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Permalink Reply by Snickmom on April 12, 2012 at 10:12am

 I don't think it hurts if they don't chew the kibble if it is small. I worry because Snickers eats her food as fast as she can. I use many ways to slow down her eating. One is to use her kibble as training treats and I run her through some training at meal time so there isn't much left in the bowl when I put it down. Sometimes I give her some of her meal in treat balls. Putting their food in a muffin tin works the same as the bowl Katy mentioned (but is noisy!).  One of our favorite games is that I will jog around the house dropping kibble here and there. It is a fun game and we all get excercise! I enjoy sliding kibble across the kitchen floor and watching her skitter after it. This has improved her reaction time and seems similar to the skills a farm dog would use in chasing mice.

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Permalink Reply by steve smith on April 12, 2012 at 10:31am

My Dino is eight and does not chew his food. He thinks he has to be the first to finish

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Permalink Reply by Christine and Meeko on April 12, 2012 at 10:41am

I had the same problem with my pup but he was not gaining weight like the vet wanted him to so I started him on open feed and he has slowed down a lot! I also changed his food and he has gained healthy weight.

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Permalink Reply by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on April 12, 2012 at 11:27am

It's not just a corgi thing--it's a dog thing. Remember that wolves gulp, instead of chewing and that is where dogs came from. They have the natural digestive system to help them take care of gulping instead of chewing. The biggest worry is if they gulp then turn around and drink a lot of water, because that can lead to bloating. Also, a lot of rambunctious exercise just prior or just after gulping a meal can lead to bloat.

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Permalink Reply by Casee an Tazz Hall on April 12, 2012 at 2:42pm

Tazz is heathly, his weights amazing!! He doesn't even rush to be the first to finish he'll eat slow just won't chew it! An whether his full to the T he won't budge unless it's gone if there's other dogs around. He won't eat them if there clumped together he'll leave it lying on the floor.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on April 12, 2012 at 3:18pm

Yeah, sometimes I wonder why they even have teeth!! Mine eat with great speed and after 18 years with a Standard Poodle that ate very daintily if at all it worried me. However, my vet said they are not prone to bloat and don't get such a large quantity of food at a time so not to worry. Sparty is a very healthy almost 13 and has done well for all these years inhaling his food so I don't worry anymore. I do feed our doberman in 2 bowls to slow her down since they are susceptible to bloat.

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Permalink Reply by Alison Prasavath on April 12, 2012 at 3:32pm

Noodles doesn't normally chew his food. He will chew green beans and baby carrots. I do have to cut up the baby carrots because if he is given a whole one, he doesn't quite know what to do with it. It's like he thinks it is too big to eat, but too small to try and hold down in order to break apart. That is what mom is for...to cut up the already small baby carrots in to nice, bite size pieces for him.

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