If your dog gobbles down their food in 10 seconds, they may benefit from a slow feeder dog bowl. The best slow feeder dog bowls can extend your dog’s mealtime, offer engaging enrichment, improve digestion, reduce regurgitation associated with eating too quickly, and may also help reduce the risk of bloat.
Traits We Want in the Best Slow Feeder Dog Bowls
Size options: The best dog slow feeders have multiple size options for dogs of different sizes.
Safety and design: Slow feeder bowls should be made from food-safe materials and be non-skid so dogs can’t push them around or tip them over while eating (with the exception of wobble-specific puzzle bowls). The design should be challenging enough to slow your dog down during mealtimes.
Ease of cleaning: While dog slow feeder bowls should have challenging, detailed designs, bowls with very small compartments or tiny details are difficult to clean. Ideally, a dog slow feeder bowl should be dishwasher safe for easy cleaning, since washing your dog’s food bowl after every meal is recommended.
Other things to consider: If you have a brachycephalic, or flat faced breed, like a Pug, French Bulldog, or Pekinese, note that some of the slow feeders on the market will likely be too deep for them and may cause frustration. Opting for a shallower slow feeder bowl, a lick mat, or a snuffle mat may be a better option for these breeds.
The Best Slow Feeder Dog Bowls
| Whole Dog Journal Rating | Product and Maker | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Outward Hound Non-Skid Slow Feeder Dog Bowl | $8.50-$15 | This Outward Hound bowl is one of my longtime favorites. It’s easy to fill, easy to wash, and doesn’t move around while dogs eat from it. It’s not the most challenging bowl, but it’s a good choice for dogs who don’t eat at the speed of light. |
 | Trot Puzzle Bowl | $33-$56 | If you prefer stainless steel to plastic or other materials, opt for the Trot Puzzle Bowl. This nifty stainless steel option has a magnet on the bottom that connects to the brand’s magnetic placemats to keep it in place. |
| SodaPup Great Outdoors Enrichment Bowl | $22 | For dogs who are at risk of bloat (or who just eat way too quickly), this SodaPup bowl is a challenge that’s sure to slow them down. |
| Lickimat Wobble Slow Feeder Bowl | $17 | If your pup only eats wet food, this Lickimat wobble bowl is an engaging way to feed canned or softened food. Put it in the freezer for an extra challenge. |
| Sodpup Honeycomb Slow Feeder Dog Bowl | $22 | The SodaPup Honeycomb bowl is a good option for keeping track of portions, different foods, and supplements, since it’s divided into multiple equal sections. However, it’s not as challenging as some of the other bowls. |
Best Slow Feeder Dog Bowl: Outward Hound Non-Skid Slow Feeder Dog Bowl
The Outward Hound Non-Skid Slow Feeder Dog Bowl is a budget-friendly favorite. It’s not too challenging for young dogs or puppies and is one of the only picks that’s great for wet or dry food, since the compartments are a bit bigger and easy to clean. It comes in two- or four-cup sizes.
This puzzle bowl is top-rack dishwasher safe and is made of food-safe BPA-free materials. It also features a handy non-slip base, so it doesn’t slide around when your dog is eating. Of the options on this list, this bowl isn’t the most challenging for super-fast eaters, but it’s easy to fill, clean, and slows your dog’s mealtime down a good amount.
Best Stainless Steel Slow Feeder Dog Bowl: Trot Puzzle Bowl
If you prefer non-plastic dog bowls, the Trot Puzzle Bowl is an innovative stainless steel slow feeder option. It features a magnet on the bottom of the bowl which, when paired with the brand’s placemats, keeps the bowl from moving around as your dog eats. Trot also offers elevated stands that pair with their magnetic placemats for tall dogs.
The Trot Puzzle Bowl is quite heavy-bottomed and has a rubber ring around the base to keep it in place if you don’t use the brand’s placemats or elevated stands.
I find that this slow feeder bowl is a bit more challenging for dogs than the Outward Hound option above, so it’s a good pick for fast eaters.
Most Challenging Slow Feeder Dog Bowl: SodaPup Great Outdoors Enrichment Bowl
If you have a deep-chested breed who is prone to bloat or a dog who inhales their food and has resulting digestive issues, the SodaPup Great Outdoors Enrichment Bowl is a great pick to slow your dog’s mealtime down significantly. It features lots of different shapes and small, deep compartments. In addition, it’s made out of FDA-compliant food safe, BPA-free, dishwasher safe materials.
My older dog, Miso, has been known to finish her dinner in 30 seconds flat out of a normal bowl. This bowl slowed her down to a little over 10 minutes, giving her more mental enrichment and better digestion.
The main downside to this bowl is that the small details can be a bit hard to clean, particularly if you feed your dog wet food. A straw dish brush may be needed to get any remaining gunk out of the smaller compartments. This bowl also slides around quite a bit on hard floors, so put it on a silicone place mat or on a rug to reduce slipping.
Best Slow Feeder Dog Bowl for Wet Food: Lickimat Wobble Slow Feeder Bowl
The Lickimat Wobble Slow Feeder Bowl was also a winner in our best dog lick mats guide and it’s a great option for slow feeding wet food. Wet food can easily be spread out in this bowl, and the grooved interior and wobbly design give dogs an extra challenge for their meals.
You can freeze your dog’s wet food in the bowl for even more enrichment time. If you’re planning on freezing it, adding kibble and water or dog-safe bone broth before popping it in the freezer is a good way to use this bowl for dogs who eat dry kibble.
The Lickimat Wobble Slow Feeder Bowl is a good option for flat-faced breeds, since they won’t have much trouble accessing the food.
Other Dog Slow Feeder Bowls We Tested
SodaPup Honeycomb Slow Feeder Dog Bowl
The SodaPup Honeycomb Slow Feeder Dog Bowl isn’t the most challenging for pups to eat from (my dogs averaged a five minute meal time with this bowl), but it is a nice option for portioning out multiple different types of food, medications, and supplements since it has multiple similarly-sized compartments. The bottom is quite slippery, so it’s best used on a silicone placemat or a rug to prevent it from moving all over the place while your dog eats from it.
