The 5 Best Slow Feeding Dog Bowls in 2024 – Reviewed by Our Shelter Dogs
Do you have a dog or two or maybe three for whom meal times are greatly anticipated? Does their amazing internal clock start telling them it’s that time of day way before the actual meal time? Their enthusiasm is infectious, it is such an important part of their routine. The time arrives and before you even have time to say ‘enjoy’ their bowls are empty. Yes we know a fair few dogs like this, humans too now we think about it (we won’t name and shame!!). We have heard a lot of good things about slow feeder bowls for dogs including not only slowing down the eating time, but also reducing the risk of bloating, digestive problems as well as meal time becoming a fun and enjoyable longer lasting process.
Let the Testing Begin
These five bowls: Dogit Go Slow Anti Gulp bowl, Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slow bowl, Smarter Paws Slow Feeding bowl, Super Design Gobble-Stop Slow Feeder bowl and the Jasgood Slow Eating bowl have been tested by many of our dogs at the shelter. Breakfast time as you can imagine is an exciting part of the day for our dogs and they all love their food. Some gulp it down, others prefer to snack on it throughout the day; some like to play with their bowls when empty, others don’t give them a backwards glance. All five of these bowls have been put through their paces, received intriguing looks, lots of smelling, prodding, licking and chewing. Let’s take a look at how they stood up to our doggies testing.
Dogit Go-Slow Anti Gulp Dog Bowl
First impressions from us humans as we took the Dogit Go Slow bowl out of it’s box were that it’s sturdy and solid with a decent weight to it. It’s the dogs opinions that really matter though and although we were more than prepared to get on all fours and eat our lunch from this smart looking bowl we thought best to hand over to the professionals….. our dogs!
Sweet Daisy has a fantastic appetite and is a very quick eater which often leaves her with a bloated tummy so she was our first choice in helping us review the Dogit Go Slow bowl. This design is simple with raised partitions so that Daisy had to work her way between each one to access the dry food. Unlike some of the more intricate designs it isn’t hard for a dog to work out how to access the food and doesn’t provide the same mental challenge but the eating process took much longer. The medium size bowl has a capacity to hold 600 ml of food and measure 22.1 centimetres in diameter and 7.1 centimetres in depth.
Details
Available in 4 sizes – extra small, small, medium and large
Available in different colours
Non Slip base
Dishwasher Proof
Plastic
Summary
Daisy really liked this bowl. It certainly slowed down her eating but didn’t leave her confused or trying to tip the bowl over. It feels sturdy, solid and weighty enough not to break. A happy and satisfied customer – Daisy!
Check Price on AmazonOutward Hound Fun Feeder Slow Bowl
Large in size and with an intricate maze type design, the outward hound fun feeder certainly appeared fun upon unpacking it. Dogs Gau Gau and Alex were the first to put the bowl to good use. Gau Gau, bless him with his adorable frown lines looked rather perplexed at first and admittedly we felt a bit cruel as he attempted to eat his food. We soon relaxed upon seeing him get to grips with this bowl and work out how to access the food.
The grooves are quite deep and the gaps fairly slim which kept Gau Gau entertained and engrossed in accessing his food for a considerable amount of time. Much, much, much longer than the standard round bowls we normally use to feed our dogs. Gau Gau was then joined by Alex who helped him polish off the biscuits. Yes the bowl is big enough for sharing and keeping two dogs focused and busy enjoying meal time.
We also noticed there is a lot more movement as Gau Gau worked his way around the bowl rather than standing in one position to eat. You may want to take this into account if you only have a small area to feed your dog. At the shelter this isn’t a problem at all and we really enjoyed observing both Gau Gau and Alex not only taking much longer to eat but hearing their brains working away at the best way to proceed with what normally is a basic and very quick process.
From a human perspective (yes we are the ones having to do the washing up, boo hoo), this bowl is more fiddly to clean than a standard round bowl. We feed our dogs dry biscuits so this is a minor point, but if using wet food or raw food the washing part may keep the humans out of trouble for a few minutes too.
Details
Available in 3 sizes – small, medium and large
Available in many fun colours
Dimensions 31.8 (L) x 27.9 (W) x 5.8 (H) centimetres
Non slip Bottom
Dishwasher Proof
Summary
This is a great slow feeder at a great price, is good quality, and made from durable material. Dogs who enjoy a challenge will love this bowl and both Alex and Gau Gau’s eating time was much, much longer than normal. Happy customers!
Check Price on AmazonSmarter Paws Slow Feeding Dog Bowl
The Smarter Paws Slow Feeding bowl is light weight and the plastic is quite thin. The maze design is more complicated than some of the others our dogs reviewed. With a combination of longer grooves and oval ones creating numerous compartments, the dog has to work out how to access the food. The aim of the bowl is achieved. Without a doubt dogs take much longer to eat and for those who don’t get frustrated by more complex designs the Smarter Paws bowl is effective. Until Nero gets his paws on it……
Time for us humans to have some input here! We did wonder how long it would take for one of our dogs to get frustrated within two seconds and look at us like we have gone absolutely crazy, before proceeding to pick up the bowl, tip out the contents, eat them and then have a chew on the bowl. Nero being more intelligent than most probably all of us put together (no offence eeeek), he cottoned on very quickly (too quickly?) and did exactly that, tipped the contents out, ate them and then took a chunk out of the bowl.
Well this is the whole point of our reviews – tried and tested by real dogs of all shapes and sizes and levels of intelligence. Nero – 1 / Humans – 0.
Details
Non Slip Base
Dishwasher proof
Available in one size and one colour
Plastic
Summary
All did not end well for the Smarter Paws Slow Feeding bowl but Nero is one of a kind so don’t let this put you off the bowl. It isn’t as sturdy as some of the others our dogs tested, but this is reflected in the price. For a starter slow feeder and for dogs who enjoy a challenge at the same time, this bowl would be a good one to start with.
Check Price on Amazon
Super Design Gobble-Stop Slow Feeder Dog Bowl
We bought the large size for our dogs to test. Measuring 19 centimetres in diameter and 7 centimetres in depth, the Super Design Gobble-Stop Slow Feeder bowl has three raised grooves to slow down eating. This design is by far the least complicated which may be better for the dogs who get frustrated with too intricate a design. Let’s see if this is the case.
Maya being a Galgo has a long pointed nose so this design wasn’t difficult at all for her to access the food and she soon worked out that by guiding it to the middle she could easily enjoy her meal without too much of a puzzle to solve.
Nero’s testing may not be quite as dainty as Maya’s but we all have different ways of approaching meal time. Once again Nero, not to be outsmarted took one look at the bowl, emptied the contents and devoured his meal. This one remained intact however. Phew.
Details
Available in 4 sizes – 100 ml, 300 ml, 600 ml and 1200 ml
Available in different colours
BPA Free Melamine Bowl
Non Slip Base
Dishwasher proof
Summary
Now this is the most expensive bowl and like all the others was put through it’s paces by two of our dogs Maya and Nero. Both very different dogs, with very different approaches to eating their food and very different shaped faces. Maya was happy with this bowl, wasn’t confused and didn’t find the design too complicated. Nero started off remembering his table manners but soon decided he was not going to be outsmarted by a bowl or us humans. A great sturdy and simple design which absolutely slowed down Maya’s eating (and Nero’s to begin with).
Check Price on AmazonJasgood Slow Eating Dog Bowl
The Jasgood Fun Interactive Slow Feeder comes in one side with the bowl diameter measuring 22 centimetres by 5 centimetres in depth. Alex loves, loves, loves his food and does have a tendency to want to eat everyone else’s too. This was the first time he had ever seen a slow feeder bowl and for a few seconds he did look at us as though we were crazy. He may be right, but back to bowl testing!!
This bowl is much lighter than some of the others our dogs reviewed and has raised grooves of different heights that create small compartments for the dog food. Alex did take much longer than normal to eat but by the end he became frustrated and tipped the bowl over using his paw. A massive positive that us humans noticed is that this bowl is eco-friendly and made from 100% non toxic materials.
Details
Comes in one size and is available in 3 colours
PBA, PVC, and Phthalate free
Non Slip base
Dishwasher proof
Summary
The Jasgood Fun Interactive Slow Feeder without a doubt slows down eating speed. It’s design is not too simple or complicated and is well made. It may cause some frustration with the more impatient dog as it did with Alex but the results were clear to see. Slower eating time and a nice designed bowl.
Check Price on AmazonConclusion
Our panel of experts Daisy, Maya, Nero, Alex and Gau Gau really enjoyed themselves reviewing the above five bowls. Happy dogs without a doubt, Nero maybe not so much but with such an intelligent dog we are pleased he at least agreed to take part and help review the slow feeders. There really is a bowl for every dog here, from smaller dogs to long nosed dogs, to those who prefer a simpler design to those who enjoyed the more intricate puzzle bowls. With prices starting at £7.99 up to £18.94 (the dogs of course weren’t aware of the price tags) there is a definitely a bowl here that is affordable and does exactly what it says – slows down the eating process for your dog.
