Does your pup have a habit of inhaling their food as if they had not been fed in weeks? Just as eating too quickly is not conducive to proper human digestion, dogs that eat too fast are susceptible to choking, bloat, and regurgitation. There are many fun and creative techniques to slowing down your pup’s mealtime, as well as adding valuable canine enrichment opportunities along the way.
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- Use a slow feeding mat or slow feeder dog bowl. There are so many different cute shapes, styles, and colors out there to spread out your pup’s food and prevent them from gobbling every single piece up in seconds. You can also make your own slow dog feeder at home by spreading the food across a large cookie sheet or distributing it into an old muffin pan.
- Use a puzzle toy for dogs who enjoy a little extra challenge to make the food extra rewarding. Plus, it’s quite fun for the humans to cheer on their pup as they learn to figure out their puzzle! The Nina Ottoson toys shown above have a wide variety of puzzles with varying levels of difficulty.
- Sprinkle and bury their food within a Snuffle Mat, which is meant to mimic grass and encourage your pup’s natural foraging and scavenging instincts. You can even make your own mat with some items you may have at home!
- Fill up a treat dispensing toy such as a Kong or a West Paw Toppl, add a little bone broth, kefir, or goats milk, then let it freeze for a long lasting meal on a warm day! This would be great for pups with smaller portion sizes, but you can also use this to feed a small portion of a larger dog’s daily intake.
- Turn mealtime into training time, using their food as a reward. Recently learned some new tricks? Or want to run a refresher on some old ones? Reviewing commands and tricks with your pup at meal time is a great way to train their brain and feed their tummy at the same time.
There are so many options out there to slow down a furry fast eater in the family. You can mix and match any of these techniques, or even get creative with whatever tools you have at home to create a unique challenge of your own. Whether you opt to purchase a slow feeding tool or decide to DIY your own slow feeding challenge, you can count on any of these techniques to keep your pup mentally stimulated and add in a little extra fun into their daily routine.
From the Founder: Want to help San Antonio dogs in needing during COVD-19? Join us in raising funds for Daisy Cares, the San Antonio Food Bank’s pet partner program. Together they help distribute 180,000 lbs of pet food every year. We have a goal of raising $1,000 during our birthday month––which would equal 10,000 lbs of food for San Antonio pets!
More doggone good reads:
Time with Fido: Social Distancing with Your Dog
How to Support the San Antonio Dog Community During COVID-19
