Food plays a major part in every dog’s life. Not only is it a basic survival need, but it is used for training as well. With dogs being so food driven, many can develop behavioral issues such as picky eating, food aggression, and medical issues from not enough, or too much food. With a few simple steps, you can prevent or treat these issues head on.

Many dogs, especially the larger breeds of dogs such as labs, shepherds, mountain dogs and more, can have the issue of eating too quickly. This can lead to many problems such as choking, vomiting, and bloating since the food is not being properly chewed and broken down for digestion. There are some easy ways to handle this issue at little to no cost. One way is to ration their food, as in give it to them a little bit at a time to slow down their eating. If you don’t want to stand there and monitor their meals every time you can also try putting a larger rubber toy into the bowl with the food. This forces the dog to slow down by working around the toy to get to the food. A toy that would work well for this would be the Chompy Romper Drumstick Dog Toy. Another way to get your dog to slow down, is by placing the food pieces into puzzle toys that enable your dog to use their brains and skills to get the food. Our Interactive Puzzle Dog Toy is perfect for this solution.

Another eating issue that dogs frequently encounter is becoming a picky eater. Sometimes without realizing it, owners can be making their dogs into picky eaters by adhering to their dog’s refusal to eat certain foods. While it’s important to find a high-quality, nutritious dog food that your pet enjoys, it is not necessary to try 30 different foods or feed them human food because of a refusal to eat. So when your dog starts becoming a picky eater, try taking their food away after 10 minutes if your dog will not eat. After a few minutes, put it back down. This demonstrates that the food will go away if not eaten, and a hungry dog will eventually eat. However, if your dog usually eats well and all of a sudden is refusing to eat, seek veterinarian attention. This sudden change can indicate a health issue of some sort. Always remember, dogs are a part of our family, and nutrition and eating is just as important for them as it is for us. Make sure you are feeding your furry friend properly, and nutritiously.