Are dogs supposed to chew their kibble?

[tridim]

My little Boston Terrier just turned 1 year old so I upgraded to adult food today. I had a choice of "little bites" or "normal size", I went with normal size in hopes she would start chewing her food. Her puppy food was "normal size", but small enough where it didn't bother me that she didn't chew her food. Each nugget of the adult food is about twice the size as her previous food, and of course her first adult meal was sucked down with absolutely no chewing. I doubt it's dangerous or her chewing instinct would be kicking in. What I'm wondering, will it cause digestion problems? Is there anything I can do to get her to chew first? Do I have too much time on my hands to be worrying about my dog's eating habits?

[SlavesandBulldozers]

1. i'm no vet

but i think the food is meant to be chewed. does your dog have a chew toy?

[Lefta Dissenter]

2. Have you had her teeth checked? (eom)

[bratcatinok]

3. Wolf it down?

Most dogs I've known and had don't actually chew much of their food. Occasionally I'll hear a chomp or two but usually he's too busy inhaling his food. I mix his dry food with canned food and he's never had a problem. I do make sure I buy the small kibbles where he doesn't choke since he's a small dog.

[tridim]

5. Yep, that sounds familiar

She used to go through 3/4 cup in about 10 seconds, now it's down to about a minute. She chews Milk Bones so she does know how to chew if necessary. This is definitely something I'll ask the vet next time I go.

[Demeter]

4. My Dog Always Inhaled His Food

Didn't matter if it was hard or soft. The only thing he chewed was bones. The corn cobs didn't agree with him--but he was rooting in the garbage that day.

[RebelOne]

6. Well, I guess my Rottie is an unusual eater for a dog.

She chews every bite throughly. Or maybe she just has good table manners.

[Robb]

7. Shouldn't be a problem

...the beauty of most kibble is that it's inherently easy to digest. Unfortunately, your pup is missing out on the best part about an all-kibble diet: crunchy food makes clean teeth.

I've found (with lots of dogs) that the speed of a meal often has to do with how comfortable/threatened the dog is. One dog may take forever on dinner; put another dog next to her and she'll eat quickly. Six or more and everyone but the alpha is wolfing stuff down.

But not always. Some dogs are lifelong wolfers.

Nutshell: no biggie. Just try to have chew-stuff around, and keep an eye on the plaque situation now and again.

[thebeaglehaslanded]

8. Gobble it down - genetic imperative.

Way back when dogs traveled in packs and killed prey for food, all the members of the pack would dart in to the food, grab a big bite, gulp it down, and grab another chunk. Anyone that stopped to chew the food just plain lost out on another bite and would probably end up hungry. So dogs inhaling their food are simply evidence of the once wild nature of canines. I wouldn't worry about it.