As much as we like to break our dogs and cats with toys, treats, and even fancy rain equipment, the clean lifestyles of a domesticated pet will have its downfalls — particularly regarding meals. “Dogs and cats are designed to spend hours every day operating for their meals,” says Dr. Jennifer Coates, a vet professional at Chewy.
“We take this process far from them while we offer them food in bowls.” Along with an upward push in obesity due to overeating and much less exercising, doing away with the mental stimulation of hunting can cause behavioral problems that stem from boredom and separation tension.
To resolve these troubles, veterinarians recommend puzzle feeders, which make pets work for their food by using their paws or noses to open a compartment, dig into a container, or navigate a maze. Dr. Zay Satchu, co-founder and leader veterinary officer of Bond Vet, says the critical thing to introducing a puzzle feeder is to discover a “simply excessive-price deal with” that your pet is inclined to work hard for, then begin with a clean puzzle that doesn’t require lots problem-solving. Dr. Ernie Ward, a veterinarian and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, says, “Start simple, and you will graduate up” to puzzles of growing complexity. Both vets agree it’s additionally critical to rotate the food puzzles you operate so your pet doesn’t get bored with the same one. We requested six veterinarians and animal-behavior professionals to share their favorite food puzzles for dogs and cats. Their pointers, beneath, include puzzles of varying problems.
Best smooth food puzzles for puppies
For a dog new to meal puzzles, nearly all our experts recommend a bowl like this one; this is divided with ridges, so it’s barely more challenging to consume than an ordinary bowl. “It’s a way to slow them down at the same time as they eat,” says Satchu; it also triggers their thoughts to suppose, How am I going to get this little piece of kibble from the very depths of this bowl when my tongue can’t just scoop it up?” Nikki Naser, the resident pet professional at Chewy, likes this one from Dogit because “the nonslip rubber keeps puppies from scooting the bowl around, however, at the bottom makes it easy so one can pick it up off the ground.
You can also attempt a bowl divided into concentric circles or a maze-style pattern. Ward says those bowls are “quite smooth” for pets because once they determine it out, they can “simply pass in with their muzzle and in reality devour their meal.” Nicole Ellis, a professional dog instructor at Rover, says Outward Hound “makes some first-rate ones” that help animals tempo themselves even as eating. Naser adds that puppies will “eat up to ten instances slower with those.
