So my dog Walter is a purebred Cardigan Welsh Corgi. He's 3 years old, oafish, has hilariously big ears, cutest dog ever, and he has a bit of a problem.
He can't get enough food.
Like ever. It doesn't even matter if he's already eaten, if you have food and Wally is near you, he's gonna beg, drool, jump and snap his jowls for whatever is on your plate like he hasn't eaten in days. Without fail, if you give a treat to him, he will TREMBLE with barely contained excitement while his eyes grow to to the size of saucers. The only good thing about his food obsession is that he obeys commands almost effortlessly because he will do just about anything for a treat. But handing him a treat can be almost dangerous. He snaps like a shark for the food in your hand no matter how many times you tell him "gentle" or easy". His 'easy' grab for the treat still looks aggressive. He doesn't mean to hurt me, he just can't contain himself around food.
I'm always worried about him getting too fat, him and his sister (whom ALREADY has a barrel waist). Wally is nice and trim for now, but I'm worried with all the snacks he keeps getting, he's going to put on pounds. I know Corgis can't get fat because it's terrible for their tiny legs and hips (among other problems). Wally practically inhales his kibble. His estimated eat time is around one and a half to two minutes while his sister Pixie has a casual seven minutes to eat her supper.
And Wally CANNOT be around his sister if someone is cooking. He can smell the food even if he and Pix are in a separate room and he WILL growl and show his teeth at her if he does. He's even attacked her if he and her were around anyone with snacks, so everyone in my family has had to be careful about that. It's why I gotta keep them in separate rooms if I cook anything or eat anything.
I read that he might have a compulsive eating disorder, or maybe a thyroid problem? I'm less looking for a diagnosis and more curious if anyone else has a food obsessed dog and what they have done about it.
This might be your solution. If not, Cesar has more ways of solving the problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQPCQMjJW54
A trick to get dogs to eat at least a little bit slower is this...
Using a bowl that would be big enough for two tennis balls to lie side by side. Once you have the food in bowl, place a tennis ball right on top. Unless your corgi is witty enough to grab the ball and throw it out to eat, it will definitely slow down the eating process.
Kate <3