# Spreading kibbles on the ground instead of using a bowl...



## BGSD (Mar 24, 2011)

Sometimes my 4 month old pup eats his food way too fast. Once he almost choked and coughed up a bunch of kibbles.

So now I've started throwing the kibbles on the ground and spreading them around so that he'll eat more slowly. Any thoughts on this approach to feeding?


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

You can buy "slow feed" bowls. They usually have pillars or barriers built into the bowls to slow the dogs down. 

Or, I've heard of people using clean chain, a brick...or poring it onto the floor. I prefer the bowl so I don't end up with a vacuum/dog.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

I do the same thing. Nothing wrong with it I can see.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

You can put the food in a Bundt cake pan or muffin baking tins- but there's nothing wrong with scattering it on a cookie sheet--less spit on the floor.


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## BGSD (Mar 24, 2011)

I don't see the point in buying any product if scattering it on the floor works just fine. 

I also read that you can put a tennis ball or something in the food bowl to slow him down, but scattering it around seems to be working.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

If you are talking about your kitchen floor, then its your kitchen floor. If you are talking outside on the ground, then its not a good idea. They will eat dirt and larve/eggs of nasty critters that are in the dirt.


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## BGSD (Mar 24, 2011)

wyominggrandma said:


> If you are talking about your kitchen floor, then its your kitchen floor. If you are talking outside on the ground, then its not a good idea. They will eat dirt and larve/eggs of nasty critters that are in the dirt.


It's inside. I also feed half of it by hand to work on food aggression too.


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## mssandslinger (Sep 21, 2010)

i put the food on the floor for my guys as well, they love it


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## GSD_Xander (Nov 27, 2010)

I think it's fine if it slows him down. 

With Xander I tried putting a large tennis bowl in the food dish but after awhile he just took it out so I"m going to have to go find a brick or something. 

Using a cookie sheet sounds like a good idea though - I have a ton of those maybe I'll give that a try. 

I agree with what you said - if it's working I don't see any reason to change it or buy a fancy food dish.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I've done that, not really to slow my dogs down, but to make dinner more fun (I would shoot the pieces of kibble across the floor for them to chase). Can't see anything wrong with it if you want to do it that way.


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## liv (Sep 1, 2010)

I used to spread my male's food on the floor of his crate to slow him down, but Rerun made a suggestion in this thread http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...nd/151257-dog-eating-too-fast-heres-idea.html and it slows him down a LOT more than putting it on the floor. It actually takes him longer to eat than my female who very carefully chews every bite, and he is less frantic while doing it and it has eliminated gulping, which he still used to do with it on the floor. I already had the bowl, so I didn't have to go out and buy anything.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I dump it on the crate pan. No bowl. Works just fine. That is at night. In the morning, I give it to them outside in their stainless steel bowls. And they manage to dump it on the ground in their kennels most of the time.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

I tried it once but thought, wait, I just Mr. Cleaned the floor... So I guess you'd have to watch out what kind of cleaner residue they're licking up.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

You can also put kibble in an empty plastic bottle, make them work to get the kibble out of the bottle. Like a soda bottle etc. Slows them down, and also keeps them entertained for some mental stimulation.


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## BGSD (Mar 24, 2011)

liv said:


> I used to spread my male's food on the floor of his crate to slow him down, but Rerun made a suggestion in this thread http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...nd/151257-dog-eating-too-fast-heres-idea.html and it slows him down a LOT more than putting it on the floor. It actually takes him longer to eat than my female who very carefully chews every bite, and he is less frantic while doing it and it has eliminated gulping, which he still used to do with it on the floor. I already had the bowl, so I didn't have to go out and buy anything.


That's brilliant! I'm definitely going to try that!



Lin said:


> You can also put kibble in an empty plastic bottle, make them work to get the kibble out of the bottle. Like a soda bottle etc. Slows them down, and also keeps them entertained for some mental stimulation.


I might try that. But my pup chews through and swallows EVERYTHING! So I'm cautious with plastics and such.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yes, I think Joy prefers plastic to food. She rarely finishes her food, but occasionally pieces of toy wind up in her poo. I leave NO toys in her crate or in her kennel. But Odessa, who lives next door sometimes SHARES with her! I have told her that if Joy winds up with contra-ban again, she will lose her toy-allowance. I do not think she believes me though.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

I feed a dog that I am doing a board and train with that way. She scarfs down food in one gobble if I let her. so we spread it around on the floor. Sometimes I even just put her in the grass 10x 10 kennel and fling the kibble out into the grass and spread it around so she has to spend a good long while searching for every bit.


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