It is a fact that most modern dogs have become lazy while eating. While your ancestors spent their days hunting with their brains and collecting food, today all they have to do is lie down in the living room and wait for their plate to magically fill up with croquettes!
What owners don't realize is that by allowing their dogs to be lazy and ignore their desire to forage for food, their furry friends can quickly bore and destroy them, resulting in countless chewed-up furniture and slippers.
Add a Special Twist to Your Dog’s Eating Habits!
If your dog spends most of the day alone at home, chances are the three biggest benefits of their daily life are seeing you get home, take a walk, and eat your food. If you feed your dog with a bowl, it will most likely drool in advance when you cook it. Then, once the food bowl is placed, the food is eaten in record time. Eating this food so fast can lead to suffocation and even health problems such as regurgitation, flatulence and, at worst, life-threatening bloating! On top of that, what a waste! The food in the bowl could be used more productively to mentally stimulate your dog and give him a little more exercise.
Food Bowl Alternatives
Don't throw your dog's food in the trash by putting it in a bowl and letting it be swallowed in seconds! There are several other options available to you. No, that doesn't mean you'll have to let the dog loose and take it out into the field for a good old-fashioned duck hunt, and it doesn't mean you'll have to let it follow the rabbits. From the comfort of your home, you can give your dog the opportunity to work for food as nature intended, giving it the necessary mental stimulation. Here are my top 5 recommendations for dog feeding toys.
5 KONG Wobbler
The Kong wobbler is a nifty little invention, you just unscrew it, fill it with delicious dog treats, and watch your dog roll it all over the floor! Because of the hole on the side, when it is turned over, the treats fall out freely. This is a great way to keep your dog active and reduce the risk of bloating by not letting him eat too fast. Two birds with one stone! The wobbler provides hours of entertainment and is quite cheap, making it one of my most recommended toys!
Einstein says: Make sure the treats you put in the toy are small enough to fit through the hole in the toy, otherwise your dog won't be able to pull them out.
Classic KONG
Like the wobbler, the Classic KONG is a toy that your dog must tilt and roll to get treats hidden inside. The classic design has two holes: a smaller one at the top end, through which smaller treats such as pellets can pass, and a larger hole at the bottom, which can accommodate larger treats. When using this toy, fill the bottom end with cookies and croquettes. Getting cookies will be harder because of their size, but they bring much more fun!
Einstein says: we dogs like to mix things up! Why not give your dog a wobbler today and a classic KONG tomorrow? So you will keep the variety in your life!
3Paw Hide Puzzle
Paw Hide Puzzle is a cool little toy in which you put goodies under the cups. Your dog will smell the treats hiding under the cups and will have to take them out to get to the food! However, keep in mind that some owners have reported problems with their dog that they can't take out the cups or that the plastic cracks, which can lead to sharp edges. For a safer alternative, see the "playing muffins" section of the dog mental training course.
Einstein says: If you're using this toy, why not get creative? Instead of filling every hole with treats, why not just put them under a few cups? You can even put different treats on each stand to surprise your dog!
2 Nina Ottosson Puzzle Games
Nina Ottosson is well known for creating quality dog puzzles. All the toys are well thought out and built, from sliding block puzzles where your dog has to switch blocks to find treats, to the "treat maze" game, which is essentially a more complex version of the KONG toy we mentioned earlier.
Einstein says: woof! I love playing with a twister dog!
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Feed Meal Portions During Training
Instead of giving your dog food right away, why not save a small portion of your dog's food for training? Using lunchtime portions as a reward for training helps to avoid feeding your dog too many calories during the day. In other words, can you imagine how fast you would gain weight if you ate three times a day every day, plus a bunch of snacks every time you did something good?
Many games in my course combine food and fun. My personal favorite is Treasure Hunt, but there are many games in the course that can be great alternatives to a boring plate of food. The course will save you a lot of money by teaching you how to create your own KONG toy and Paw Hide puzzles using only household items. everyday life, as well as many other addictive games that combine food with fun and exercise.