[Akari_32]

I need some ideas on slowing Bentley down when he eats. It wasn’t so bad on the Wellness, which was still pretty fast, but the large piece kept him slow enough I didn’t worry, but now that he’s on the Instinct, and the kibbles are small enough for my goldfish to eat, he eats a 3/4 of a cup of food in less than a minute! (Keep in mind he only weighs about 8 pounds)

After he eats he burps, and his tummy gets a little bloated, and he immediately wants to go out and go potty. He’s always asked to go out soon after eating no mater what he’s been on, but usually he waits a few minutes, rather than asking right away. His poops are good, btw, not too hard or soft, and problems going.

Other than buying a special bowl, what ideas do you guys have? The slow-feeder bowls actually aren’t very common here, much less small ones. Not to mention mom loves the set he has now, and wouldn’t want to replace them unless it’s absolutely necessary, and nothing else works. So we need some home remedy, DIY sort of ideas. The bowl is the size of a one cup dry measuring cup, for size reference. I was thinking maybe a pingpong ball dropped in with the food, but there may be better ideas out there lol He’s craft, and will likely remove anything he can get ahold of, just something to keep in mind.

Thanks!

[Susan]

My boy is a fast eater that causes burping & stomach problems, I dont put the whole cup in his bowl at once, I sit with Patch & only throw a few kibbles in his bowl at a time as his kibbles are big, u could just add about 5 kibbles to Bentleys bowl then I wait a few seconds then add more of the kibbles, I take about 5-10 mins to feed 1 cup of kibble to him, it has stopped the bloating & burping, he just does 1 big burp now when finished & seems to enjoy his food more.. Ive also taught him ‘slow’ & ‘chew’ I make sure he’s chewing his kibble, when he’d spew his kibble before it would be whole kibbles unchewed still whole, I think thats why companys are making the kibbles smaller cause some dogs dont chew they gulp their food, smaller kibbles would digest easier..

[Akari_32]

He would actually eat the larger kibbles, but he would still power eat, and polish his meal off in about 2 minutes. With these smaller ones, though, it’s like a game to see how fast he can eat it. He’s freaking crazy, to say the least lol

I’m not always the one to feed him, but I will try out doing a little bit at a time when I feed him. He does eat considerably more slowly when I add a ton of water to his food, so that he has to “bob-for-apples” to eat, but that stains his face, makes his breath smell nasty, and gives him hiccups (because he’s still trying to eat fast). I just can’t win with this dog *rolls eyes*

[Susan]

Another thing my vet told me was to throw his kibble around the yard, I dont have a yard & I thought of all the dirt & stuff that he’d eat but I did scatter the kibbles around my lounge room it took him longer to eat looking for them, I just didnt like the idea of kibble around the place then the cockaroaches coming… I found the best way was to just devide the cup up & give smaller portions..

[Akari_32]

That’s a good way to feed raccoons and birds LOL

He used to have a treat ball I’d give him snacks in, but he destroyed it the other night, so now I have to find him a new one. I’ll try portioning it out and a small ball in the bowl if I don’t have time for that, though. Hopefully we’ll come up with some other ideas as well.

[InkedMarie]

Use a muffin tin, a large cookie sheet or a Brake-Fast bowl.

[Akari_32]

He’d be afraid of any pans. He won’t even lick our plates or bowls after dinner.

[USA]

Hi Akari

I would not put anything removable in his bowl. Here is a stainless steel 8 oz bowl that if it helps is the simplest solution.

https://www.petedge.com/zpetedgemain/catalog/productDetail.jsf?sort=TA&wec-appid=PEDM_WEBSHOP_TR&page=72A214C22827430A9795247F1BF064D6&itemKey=005056A633791ED2B5866575D686AFB3&show=12&view=grid&simpleSearchString=slow+eat&wec-locale=en_US

GOOD LUCK!

[Naturella]

Akari,

THIS sucker: http://www.naturalpetwarehouse.com/JW-Pet-Treat-Tower-Treat-Dispensing-Dog-Toy-Small?gdftrk=gdfV26390_a_7c2271_a_7c7625_a_7cJW435051&gclid=CIDy25PL17wCFUYS7AodMgIAcg
has helped Bruno slow down so much – each colorful level has adjustable size holes for “difficulty” levels, and depending on the size of the kibble, and it makes them figure out how to get the stuff out, little by little at a time. Plus, they have fun! You can use it for one or more of your feedings (I feed Bruno 4 times a day, 1/4 cup at a time), so about 2-3 of those are in the tower or treat bowl.

[Naturella]

Ops! Forgot to check the “notify by email” box, so I had to post something again!

[InkedMarie]

If he won’t eat out of pans, then buy one of the many types of Brake Fast bowls that the other two posters linked.

[Shasta220]

Honestly, I would try to feed his daily food as rewards instead. Spread it out to a couple times a day, working 5-10min on tricks and stuff. Give him a few Kibbles instead of treat when he does something right. There are some great suggestions above too, and you could definitely look into a puzzle feeder if you like to order online. You can also look up “DIY dog brain teasers” for some clever ideas that will give him only a few kernels at a time.

Eating from a bowl is, for many trainers, a big no-no. Dogs need lots of mental stimulation to keep them calm, and food-motivated puzzles are one of the best and easiest mental games for your pooch. 🙂

[FreeholdHound]

Due to a long needle nose my Greyhound hoovers around the slow feeder bowl obstacles – a length of chain from the hardware store (large link) in his regular dish has worked the best. He has to pick the food out between the links. Goes in the dishwasher too.

[theBCnut]

Now that is a clever solution!!

[Akari_32]

Thats an interesting idea!

So I’ve been experimenting with “training” him to not eat like a lunatic, and we’re actually doing pretty good! I’ve been going between just giving him is food, adding various amounts of water to his food, and just giving him a little bit at a time. As long as he has a different way to eat every night, it takes him several minutes to eat. However, I think I’ll be trying something with a larger kibble size next. When he has something larger to crunch on, he tend to take a few pieces out at a time, set them on the floor, and then eat them one at a time. Any suggestions on a grain free food with no chicken with larger pieces? (I was thinking, even though he hates it, the fish Wellness CORE, as well as the Wild Game. I was also wanting to try, so the sake of budgeting, the grain free Pure Balance, but I hear the pieces are tiny.)

[aquariangt]

I like the kyjen slo-bowls

http://shop.kyjen.com/slo-bowls/

They’re sturdier than they even looked to me, and they increase the time spent eating. There is also a noticeable calm down from using these guys, especially after the evening meal.

We carry them at them at my work-dog training facility-but i saw them at petco as well.

[ChiribayaShepherd]

@ aquariangt those bowls you linked to are so cute! Akari, how often are you feeding your dog? 3/4 cup for an 8 lb. dog sounds like a lot at one sitting. Smaller more frequent meals might keep him feeling fuller throughout the day and not as ravenous about eating, possibly?

[Naturella]

aquarianqt, this website is amazing! I have been looking for doggie games/puzzlez/agility sets for a while now, and lo and behold, there they are! 🙂

Thanks for sharing! 🙂

[Akari_32]

He eats at night. We usually leave in the morning. Getting this dog to go potty is a headache (he had serious ADD and you have to keep him on track, and he likes to waddle around while he poops, so he can cover as large an area as possible), so it’s easier on all of us to feed him in the evening when we’re home for good. He does also gets treats and chews (and his mommy and grandma sneak him things all the time, too), so it’s not like he has no food all day. He really likes to do things at too speed (like eating). I’ve come to accept that it’s a terrier thing. I’m rarely home all day, or most of the day, but I could feed him half and half if I get the chance. Mom works out of town and is only home a few days a week, so she can’t do it unless she happens to be home, either.

[tamneggs]

Do the Kyjen bowls work if you have dry & wet food mixed or is it only for dry? What is recommended for wet food or a mix? I’m using Kongs now but they are a pain to fill multiple times for a large lab mix.

[aquariangt]

They work, but you would have to sort of mash it in there, and be diligent about cleaning it out so there isnt bacteria. I only top with canned in the mornings about every other to every third day and use their regular bowls for that, and the kyjen puzzle bowls in the evenings and other mornings.

Aleksandra-while i like kyjen for the most part, their agility set isn’t great

[Naturella]

aquariangt, I see… It will be a while before I get Bruno an agility set, but I was looking at them out of curiosity. I love the puzzle toys though! 🙂

[Author]

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