Toy Box Tuesday: Puzzle Bowls

Welcome to the first of, hopefully, many Toy Box Tuesdays! How Toy Box Tuesday posts will work is that I will present an tool, discuss the positives, possible negatives, who the bowls are best for, who they may not be suited for, and ways to use the tool that you may have not thought of. I will also list links to as many options as I can that have different prices points. You shouldn't need money to help your pets get enrichment in their lives. If there is a free/DIY version of any of the tools I present - you can bet your ass I will include it in the listing! Now, onto our scheduled programming.

Puzzle Bowls

I want to ease everyone in with a tool that many of you may have already heard of or even used: Puzzle bowls! I have used puzzle bowls for both my cats and dogs for many years, and it just one of many puzzle feeders I will discuss! Puzzle bowls are a great tool to have in your toy box. Duh, or I wouldn't be talking about it, right? Let's start out on a high note and discuss the positives of using a puzzle bowl to feed your animal

Positives

• Slowing down feedings for pets who try to swallow their meals whole

• Making pets think about their meals, instead of eating on autopilot (I am guilty of this myself...)

• Health benefits: lessens the chance of bloating, gas, and GI upset

• Most are made of food grade material and is dishwasher safe

• Inexpensive! Most puzzle feeders are between $5-$15, with the more bougie ones getting up to $20

Negatives

• A real pain in the butt to clean (ex. my border collie is the slobbery one in the house and his bowls get real gross real quick. If you have a slobbery animal and know yourself well enough to know that you will not want to clean their bowl after at least every other feeding then stay tuned for future puzzle feeders that may be a better fit for you and your pet)

• Similar to it not being easily cleaned is that it may not be ideal for wet, raw, or homemade diets. This doesn't need to be true, but again, if you don't want daily (or more, depending on your feeding schedule), then it may be true for you.

• Possibility of chipped teeth (see "who this may not be the best tool for")

• Often not weighted and easily flipped over (who doesn't love floor kibble?)

• It is most beneficial to have more than one type: more intelligent dogs will learn their puzzle and be able to get through mealtimes quickly. It is good, but not mandatory, to have more than one type to change it up on them every once in a while

Who this tool is ideal for...

• Any pet whose owner is tired of feeding them out of a normal bowl

• Quick eaters

• Food driven learners

• Pets with a history of GI issues

• Giant breeds at risk for bloat

Who this tool may not be ideal for...

• Pets who are not food driven

• Pets who chew/pick up their bowls (remember those chipped teeth from before?)

• Small puppies / toy breeds - This is not always the case, but you need to be certain you are buying a bowl meant for small animals or even cats

Other ways / additional ways to use it

If you have never heard of floating your dog's meals then I highly recommend you take a second to look into it. Essentially, it is filling up your dogs kibble bowl full of water to slow them down, help with GI issues, and increase their water intake. I don't always do this with my puzzle bowls but to change it up or add more difficulty then I do like to do it on occasion. This is a great option for the extra starving pets who need a little more help slowing down!

Different Products

Price point: Free!

• Flip your bowl over! Some bowls have extra stabilizing ledges. If you have one of

these bowls, you can simply flip it over. This is more a slow feeder than a puzzle bowl, but is a similar concept!

• Looking for some cardboard products to use your piles of Amazon boxes on? Try creating a little asterisk or "X" shape in your bowl with pieces of cardboard

• Muffin pan! Again, more a slow feeder than a puzzle, but you can't beat the price point

• Egg carton - yeah, see "Muffin pan"

Price point: Cheap, $5-$10

Some of these products may be on sale and may not always fit in this category.

• UPSKY Plastic Slow Feeder Dog Bowl, $6

• UPSKY Plastic Non-Slip Slow Feeder Small Dog Bowl, $7

• GRULLIN Ceramic Slow Feeder Maze Dog Bowl, $10

Price point: Middle-ground, $10-$15

• Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slo Bowl, $11

• Freefa Slow Feeder Dog Bowl, $13

• MSBC Pet Slow Feed Dish for Cats and Small Dogs - Fish Pool Design, $15

Price point: Bougie, $15-$21

• YIYUN Slow Feeder Dog Bowls Fun Feeder, $16

• Neater Pet Brands - Ceramic Neater Slow Feeder, $20

• Pawow Slow Feeder Dog Bowl with Bottom Suction Cup, $21