Scatter feeding, using their meals for training, slow feeders, Kongs, treat dispenser toys, and puzzles… There are so many ways to feed your dog. But what exactly is the right option for a dog who has the habit of being a picky eater or is known to have a lower food drive? Well, the answer is not a simple one.
The most popular advice is to make mealtimes more interesting through toys, games, and training; I have a rather critical view on this. However, puzzle feeders, slow feeders, and other feeding methods definitely have their uses and applications. They can be incredibly enriching to your Samoyed – if, and only if, they are used correctly. In this blog post, I want to talk about all the pros and cons of different feeding methods and why they might not necessarily be the best choice for a picky eater or a Samoyed with a low food drive.
I talk about Samoyeds in particular in this blog post, but these methods and effects are not exclusive to this breed. Anyone who owns or loves dogs might be able to take away something useful.
What Are the Different Feeding Methods?
Even regular bowls come in many different materials and sizes, so the selection becomes even bigger when you look at the various ways through which you can deliver food:
Regular Bowl
Regular bowls are the most common way in which food is presented to dogs. They can be made of plastic, silicone, ceramic, glass, or metal. Since bowls can be a breeding ground for bacteria, stainless steel, ceramic, or glass are the best options. Plastic and silicone can get scratched and bacteria will have an easier time multiplying in those little dents that can’t be reached with a brush or sponge.
Slow-Feeder Bowl
Slow-feeder bowls look a lot like regular bowls with a little obstacle course inside. Sometimes, they can be purchased as inserts for regular bowls. These are designed to slow down a dog’s food intake. Most of the time, they are made out of plastic or silicone, though the bowl inserts occasionally come in stainless steel.
Kongs / Lick mats
Kongs and Lick mats are both designed for the same purpose: licking and nibbling. Most owners will freeze them after preparing the food to make the food toy last longer. Lick mats come in a variety of colours and textures whereas Kongs come in different sizes and strengths. Sometimes lick mats and slow-feeder bowls are combined in a single product.
Moving Food Toys
Treat dispenser toys that roll or wobble need to be pushed around with the dog’s nose or paw to dispense treats. These are also available in many different shapes and sizes with varying difficulty levels.
Stationary Food Toys
Snuffle mats and puzzle toys are stationary food toys. Ideally, they remain in one place while the dog sniffs out or unearths the contents. With a sniff mat, dogs use their sense of smell to figure out where the food is hidden among the ruffles and obstacles. Puzzle feeders are available in many difficulty levels – from easy to pro. Dogs use their nose, mouth, or paw to move parts of the puzzle to get to the food inside.
Scatter Feeding
Scatter feeding is the action of scattering your dog’s food on the ground and having them sniff out and search for their food. The easiest setting would be an even floor whereas tall grass becomes more challenging.
Using Meals for Training
Ditching the bowl or using meals for training is often recommended by online articles or dog trainers on social media. In this scenario, dogs eat part of their meal or their entire meal during training sessions as a reward for getting something right.
The Awesome Side of Food Toys and Puzzle Feeders
Dogs are natural scavengers and foragers. Searching and working for their food is a natural behaviour that has been passed down from their wolf ancestors. As one of the oldest dog breeds on this planet, the Samoyed still retains many of its original instincts, including the need to search for and work for food. This isn’t just the case for Samoyeds or even dogs, it applies to most species. This is why, if not given an appropriate outlet, many dogs that feel this need to scavenge or forage might begin to eat random things they find on the ground to compensate for this unmet need.
Aside from instinctual needs, most of the methods I mentioned above cater to more than just the scavenging or foraging instinct. They provide mental stimulation as the dog needs to think, try, and work to get to that tasty treat inside the puzzle. Licking, as well, is a wonderful activity, as it has a calming effect and reduces arousal and anxiety. For the more adventurous and energetic dog – like the Samoyed – moving food toys are a great way to engage in physical and mental activity, especially if they can’t go for a walk due to hot weather or an injury.
Slow feeders, snuffle mats, or scatter feeding have another practical application – they all slow the eating process. Many dogs tend to gulp down their meals, which can result in indigestion, regurgitation, excess gas, or even a deadly condition called bloat. For those greedy eaters, different feeding methods can be a lifesaver.
Even if you do not have a Samoyed that gulps down their meals, different food toys and feeding methods can be incredibly enriching. They fulfil your dog’s instinctual needs and allow them to use their excellent sense of smell and their brains. Additionally, they contribute to a more relaxed state of mind. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
Why Food Toys and Scatter Feeding Can Be Detrimental
all of these feeding methods had no downsides, I could have saved myself this blog post. Unfortunately, they do, and that is something that is rarely talked about among dog owners and dog trainers.
The first big downside is the question of practicality. Most of these toys and the associated advice are tailored to owners who feed their dogs a kibble diet. Dry food is perfect for scatter feeding, it can be used in puzzles and snuffle mats, and it can be stuffed in a pocket and taken on walks for training. If you add fresh components or feed wet food, things start to get a little trickier. Slow feeders, lick mats, and Kongs are still suitable, but that is where your options end if you want to avoid creating a mess.
However, not all Samoyeds thrive on ultra-processed foods. If you feed a raw or fresh diet, scatter feeding and food toys quickly become unhygienic and a real risk for bacterial contamination, especially during warmer months. I have seen dog trainers claim that ditching the bowl is doable with every type of food, but I personally do not want to walk around with raw food in my pocket at the height of summer and I think that many dog owners will share my opinion.
Mostly when these feeding methods are mentioned, people talk about their benefits – namely enrichment. But are puzzle feeders, slow feeders, and Kongs enriching for every single dog? The answer is plain and simple. No. They are only enriching if the dog enjoys the activity and positive effects are noticeable. My Samoyed Banshee certainly finds several of the mentioned options enriching. She has a great love for a specific puzzle feeder (the Outward Hound Challenge Slider, if you are looking for inspiration) and will regularly request it to be filled. She enjoys rolling her Kong Wobbler around the entire courtyard, and she has fun with her snuffle mat. Scatter feeding, too, is something she loves to engage in. The positive effects are apparent in her: she is calmer, more relaxed, and less anxious after engaging in these activities. These examples are very enriching for her, but they might not be enriching for your Samoyed.
The next problem is one of preference. Not every dog enjoys the same toys and methods. While Banshee loves several food-related enrichment toys and methods, she doesn’t love them all. If I gave her a Kong right now, that thing would be carried outside, licked at twice, and left to the flies. A similar thing happens with lick mats. While she will occasionally enjoy one, most of the time, she leaves them to thaw and dry because they are simply not her preference. Figuring out which toys or methods your dog prefers is vital if you want them to be beneficial.
Difficulty level is another incredibly important factor. There is a fine line between too easy and too difficult. If it’s too easy, a clever dog – like the Samoyed – will lose interest in the activity very quickly and stop engaging in it. If it’s too difficult, your dog will experience frustration and give up. Sometimes, they don’t even try.
For your dog to enjoy and be enriched by the use of alternative feeding methods and food toys, you will need to find a method that works for your type of dog food, one that has a positive effect on your dog and suits their preference and difficulty level. It is not as easy as just stuffing their entire meal into a Kong and hoping for the best. Some owners tend to also overdo it and feed entire meals in this manner – sometimes even daily. Some do it out of laziness to avoid enriching their dog’s life through other means, others do it with the best intentions because they have been told that working for their food in this one particular way is something all dogs want and need, which is not always the case.
The Problem with Picky Eaters or Low Food Drive
Picky eaters, as are quite common among Samoyeds, are another particular challenge. For some reason, the advice that is usually given always makes their food less accessible and harder to obtain. Taking the food away after 10 minutes, using their food during training sessions, putting their meals into Kongs or other food toys, and freezing their meals on lick mats – because all dogs love working for their food, right? Wrong. Depriving them of food (or making it much harder to obtain) can actually have the opposite effect, lower their food drive, and make them less willing to work for it. Of course, this doesn’t apply to every single dog out there and some will probably prefer their food in a toy or slow feeder every once in a while. However, unless it is truly enriching for your dog, you found their preference, and chose the correct difficulty level, food should be made more accessible to picky eaters and dogs with a low food drive, not less. Above all, there should be some troubleshooting as to what might be causing the lack of interest in food, which can be anything from food intolerances, medical issues, anxiety, or simple overstimulation.
Conclusion
Food toys and food games are amazing. I love them and love applying them in everyday life with my Samoyed – who really enjoys a large variety of toys and games. However, when it comes to mealtimes, I have found that the easier and more predictable her food is to obtain, the better she eats. There is nothing wrong with saving parts of your dog’s meal for games, toys, and training – which is what we do on a regular basis – but when it comes to eating proper meals, she prefers a simple raised bowl for convenience, a predicable feeding schedule, and a quiet atmosphere in which she can relax.