You Can!!!!!! You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

Gimli is often referred to as Hoover in this house.  From a wee age he has been extremely quick at eating.  So quick, that he often will suck in too much food and start choking.  He doesn't let a mere thing like choking slow him down.  He quickly hacks out the tender morsels and promptly sucks them right back in.  Gimli's eating prowess is legendary.  He can down a cup and a half of food in under a minute.  

Let the Feeding Frenzy Commence!

Ferg on the other hand is very, very slow eater.  He picks over his kibbles, selects one, chews a few times.... looks to the left and then to the right... remembers he has food in his mouth and chews some more, eventually swallowing.  

It is not unheard of for Ferg to stand and watch Gimli eat or stare at his bowl for minutes at a time; not eating until he can be coaxed to try a bite or until I break down and hand feed him.   

What's Gimli doing while this is happening.... anxiously waiting for Ferg to drop or knock out kibbles out of his dish.  

Zzzzzwhommp!  Kibbles gone... 'cuz Hoover's on the clock!  

His motto- "No Kibble left behind!"

Gimli's voracity for food and his need to suck up all that is available has led the need for me to assume the role of food bouncer.  I sit, wait and guard until Ferg is done his leisurely meal.  If I leave my post for a fraction of second,  or get momentarily distracted, Gim will push Ferg out the way and suck back the contents before I can say "Hey, what the... STOPPPPPPPPP!" 

This is how we roll every day at meal time.  But today was different.

Today goes down in history as the day that Gimli chewed food.  There was actual crunching noises coming from his mouth.  I was flabbergasted.  I was obviously looking at the wrong dog.... but NO!  It was Gimli who was mindfully enjoying his food at a very causal pace.  Ferg even finished his bowl before Gimli... by a full minute.  I did not think I would ever live to see that happen.  

I  spent the rest of the morning wondering what brought on this change?

Did Gimli make a resolution to eat mindfully? Had he finally changed his hoovering ways??????? 

Bahhhaaaahhaaaa!  

Tonight Gim was back in full Hoover fashion.  I guess this morning was an anomaly after all.