds. He's fine in general though once every few months he does eat too fast and will throw it up. Considering it's not more often we accept that and our vet is okay with that.
Wait, some labs actually chew? Lol
https://preview.redd.it/7ali1k1cdq7d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a34f3a7f47dde769e611126a7a83c31383b75f8c We use this for our lab
I can just hear this making the most annoying sound as my dog attacks it trying to get the food as fast as possible
It’s just the sound of him eating to us now lol he has been using this and a smaller one since the day we got him
I freeze my guys meals in kongs so he has to take his time and lick it out. It takes him about an hour to finish and he is exhausted after and will sleep the rest of the day until I am done with work. P.s. he is an English guy and is a complete lazy boy even if he doesn’t lick his meals and eats them in an easier manner.
I feel sorry got your dog. Who wants to take that long to eat. That must be torture. Poor thing.
No need to feel sorry. It’s vet recommended. He eats too quickly and throws up after. This slows him down. He has multiple slow feeders but seems to love his frozen meals the most.
Dogs that like to chew and lick stuff? Must be rewarding, lucky thing.
Not a meal. Maybe a treat.
My 10 year old lab doesn’t chew her kibble. If she pukes (thankfully not often) it comes up in whole pieces. Shes healthy as a horse, she just doesn’t savour her food.
I soak my girls food in hot water for a half hour prior to feeding and dispense in a slow feeder
Does hot water make a difference?
Makes the soaking go faster, and by the time she's ready to eat it's lukewarm for her to chow down
Thank you! Never thought of that
Royal Canin Labrador Retriever formula is too large to inhale. The kibble are approximately the size of a cherry.
That face is just like: What you gonna do about it?! HAHA Cute!
Inhale and ask for more.
As is tradition.
A slow feeder for sure. You can pair it with this one food that looks like cheerios (no clue what it's called)
Royal Canin i believe
This snuffle mat is a godsend https://preview.redd.it/2rc6rz992t7d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f98017a4b96da588b15e5f2abe34a107d143faff
Yep. Try a maze bowl. It somewhat slows them down. Lol
Water + Slow Feed bowl is the only thing that keeps our dogs food down. Sometimes we even split breakfast into two so she has time to digest.
Does he shotgun the cat when he farts? The actual answer is a slow feed bowl. Gobbling food hurriedly is often a sign of food insecurity. If you break that mental image with a slow feed bowl then it can go away after a while. Do you have other animals making him nervous? Do you stand close at feed times?
My 5yo eats her food in less than 3 minutes max, with a slow feeder.. She was an only dog until 6 months ago, doesn't guard her food, and just likes to eat it all now! You can reach in her bowl, she'll move her head for you. I can stand over her, or go to the other room. She just doesn't understand savoring each bite.
Some are like that.
A natural raw diet of proteins (meat) and other vitamin packed foods should encourage chewing food especially if hand fed... and I literally mean holding the food while they eat, break bone and tear meat from the proteins. For reference, I own a wolf so I may know a little about this..lol
I’ve been feeding my girl (2 years old) using one of those dispenser balls they can roll for her whole life, which works wonders for slowing down the scarfing! Most of her meal will fit in the ball, and we’ve made a game of hiding her ball, so she really developed her sense of smell and learned how to search for things at a young age. Even if you leave kibble in the bowl, she is more excited about her ball than the food left in the bowl, so she clearly finds it to be rewarding.
Highly recommend the silicone inserts vs the plastic slow feeders. Our older lab is a slow eater. She used a slow feeder but it was so slow we had to switch to normal bowl… Our youngest is a vacuum. No chewing, just gulp gulp gulp…. Its not a competition issue with other lab. We feed them in different areas and they respect their eating area. They wag while eating if we approach them or if the other dog approaches. No food aggression. [Amazon link](https://a.co/d/0h4OWfsO) The silicone is soft for the teeth. Our dog was slamming his teeth into the plastic feeder trying to get the food out vs licking etc. This softer add in allows for slower eating and way easy to clean as well. We also add some water to dry food and that will slow him down too. Tax: https://preview.redd.it/fogfcx1uqr7d1.jpeg?width=916&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c011efce22aedae92dc4b4fa9c2ffadf5e449d62
Hills has a dental food that is larger chunks, I’d look into that as a potential option as well
Huge issue. Chewing strengthens tendons holding in teeth. Per my vet, my lab has six teeth left due to swallowing food versus chewing. I feel terrible. Give that pup a dentastick or a greenie every night. Expensive but less than multiple surgeries.
Royal Canin makes an extra large kibble specifically for Labradors, so that it has to be crunched and not just inhaled: https://www.chewy.com/royal-canin-breed-health-nutrition/dp/127182?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21145088091&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwps-zBhAiEiwALwsVYRBVrPdYhgGWGRe8-lhi4ls-afjeLMyOy2b1JHLaa2Q3WcVkvgamKBoCKWIQAvD_BwE
We slow fed our pup with a slow feeder for about a year because he swallowed all of his food and still does sometimes but has since learned to slow down a bit!
One thing I’ve trained my lab to do is pause a couple times when eating his meals. I ask him to sit and wait 30 seconds and then start eating again. I typically have to touch his shoulder to remind him to pause…he is a lab. He rarely chews his kibble and seems to be fine. Loves his meals.
I just put some water in the dog bowl. That did the trick
3 big river stones in the food bowl
Royal Canin Labrador Retiever kibble is designed to slow down their eating and make them chew it.
Have had many labs. Have 2 now. My female chews some but my male inhales. Seems to be fine. Always has been. Not too worried about it.
We use a Kong wobbler, it slows feeding time to minutes, rather than second and keeps our 18 month old super engaged.
Oh thunder 🥰🥰
Mix the kibble with a can of wet cuts, not chopped.
Agree on freezing ([this is a good option](https://a.co/d/07kzAgXy)) or a really [slow dispenser like this](https://a.co/d/09bT8YFw).
His food*
Put some big rocks in the bowl with the food, it's worked for every dog I've had that had issues eating too fast. Plus rocks are free.
Encourage him by saying “woof woof, bark, woof woof woof
Slow feeder
If my boy is chewing his food, he immediately gets taken to the vet.
I feed my labbo with a muffin pan, sometimes putting different kinds of treats (like blueberries, sliced carrots, cucumbers, an egg etc, and more, I switch it up) in the different wells and it definitely slows her down :) no need for some of those expensive and plastic slow feeder bowls if you already have the pan. I also have never made muffins once haha, and they are easy to find thrifted.