Slow Feeder Dog Bowls

Dogs that inhale their food swallow a lot of air with it, which is why a fast eater hiccups, burps and sometimes brings the meal straight back up. In large, deep-chested breeds that swallowed air is also one of the recognised risk factors for bloat, which is a genuine emergency, so pacing the meal is worth doing for more than tidiness.

A slow feeder forces the dog to nudge kibble out of ridges and pockets instead of scooping it, which paces the meal naturally and gives the dog a few minutes of problem-solving at the same time. Most dogs eat more calmly afterwards, and a meal that takes five minutes is far easier on the stomach than one that takes thirty seconds.

A maze bowl is the standard answer for dry food: a raised pattern the dog has to work round. The Tarhong Concentric Circle and Medallion bowls are deep enough for a long muzzle, while the Dogit Go Slow Anti Gulping Dish and the Rosewood Anti Scoff Feeder use a simpler raised centre that suits a medium dog that is fast rather than frantic.

A lick mat spreads wet food, raw or a smear of paste thin across a textured silicone sheet, so the dog licks rather than chews, and licking is calming as well as slow. The LickiMat Slomo and Classics are the well-known ones and go in the dishwasher. A snuffle mat hides kibble in fabric strands for the dog to sniff out, which turns dinner into nose-work and is the pick for a dog that needs settling as much as slowing.

Match the maze depth to the nose. A deep spiral suits a long-muzzled dog and is close to impossible for a pug, a boxer or a French bulldog, who need a shallow pattern they can actually reach into. Give a flat-faced dog a deep maze and the bowl simply stops them eating rather than slowing them down, and they will give up or get cross.

Check it holds your dog’s normal portion, because many slow feeders are smaller inside than they look and a big dog’s dinner will not fit a bowl designed for a terrier. Non-slip feet or a weighted base do most of the remaining work: a determined dog will push a light bowl round the kitchen until the maze stops mattering, which is why a heavy stainless steel slow feeder or a suction-base mat suits a dog that treats dinner as a contact sport.

The grooves are where food gets stuck, so pick something you will actually wash. Food-grade silicone bends inside out under the tap and goes in the dishwasher; BPA-free polypropylene bowls like the Tarhong range are rigid and dishwasher-safe; stainless steel is the easiest to keep clean and the hardest to chew. Avoid cheap soft plastic that a chewer can gouge, because a grooved bowl full of tooth marks is where bacteria live.

Introduce it with an easy pattern and a slightly smaller portion so the dog wins the first few times. Most dogs get the idea in a meal or two. If yours walks away, the maze is too hard or too deep for the muzzle, not a sign the dog does not like it. Work up to trickier patterns once they are eating happily.