My dog eats her dinner so fast it is literally over in seconds. I would really like to use one of these clever devices to change her food into more of a longer lasting game.
Which is the best brand for using in something like a Maze or a Buster Cube?
Has anyone already tried a few varieties out?
Is it better to have small round shaped kibbles that roll?
Do share your experiences!
Gill Knight, London
Gail,
ReplyDeleteyou're best sticking with the food your dog is already used to. I use various different toys with Inka, and most can be modified if the kibble falls out to easily e.g. Buster Cubes can be 'set' so they are harder or easier, I put a couple of hollow golf balls in a Kong Wobbler to make that more challenging
Hi Gail, I too have a dog that LOVES his food and tends to eat it all in one mouthful. I have found the GoSlow bowl to be the most successful so far. This bowl is a heavy plastic that does'nt slide around the floor so he can still enjoy his meal times ( really important). It just takes a few minutes to reach it all.. rather than down in one! If you are on a budget try placing a plastic breakfast bowl ( for humans) upside down in her dinner bowl. This creates more of a challenge for her to reach the kibble.
ReplyDeleteGail. I tried an upside down dish in my dogs bowl to start. But then I found a Slow Feed Dog Bowl at Chemist Direct, on-line at a really good price. It has slowed my boy down as he cannot take big mouthfuls. Although he still eats pretty fast compared to my other boy!
ReplyDeleteHi Gill, feeding some of the food portion in a Kong or puzzle ball is a great idea. However, if you still want to feed some of the meal in a bowl you could try the Eat Better dog bowl. We have always had really positive feedback from customers http://shop.dfordog.co.uk/eat-drink-better-dog-bowls/eat-better-dog-bowl.html The wishbone centre slows down eating, whether you feed wet or dry food. They also make a Drink Better bowl for dogs who gulp water.
ReplyDeleteHi Gill
ReplyDeleteYou could simply put down a narrow bowl or tin cup to prevent gobbling, or place things inside the bowl such as tennis balls that the dog cannot easily open their mouth wide to gobble. Or, feed them their dinner as part of a training routine.
However, I think you are on the right lines already - rather than using a bowl, why not take advantage of your dog's foraging instincts and use mealtimes as a way to satisfy the dog mentally as well as filling her stomach. This is a double bonus! I use the Tug A Jug (Busy Buddy) which is brilliant for slowing the dogs down. You might find that the tugger part does not last long, so I replace this with a rubber ball that I place inside which acts as a valve. The really nice thing about this toy is that it is easy to clean out as well, so I like to put chopped up apple or carrot in from time to time.
I also recently tried out Hunter Smart Snack ones - my favourite (well, my dogs' favourite!) is the Smart Snack Cactus toy by Bonlays which is really easy to fill up and again, takes them ages to empty. http://www.bonlays.co.uk/dog-toys/dog-chew-toys/snack-cactus.aspx
Any treat toy is a good idea but remember that if the kibble gets wet inside, or mouldy, they have to be cleaned out and this can be a revolting job with some toys.
As a general rule, the smaller the kibble the easier it is for them to remove. So, the faster the dog empties the toy, the larger the kibble needs to be...
Good luck and here's to keeping our dogs full up, bloat-free and feed their predatory instincts, too.
Karen