She’s a lively, little imp, our Clementine. Though she’s over a year now, her energy is still boundless. There is a whirl of activity most mornings as she wrestles with Churchill.
Her walking on the leash is much improved and she’s graduated to the gentle leader. She’s still pretty distractable, though, particularly if she senses there might be FOOD lurking anywhere.
Wait, wait. I think I smell something to eat!!
She walks calmly, leaning in to chat with Churchill from time to time.
Our biggest challenge with Clemmie, however, is the food bowl. She attacks it with almost crazed vigour. I’ve never seen anything like it. The rest of our goldens have always had hearty appetites. As a breed, they’re very food-motivated. A good thing, too, as you can distract them from hurling themselves at other dogs to say hello. Just step to one side, hold out a treat and you have their unblinking focus.
While her dinner is being prepared, Clemmie sits, eyes riveted on the action, front feet dancing with excitement. Once the bowl hits the ground, she hurls herself at it like she’s never seen food before. Something had to be done.
Here is a video: Clementine Attacks Her Food Video
Unbelievable.
A bit of research online revealed that this was not an uncommon problem. Hearing other pet owners describe the frantic eating of their pets and the resulting issues made me laugh until I cried. The solution? A maze bowl, oddly enough. The dog has to work at getting the food out of all the little crevices and that slows down the pace of inhalation. I’d have thought it would frustrate the life out of Clementine, but no. She loves it.
This one is the wangstar Pet Slow Feeder Bowl, Bloat Stop Dog Puzzle Bowl Maze, Interactive Fun Feeder Slow Bowl with Anti-Skid Design” (Do you think they have enough keywords in the description? Good grief.)
There was a dizzying number of options on offer, and this one had excellent reviews. For the princely sum of $8.99, it’s very sturdy and the plastic is both thick and tough. The skid-proof bottom lives up to its name. And despite its contorted appearance, it cleans fairly easily. A hearty sloshing with soapy hot water and a J-cloth, followed by extended rinsing in scalding hot water and we’re done. I toss it into the dishwasher every couple of days, too.
Here it is, with the first layer of food added. We feed our guys the raw diet and put the broken up meat patty on the bottom. Not exactly steak tartare, but they seem to love it.
We then add the chopped up carrots, apple, and broccoli. It doesn’t really matter what order we put it in, it all goes down the hatch, but I like to think Clemmie has to work harder at getting the meat out of all the crevices than she does the broccoli. Makes sense!
Behold the difference!
It takes her about 5 minutes now to eat her meal, compared to the approximately 20 seconds it used to take. We have to feed her separately from the other dogs. as it takes them about 2 minutes to finish their meals, and Churchill is not above helping himself to Clemmie’s, while she’s slurping her way through the maze. That doesn’t seem fair – slow her down and have Churchill pinch her food. 🙂
I’ve had a few inquiries about Diabolical Dundee. He’s grown a bit!
Wouldn’t you say?
He and Clementine still play together. It’s less frequent, but still fun to watch. Clementine is always up for a wrestle, but Dundee has a bit more dignity these days. And he’s lazier.
What? She started it. I’m just going along for the ride.
He’s a bit, er.., um… chubby. I don’t know how to break it to him, but the flow of treats is going to have to slow down.
He’s not an outdoor cat, and thus doesn’t get a lot of exercise. And (like Clemmie) his appetite is robust. Look at those cheeks. 🙂
We love ’em all. Until next time.
Goodbye, from Clementine and Dundee.
I”m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch,
Oh Helen, so fun to see an update. I have not been keeping up with blog reading and was glad I checked BNOTP today so I saw this. They are adorable and you tell such a great story.
Hi Lorri,
Always great to hear from you, and I hope you’ve been busy with fun stuff. Sounds like you’ve been run off your feet.
We’re enjoying all the pets so much – you as a fellow multiple-pet owner know exactly what it’s like!
All the best to you and yours for a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Best,
HK
That looks like a lot of broccoli. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-broccoli/
Hi,
Thanks for stopping by. The broccoli is the last thing I add, and it’s quite a small quantity. We just sprinkle it over the top. I chop it up very finely; definitely less than 10% of their daily intake.
Thanks!
Oh they’re so darling Helen! Seeing them makes me want pets so badly, but I’ll just live vicariously through yours for the time being! 🙂 Brilliant food dish – I wish we’d had that with our big dogs back in the day! Thanks for sharing the fun, and Happy Thanksgiving Week!
Hi Barbara!
They’re a hoot. All of them. AND I’m looking forward to Clemmie calming down a bit as she gets closer to 2. 🙂
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving to you, to!
Best,
HK
Thanks for the update. That beautiful Dundee has become quite regal. I recently saw a shelter ad- in an effort to make some kittens more adoptable, they had been given some impressive names. Professor Puddinpop, Colonel Snazzypants, and Good King Snugglewumps. I told my husband we were lacking in the name game at our house, we are much too pedestrian with our plain ol’ Crackerjack cat! So I appreciate the wink and nod to marmalade in your boy. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Holiday Season.
Hi Cheryl,
Dundee looks regal, but he’s still a kitten at heart. He’s also somewhat goofy, and lacks a certain delicate grace one expects in a feline. We’ve had a few china smashing moments as he’s skidded across countertops in his eagerness to wrap his lips around a treat. 🙂
Those names are wonderful! And like you, we’re more prosaic. I think Crackerjack is the perfect name for a cat. Is your cat a ginger?
Happy Thanksgiving, Cheryl.
Alas, poor CJ is not a ginger, even though I’ve always had a preference for them. I had sworn no more cats of any color, but he arrived at the door, tiny and sick, and insisted he was ours. He lived up to the name and turned out to be the sweetest one we ever had. Now he is large and in charge! Our prior series of cats were named for various types of peanut butter (our son was young and he got naming rights)- Crunchy, Jiffy, and Skippy.
Isn’t it funny how we fall in love with one color of cat? I’ve always been partial to gingers, myself. They have a very distinct personality. I’ve found calicos to be a bit neurotic and grey tabbies to be extremely independent, but demanding of attention in short bursts.
CJ knew the best door to hang around, clearly. I’m sure he appreciates his good fortune. They give so much more than we can ever give them.
Love, love, love the peanut butter names! I’ve never heard of that series. Marmalade and Dundee are as far as we got in the comestibles line.
So excited to see update on your fur babies. I’m partial to Dundee cause I’m a cat lover but that Clementine is a beauty! Dundee still has that mischievous face which hints at ruling the house. Always a delight to see a post about them.
Hi Bev,
Clementine has a very sweet nature. She’s a bit skittish, and startles easily (loud noises, blowing leaves, hooting owls), but has a lovely disposition.
I’m partial to Dundee, also. Shhhh….we won’t tell anyone. He’s a Mama’s boy!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
HK
Oh, I sympathize! We have two Labrador retrievers. The younger one (8!) does pirouettes while we carry his bowl, then attacks it as though he has been starving for quite a long time. His extra 5 pounds tell a different story! We have two of the maze bowls and note that the more complex one noticeably slows him down so that he finishes his dinner just a tad earlier than his brother.
I’d never heard of a maze bowl until very recently, Sandra. But it seems we’ve both used them for the typical breed most in need of them: retrievers are such food enthusiasts, aren’t they? Funny you mention the pirouettes. All our guys do the same. Keep their eyes in the prize while whirling this bodies at a great rate. So funny!
Make sure your dogs are getting grain in their diet. Fairly new research shows that grain free diets are a cause of heart disease.
Hi Lani,
Yes, I’m aware of that research. Friends of ours just lost their four-year old Schnauzer; a heart attack linked to the grain-free diet was suspected. He had allergies to grain, apparently. It was a very unhappy outcome.
Our guys get grain through a few sources, including the frozen meat patties, biscuits and treats. Retrievers and treats seem to be inseparable. 🙂
Dear Helen,
I always found a doggie Kong toy was useful for quick eaters, not just chewers…takes them *forever* to get peanut butter out of the middle:
https://www.amazon.com/KONG-41940-Extreme-Large/dp/B0002AR0II/ref=sr_1_2?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImsLu8NCj5gIVF2yGCh277QYmEAAYAyAAEgJc4vD_BwE&hvadid=241944632285&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9012302&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t3&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17924222140056775400&hvtargid=kwd-6301447121&hydadcr=24663_10400924&keywords=dog+kong+toy&qid=1575724965&sr=8-2
Our guys love the Kong, Beatrice. We stuff them with biscuits dipped in peanut butter. Didn’t take them long to figure out if they fling the Kong down the stairs, the biscuits bounce out. It’s a party!
O.M.G! I’ve never seen a dog eat so fast! The video is a hoot. Thank you for sharing it.
I guess you have to be super careful that dangerous stuff doesn’t fall on the floor, like supplements, chocolate or nuts. We trained our dog to “leave it” but I wonder if that would even be possible with her – she’s so fast you wouldn’t have time to say the words!
Our dog’s breakfast is still waiting for him to eat it, hours after I’ve put it down.
Our guys know “leave it”, which works well on walks for all the disgusting sidewalk items they find so delightful. “Drop it” comes in handy if we are not quick enough with “leave it!. In that case, they often hold the forbidden item in their mouth and try to look completely innocent. Sometimes, if it’s a particular favourite item (like one of the grandkids’ socks) we do have to prise their jaws open and retrieve it. They’re worse than kids!
My daughter’s German Shepherd, Rabbit The Dog, is similar to your guy. He’s quite indifferent to food. We find that fascinating and hard to imagine.