Kill the puppy....

Okay, maybe not. Freckles is a basically good dog, so killing him isn't really an option. I'd cry for weeks...

Anyway. Here's the problem. He eats like the food will kill him if he doesn't eat it. He stands about 6 inches away from the bowl, then lunges forward. He gets a big scoop in his mouth, then swallows it, barely chewing at all.

This apparently started because of his food bowls. He had those big shiny metallic ones, and we figured it was the reflection that bothered him, so we changed bowls to smaller, matte white bowls with no reflection.

He still lunges. He gets his food, which is fine, but before we switched bowls, he wouldn't eat anymore. We switched bowls, and he's fine. Well, he's eating, at least.

The weird thing is that it was only the food bowl that bothered him. If the reflection bothered him that much, you'd think that he wouldn't go NEAR his water bowl, but he doesn't seem to have a problem with that.

Any advice is GREATLY appreciated.

Also, is there a way to stop a dog from LICKING so much? He licks any body part he can reach, and if you don't pay attention, he'll lick wet spots on your pants or shoes. He's--weird. A good dog, though, very laid back.

Cincy (our 5 month old puppy) used to really gulp down her food. I added just a little water to wet it down so she couldn't take as much at once. The vet also suggested spreading it on on a cookie sheet so each peice was further apart and she couldn't get as much at once.

As far as being afarid of the bowl, maybe try taking a few pieces of kibble in your hand, letting your dog eat out of your hand and show him where the food is coming from?

Both our dogs like to lick A LOT so we put the cue words "give kisses" to it. Now, most of the time if you tell them "No Kisses" they will stop licking. Sometimes it takes an "off" command or a gentle push if they are really intent on showing their love :D

How old is the pup? What breed is he? Gosh, the title of your post had me worried for a minute .. I have heard that putting something, a rubber ball for one example, in the food so that he has to eat around it, which will make him eat more slowly.

How many times a day does he get fed? Is he a former stray, so finding food was a problem at one time for him? Not that this is always the case - I know one dog who, to this day, bolts his food within seconds of it hitting his dish, and he came straight to a loving home right from his breeder, so he's got no excuse! :)

Karen said exactly what I was going to suggest. Adding a distraction to the bowl, like a ball, makes them work harder to eat and probably slows them down a bit. The other thing you need to do is work with him on giving up treats, food, toys, etc whenever you are ready for him to do it. I can take anything out of my girl's mouths, thank goodness. I test them often, just to make sure that I still have that respect from them.

It is probably a slow process, but hang in there. He'll probably be just fine as soon as he knows no one is trying to starve him.

Good luck (and I wish you had a different title on this post too :o )
Logan

Carl used to eat slow and actually chew, but after we adopted a 2nd dog, he changed. He gets so worried that one of the other dogs is going to eat his food (even though they don't even go near him when he's eating :rolleyes: ) that he gulps his food and doesn't chew it at all.

Several things I did to help this was 1. put him in his crate to eat - away from the other dogs 2. wet his food and let it soak a minute or two 3. feed him twice a day, instead of just once. I found that if he only eats once a day he's so hungry in 24 hours he just has to gulp! 4. I've heard putting a ball, a chain, or a larger Kong in the bowl will force the dog to pick around it and therefore eat slower, but it doesn't work with Carl, he just pushes it out of the bowl.

Your dog is showing how how it feels by it's behaviour.

Please read the other posts on feeding and try the suggestions for the submissive dog - leaving it alone and giving a set time. Eat a few bits of food from a plate by the bowl....the other posts explain it better - I'm really pushed for time so can't explain it atthe moment.
It should help a lot.

Check the "Eating Habits" thread in Dog Behavior, hopefully that will help with the lunging. My dog licks a lot too, unfortunately it's often the sheets on my bed - she likes to lay in her lick I guess, I do not! She understands the phrase "stop licking!" now. Dogs do weird things!

The licking thing is also a submissive behaviour and the very worst thing you can do is to pay it any attention at all.
Along with changing the feeding routine I would suggest that you follow the rule - no attention for no work. This means not paying any attention, words, looks, touches to the dog until the dog has settled (laying down, on it's own) for ten minutes. Then call the dog over, quietly, and ask for a sit. Then you can fuss, give a little treat ( a LITTLE treat) and speak to the dog. As soon as any licking occurs get up, walk away as though you have something to do like make a cup of tea or something. Keep on ignoring until the dog has settled again and do it again (obviously don't call the dog EVERY 10 minutes but leave it at least ten minutes.) Praise must be gentle and calm and if you can finish the praise and send the dog off to lay down without being licked (finish the amount of contact that you want though - don't cut it short just so the dog doesn't lick. The dog learns more this way from a mixture of getting it right and getting it wrong) then you have progress. It may seem to take a long time and progress may seem slow but it is gentle, kind and easy for the dog to understand what makes the difference. It will also boost the dogs confidence as it shows the dog that you are in control and are very secure in your position - you do not have to shout or get physical in any way. It is a natural way that the dog will learn as it is the same way that a dominant and secure dog would treat a less dominant dog. Along with the new feeding regime your dog should blossom into a more confident and relaxed companion within a couple of weeks. I'm sure you will see a difference within a week.

He's a basset hound/cocker spaniel mix, approximately 6-8 months old. I think. His former owner didn't know exactly. :rolleyes:

He's always been an outdoor dog, with about 9 other pups in the kennel with him. I'm not sure, but I'm fairly sure that he was fed table scraps most of the time.

I feed him twice a day, and he rarely finishes the whole bowl each time.

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Originally posted by Karen
How old is the pup? What breed is he? Gosh, the title of your post had me worried for a minute .. I have heard that putting something, a rubber ball for one example, in the food so that he has to eat around it, which will make him eat more slowly.

How many times a day does he get fed? Is he a former stray, so finding food was a problem at one time for him? Not that this is always the case - I know one dog who, to this day, bolts his food within seconds of it hitting his dish, and he came straight to a loving home right from his breeder, so he's got no excuse! :)

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Carrie, I don't know, but why would anyone hate puppy kisses? I love them! (but not in my face) and i think that by doing that you are really offending the dog and telling him you don't really love him. Licks in the dogs world means kisses.:confused:

Oh, I LOVE puppy kisses. His problem is that he will lick excessively. He'll lick any part of your body he can reach, and if you don't watch, he'll lick a soggy spot on your pants. I don't mind the kisses, its just a bit ridiculous when he refuses to stop.

The kind of licking described is excessive and shows the dog to be anxious and overly attention seeking to ease it's anxiety. By allowing this to continue the puppy would come to rely on the action to feel secure. It is far better to have a secure animal that is confident of its position without the constant need for physical contact and reassurance. The attention seeking aspect is likely to develop in other behaviours if this is not dealt with.
This is not the normal puppy kisses when playing, cuddling or when asked for.
I am allergic to dogs and their saliva especially so I'm not too keen on puppy kisses myself, but there is nothing wrong at all as long as it is under control.