Someone explain the new dog bowls to me please

Rick Nekieta

Rick Nekieta

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I don't understand the necessity of these new dog bowls that look like labyrinths or puzzle boxes to slow down your dog's eating. I understand that they do serve this function well, but why is it needed? For thousands of years of civilization, dogs have occasionally paid the price for eating too fast (I am not speaking death, I am talking about vomiting), but the punishment seems to correct the behavior. Yes, a dog will occasionally get overly zealous and consume their food faster than they should, but I have NEVER heard of a dog choking from it. The old method of just a plain dog bowl wasn't broken, why "fix" it?

Perhaps there is something I am missing and I need to change my position, but I don't see the necessity to these new fancy bowls. If anything, it seems like it would anger or frustrate the dog unnecessarily. I know some of the more dysgenically bred dogs that are all but guaranteed to have health problems might benefit from this, but this is better solved by better breeding, not encouraging the health condition that ALSO decreases life quality for both pet and caretaker. Someone make the case as to what I am missing or what I am downplaying?
 
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I can give you some examples from Reddit (so take with a grain of salt):

https://www.reddit.com/r/Unexpected/comments/oyqvlg/this_bowl_helps_your_dog_eat_slower/
"I have a couple of these for my dog. They work great and mine doesn't flip it. Even with the flip in the video, the food was still spread out which slows them down a lot. When traveling without the bowl, I'll yeet his food across the floor instead.

Mine eats so fast that he throws up 2 minutes later, then eats the throw up. Bowl solved this"
But also:
"I hate those bowls, in my experience they only make it worse and can damage teeth and gums as your dog panic eats into the small grooves. It's especially exacerbated when you have multiple dogs and the rest eat out of a normal bowl"

So it's just an experimental thing, if it works then good, if not, buy another.
 
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MrTroll said:
If I was a dog and my owner tried to make me eat out of one of those gay looking things I'd go on a hunger strike.
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I might ascribe more sophisticating thinking to a dog than most, but I genuinely believe they take this as an insult to their intelligence or a proactive attempt to frustrate them by overcomplicating a matter that should be simple.
 
Rick Nekieta said:
For thousands of years of civilization, dogs have occasionally paid the price for eating too fast..I might ascribe more sophisticating thinking to a dog than most, but I genuinely believe they take this as an insult to their intelligence or a proactive attempt to frustrate them by overcomplicating a matter that should be simple.
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candlejack said:
It also stimulates their little peabrains more.
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Dogs also used to have to work for their food
 
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Depends on the dog as to why it might or might not work or be a need.

Some dogs it turns meal time into entertainment time and gives them something that occupies them for 10 or 15 minutes. I've seen this used for energetic dogs who are "bored" no matter how much they get attention/runs/dog park trips. Skews younger obviously for this.

Other dogs it slows down the already discussed vomit issue. I've seen this less in general and more for animals with a health issue that forces slower eating than instinct says to be necessary. Skews older in this case for obvious reasons. The prior solution to this was often breaking a meal into smaller portions to be fed multiple times which you can still *do* of course. This is where the old way was more frustrating for owners and probably no better for the dog. Eat all the kibble given and wait for the next portion.

That second case seems easier on everyone as long as the dog enjoys the puzzle. If it doesn't, do it the old way.

Unfortunately (?) not all the issues we see now in dogs are bad breeding (boy howdy a lot are and fuck the state of dog breeds but anyways)... Some shit is the foreseeable consequences of dogs and cats living longer and developing more issues that age brings because more of them make it that long for healthy breeds/genetics. Some shit is who the fuck knows causes.
 
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It's a gimmick. Dog owners are some of the worst consoomers out there, and the problem has gotten way worse in the age of influencer marketing.

Reasonably smart dogs will learn not to eat fast if you let them suffer the consequences a few times. Fast eating can also be trained away through positive reinforcement - it's more often than not a symptom of resource guarding, so just use the training methods for that.

Retard bully breeds might be incapable of learning and therefore need a special bowl, but that's not the case for most dogs. Even then, you don't need a special product to control the problem.

You can accomplish the exact same thing as a "slow feeder" with a cheap muffin pan, with the added benefit that your dog can't chew it up as easily as a silicone or plastic bowl. Just make sure it's a safe material, ideally uncoated stainless steel.

Or you can mix your dog's food with water and freeze it in an ice cube tray. Feed your dog 50% normal food, 50% frozen food to slow them down. Bonus hydration, too.

Some people scatter their dog's food on a towel and roll it up, so the dog has to unravel the towel to eat. That's dumb imo because dogs can and do eat textiles and I don't want to waste an evening and several hundred dollars watching a vet pull a mangled towel out of my dog's ass.

Some people hand feed. I wouldn't do that, because it takes a long time, is gross, and can encourage resource guarding, which is usually the root problem of fast eating in the first place. Same goes for feeding by scattering food all over.
 
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Brackets said:
It's a gimmick. Dog owners are some of the worst consoomers out there, and the problem has gotten way worse in the age of influencer marketing.

Reasonably smart dogs will learn not to eat fast if you let them suffer the consequences a few times. Fast eating can also be trained away through positive reinforcement - it's more often than not a symptom of resource guarding, so just use the training methods for that.

Retard bully breed might be incapable of learning and therefore need a special bowl, but that's not the case for most dogs. Even then, you don't need a special product to control the problem.

You can accomplish the exact same thing as a "slow feeder" with a cheap muffin pan, with the added benefit that your dog can't chew it up as easily as a silicone or plastic bowl. Just make sure it's a safe material, ideally uncoated stainless steel.

Or you can mix your dog's food with water and freeze it in an ice cube tray. Feed your dog 50% normal food, 50% frozen food to slow them down. Bonus hydration, too.

Some people scatter their dog's food on a towel and roll it up, so the dog has to unravel the towel to eat. That's dumb imo because dogs can and do eat textiles and I don't want to waste an evening and several hundred dollars watching a vet pull a mangled towel out of my dog's ass.

Some people hand feed. I wouldn't do that, because it takes a long time, is gross, and can encourage resource guarding, which is usually the root problem of fast eating in the first place. Same goes for feeding by scattering food all over.
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Admittedly, my sample size is low, but I found just talking to them while they eat gets them to get their snout out of the bowl and they slow down to absorb what you just said. If they have to dual task, eat and listen, they slow down. If nothing else, they are studying you to see *what* you are talking about, thus forcing them to divert attention.
 
Know a puppy that would compete over other dogs for food as it was severely neglected, before it was rescued. It would eat it's food as fast as possible, finishing it's meal within a minute easily. The puzzle bowls really helped to slow it down and the dog started chewing it's food. They have their place, but I doubt most dogs need them unless they have some early life trauma.

I've always free fed my dogs and had no issues. So like yourself, these bowls have no use for me, but they still have their place.
 
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Rick Nekieta said:
I don't understand the necessity of these new dog bowls that look like labyrinths or puzzle boxes to slow down your dog's eating. I understand that they do serve this function well, but why is it needed? For thousands of years of civilization, dogs have occasionally paid the price for eating too fast (I am not speaking death, I am talking about vomiting), but the punishment seems to correct the behavior. Yes, a dog will occasionally get overly zealous and consume their food faster than they should, but I have NEVER heard of a dog choking from it. The old method of just a plain dog bowl wasn't broken, why "fix" it?

Perhaps there is something I am missing and I need to change my position, but I don't see the necessity to these new fancy bowls. If anything, it seems like it would anger or frustrate the dog unnecessarily. I know some of the more dysgenically bred dogs that are all but guaranteed to have health problems might benefit from this, but this is better solved by better breeding, not encouraging the health condition that ALSO decreases life quality for both pet and caretaker. Someone make the case as to what I am missing or what I am downplaying?
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It's a bowl design. I don't know what else to tell ya, man.
 
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