Crazy eater?

[Penny & Wrigley]

My doodle is 12 weeks old.  I feed him twice a day.  He is like a crazed maniac when it is time to eat. Barking and jumping when he knows I am going to fill his food bowl.  Then, he inhales it.  I know dogs are opportunistic eaters but is this normal puppy behavior?  Is there anything I can do to get him to settle down a bit?

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

My 13 week old is doing this as well. She is even going nuts an hour or 2 before feeding times.

I am still feeding her 3x a day too.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

You might consider dividing his portions into 3 feedings for awhile. I believe the norm for puppies is 3x/day. I fed Lucca and Izzy 3x a day until they were around 4 months old. At that point, they started losing interest in the lunch feeding so we went to twice a day. I think puppies burn so much energy so quickly that it's best to keep their little tummies with small amounts of food rather than larger portions. Good luck, he's a cutie:)

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

We fed Luna 3x a day until she was about 6 months old then reduced it to 2 a day.

If you want to slow down the eating I think some people put an object (a big ball or something) into the bowl that makes the pup navigate it and slow down a bit.

Even at 1.5 years old Luna "tells" me when it's dinner time by putting her head in my lap and whining.

[Penny & Wrigley]

Thanks so much for the quick feedback everyone!  Love the idea about putting something in the bowl that he has to eat around.  Will also look into the slow feed bowls.  I try to make Wrigley sit and look me in the eye as well but he is so overly excited that he can only hold himself together for seconds.  I'm going to try adding in a small midday feeding as well.

[Bonnie and Kona]

We fed our dogs 3x a day until 6 months also, but I must say that Kona and Owen both "wolf" their food. I had to buy slow feeder bowls. Both dogs have to sit and look in my eyes before they get their food bowl. Kona calmly sits. Owen bounds in glee like a kangaroo for a minute before he sits and looks at me. He just cannot contain the glee.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Good point about the bowls - there are bowls specifically designed for this.

Luna eats like a dainty princess - only 2-3 kibbles at a time and always chews.

[Heather Martinez]

Teddy was exactly like this at 12 weeks. I thought there would never be a time when he could sit patiently without barking and going crazy for food! 

Starting when he first came home, we fed Teddy in a Kong puppy ball: http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Puppy-Activity-Ball-Medium/dp/B0009VKK96

He had to roll the ball around to get the food out and then eat it and it slowed him down so it took him maybe a minute to eat all the food (the one we had did not hold much, maybe 1/4 cup). This also kept him distracted, so we gave him a ball when we left the house. I got a couple of balls and prepared them when he was not in the room so that he would not bark for food and when it was time to give him one I just dropped it him pen. 

Once Teddy started more serious training, and we started working on stay, I put him in a down-stay before every meal and he had to wait to be released to eat. I think I started this around 5 months and by then we had already fixed the barking habit, so he was quiet while he waited. At first he could only wait a few seconds before he lunged at the food but he gradually got better. He eventually got to the point where even if I did not remember to put him in a stay he would lie down and wait for a signal before starting to eat!

 Just to let you know that Wrigley will probably get a lot better in the next few months!

[Tricia]

Bridget is 5 1/2 months and still eats three times per day. She is growing very well and the Vet says her size and weight are perfect. I think a little one that age needs the three time feedings as well,. It is a long time between breakfast and dinner when you are an active growing puppy. Most literature says to feed three times a day for the first year then back off to a.m. and p.m. only. If there are any issues with too much weight during the first year you can cut back on portions. I could never make my gal eat only twice a day at this stage in life.Hope you add in a mid day meal :-)

[Tricia]

I know some people go from 3x's  per day to 2x's  per day at 6 months, but I think it depends on the dog and quantity's. I will continue 3x's for the first year as long as she continues to show interest. Then at 1 yr. go to the a.m./p.m. feedings only.

[Julie Kudron]

Maxwell eats extremely fast too. Then he belches like "Elf".

We feed him 3x a day. I have seen bowls that have a raised center (like a ball) that is supposed to prevent fast eating.

[Alison]

We have a 6 month old who used to eat in exactly the same way. I was even looking into the "slow feed" dog bowls. Since he had his neuter surgery two weeks ago, however, he has been "grazing." It happened almost overnight. I put his entire allotment of food out in the morning and by evening he has eaten all or most of it. Could be a coincidence or just maturation, but I don't know...

[3td08pz5vpw1h]

Perfect age and opportunity to start teaching him the word EASY.  Pull the dish away when he starts gulping the food and say EASY. Hold treats in your hand and let him nibble at them, reinforcing the word EASY.. Eventually he will understand the word. Put some food in your hand and repeat EASY. Till he starts eating it out of your hand slowly.  Great word to teach, when he gets too excited while playing and lots of other times you want him to settle down. Don't forget tons of praise when he finally gets the message.