Ditch the dog bowl!
It’s common practise for dogs to be fed their meals from a dog bowl. Most dogs scoff their food down within 30seconds and are left looking for something more. Naturally dogs like to sniff and forage, by changing how we fed them we can provides a wonderful source of mental stimulation to make their daily meal so much more than! Changing how we feed a meal can also help your dog to exert some energy in a calm manner, give them a task to focus on and help them to gain confidence and problem solving skills.
So how can we make our dog’s meal times more interesting and their food more appealing?
There are hundreds of games and toys on the market and you literally could spend a fortune buying every one; trust me I’m doing well at sampling through them all! However fun feeding doesn’t have to cost a fortune; keep reading to find out my favourite ideas that won’t break the bank.
Towel Challenge
Find an old towel, or one you use to clean up the dog when they’re dirty, firstly lay it out flat on the floor. Sprinkle some dry food over the towel and carefully roll it up, with a little bit left unrolled at the end with a few pieces of food showing. Your dog can use their nose to sniff and push the towel to unroll it revealing the food.
Once your dog has mastered this you can begin to make it more challenging by using 2 or 3 towels that overlap, maybe in different directions or one folded up inside another.
Recycling Rover
Before throwing your packaging in the recycling think about how you could use it for your dog’s food. You can place kibble inside plastic bottles and cereal boxes. Wet food can go inside egg boxes and plastic biscuit trays.
Lovely Licking
Dogs LOVE to lick, it provides a nice calming experience for them. Licki-mats are a silicon mat that you can spread with peanut butter, cream cheese, coconut oil, wet food or moistened kibble. They are fairly inexpensive but will keep your dog busy for ages.
Clever Cups
A great game to encourage your dog to use their powerful nose. Start with just 5 or 6 plastic cups, either tumblers or disposable plastic cups, place them upside down on the floor with some food underneath. Allow your dog to sniff out the food and remove the cups either with their paw or mouth to eat what’s underneath. Once they’ve got the idea, you can begin to only put food under half of the cups to encourage them to search for the right cups and also increase the number of cups to make it more challenging!
Kongs
One of things I couldn’t live without is a Kong! Kongs are ideal to give your dog an outlet for their natural desire to lick and chew and also to help with their training. Kongs come in various sizes and strengths to ensure there’s one suitable for every dog. You can stuff these with a variety of interesting foods including your dog’s normal food, if using kibble mix it with some cream cheese to act as a glue to hold it inside. Once they’ve understood how to lick the food out, you can freeze them to make them last a little longer.
I couldn’t be without my Kong drawer in the freezer, there’s always a yummy snack ready to keep my dog busy should he need it!
Remember that these ideas are supposed to be enjoyable, not annoying or frustrating, so start simple with challenges that are achievable for your dog. Over time you can make them more challenging but don’t be tempted to rush things.
As well as using these budget friendly ideas, there are hundred of other food dispensing toys and puzzles on the market. For ideas on how to feed your dog without using a bowl, follow us on Facebook and look out for our Bowl Free Friday posts.
Read our
Next blog - Do you need to train your dog?
Previous blog - Save a life... use a lead
It’s common practise for dogs to be fed their meals from a dog bowl. Most dogs scoff their food down within 30seconds and are left looking for something more. Naturally dogs like to sniff and forage, by changing how we fed them we can provides a wonderful source of mental stimulation to make their daily meal so much more than! Changing how we feed a meal can also help your dog to exert some energy in a calm manner, give them a task to focus on and help them to gain confidence and problem solving skills.
So how can we make our dog’s meal times more interesting and their food more appealing?
There are hundreds of games and toys on the market and you literally could spend a fortune buying every one; trust me I’m doing well at sampling through them all! However fun feeding doesn’t have to cost a fortune; keep reading to find out my favourite ideas that won’t break the bank.
Towel Challenge
Find an old towel, or one you use to clean up the dog when they’re dirty, firstly lay it out flat on the floor. Sprinkle some dry food over the towel and carefully roll it up, with a little bit left unrolled at the end with a few pieces of food showing. Your dog can use their nose to sniff and push the towel to unroll it revealing the food.
Once your dog has mastered this you can begin to make it more challenging by using 2 or 3 towels that overlap, maybe in different directions or one folded up inside another.
Recycling Rover
Before throwing your packaging in the recycling think about how you could use it for your dog’s food. You can place kibble inside plastic bottles and cereal boxes. Wet food can go inside egg boxes and plastic biscuit trays.
Lovely Licking
Dogs LOVE to lick, it provides a nice calming experience for them. Licki-mats are a silicon mat that you can spread with peanut butter, cream cheese, coconut oil, wet food or moistened kibble. They are fairly inexpensive but will keep your dog busy for ages.
Clever Cups
A great game to encourage your dog to use their powerful nose. Start with just 5 or 6 plastic cups, either tumblers or disposable plastic cups, place them upside down on the floor with some food underneath. Allow your dog to sniff out the food and remove the cups either with their paw or mouth to eat what’s underneath. Once they’ve got the idea, you can begin to only put food under half of the cups to encourage them to search for the right cups and also increase the number of cups to make it more challenging!
Kongs
One of things I couldn’t live without is a Kong! Kongs are ideal to give your dog an outlet for their natural desire to lick and chew and also to help with their training. Kongs come in various sizes and strengths to ensure there’s one suitable for every dog. You can stuff these with a variety of interesting foods including your dog’s normal food, if using kibble mix it with some cream cheese to act as a glue to hold it inside. Once they’ve understood how to lick the food out, you can freeze them to make them last a little longer.
I couldn’t be without my Kong drawer in the freezer, there’s always a yummy snack ready to keep my dog busy should he need it!
Remember that these ideas are supposed to be enjoyable, not annoying or frustrating, so start simple with challenges that are achievable for your dog. Over time you can make them more challenging but don’t be tempted to rush things.
As well as using these budget friendly ideas, there are hundred of other food dispensing toys and puzzles on the market. For ideas on how to feed your dog without using a bowl, follow us on Facebook and look out for our Bowl Free Friday posts.
Read our
Next blog - Do you need to train your dog?
Previous blog - Save a life... use a lead