Why Do Golden Retrievers Eat So Fast

As you prepare Bennie’s meal, you hear him barking and jumping in the other room. Bennie knows that his meal is almost ready and he is more than ecstatic about it. In fact, when you give Bennie his food, it is gone in the blink of an eye. Although all dogs love food, Bennie specifically loves his food more than any other dog and sometimes he acts as if it is running away before it is even in front of his face. Due to this, you have decided to learn more about Golden Retrievers and why they eat their meals fast. 

Food is an exciting thing, especially for canines. When you make your dog’s meal, you will probably notice your dog’s excitement. Sometimes, owners may even think something is wrong if their dog does not get excited over their meal! It is completely normal and a part of the canine instinct to be excited over food and it is also normal for dogs like Bennie to eat their meal at a fast speed. In the wild, canines would eat their food fast because it was necessary when they were on a hunt. In fact, the dog that ate the quickest had the best chance of survival. This tendency may be playing out in your dog’s behavioral traits and it is completely natural. Yet, your dog is not in the wild anymore and probably does not need to eat at lightening speed, so why do they? Well, Golden Retrievers have a ton of energy. In fact, when Golden Retrievers are in their puppy stages, they are known to be loud barkers, hyper, and in need of attention. 

Therefore, Golden Retrievers may sometimes act a bit differently than another breed, especially when it comes to food. Bennie may eat quickly because he absolutely love his food. In fact, you may even notice Bennie’s excitement becomes active when you eat your own meal or if there is a treat nearby. Secondly, your dog may eat quickly because of other behavioral reasons. Competitive eating is common, if your dog learned this behavior when he was a puppy. Puppies may learn to eat quickly so their companions do not get the food first, if they are sharing food with other puppies. This behavior can carry on into your dog's adult years and it may even become bothersome for you as an owner. Finally, Bennie may eat fast if he is not eating every couple of hours. Sometimes, hunger may get the best of your dog and eating fast may be a coping mechanism to dissolve their hunger. If your dog eats fast, you want to do your best to figure out the cause and help them solve it. 

Golden Retrievers are excellent pets because they are loyal, strong, and extremely loving. Yet, sometimes their high energy can cause problems, especially when it involves food. Bennie is a Golden Retriever and Golden Retrievers are known to retrieve things so they may desire to retrieve their belongings properly and quickly. Therefore, it is perfectly normal that Bennie may eat quickly because he knows his food is his. Yet, you want to figure out why Bennie needs to eat quickly. Is he excited? Is he nervous his food is going to evaporate? Is he extremely hungry? 

Once you decide the cause of your dog’s fast eating habit, you will then be able to solve the mystery. Although it is a natural instinct, you do not want to encourage Bennie to eat quickly because it is not good for his health and it is not good for his behavioral habits. You can help Bennie with his eating habits by providing him with smaller meals throughout the day. This may help Bennie with his hunger and it may also help tame his high energy levels because he will receive his food more often. You may also want to give Bennie a different type of food bowl that helps spread his food out. If Bennie’s food is in a maze, he will have to work harder and will not swallow his food quickly like he normally does. 

Bennie will probably swallow a lot of air when he eats his food if he eats fast, which can cause bloating, stomach twisting, vomiting, and even burping. Therefore, you want to make sure your dog slows down when he eats his food. You may even want to put your dog in another room, if you have more than one pet. Secondly, you will need to train your dog to eat slowly and teach him that it is okay to eat at a normal pace. This is extremely important if your dog is a puppy. If you need to hire a behavioralist or take your dog to the veterinarian, then that is recommended as well. 

Bennie has a lot of energy, which is part of why you love him so much. Yet, sometimes his high energy levels can play out in some of his behavioral traits. When Bennie eats quickly, you want to help him out and teach him that his food is not going to run away. This can make a huge difference for his life and for yours.