When feeding your dog turns into “fast food”, whip out these 3 tricks and a Toppl® XL

Some dogs are princesses, dainty and polite. Others are zen masters—calm, collected, chill. But when the food comes out? SNARF. Why do royal manners and peaceful vibes evaporate once dinner is in the dog bowl?

Hungry like the wolf 

Dogs come from wolves, and wolves work for every bite. When the pack is feasting together, it makes sense to “wolf down” as much grub as possible. But even eating at full speed, wolves still gnaw through a natural puzzle to get to the meaty bits…and that’s after an athletic, strategic hunt.

Meanwhile, their domesticated descendants get bite-sized kibble and soft wet food—no tough textures, big chase, or strategic takedown required. Even without anything to slow them down, though, dogs can still carry that wild instinct to eat fast. After all, it ain’t called a “dog eat dog world” for nothing!

What works in the wild doesn’t work in the modern kitchen. Inhaling easier foods means missing digestive cues like chewing, which get saliva and gastric juices working to better break down food. Overenthusiastic dining can also mean swallowing too much air, leaving pups burpy and bloated.

Discourage dining and dashing

You can’t take the wolf out of the dog—but you can harness their natural instincts to guide them toward the slow food movement. Here’s how:

Reduce Competition

The fewer distractions, the more likely your dog is to enjoy their food. Busy environments trigger watchfulness, making getting food down the hatch their number one priority (and some might even get aggressive about it). Your best bet? Feed your dog solo out of his very own bowl in a private area without foot or paw traffic. (For a quiet feeding bowl that won’t slide around, try this one.)

Engage their Brains

Challenge is a natural part of the hunt—the techniques of the takedown, the maze of getting to the good stuff. An enrichment toy like Toppl gets canine brains chugging, stimulates digestion, and slows down eating. Just pop in their dinner (the Toppl XL fits 1 3/4 cups of kibble) or a tasty sustainable snack like this one, and they might actually taste it this time.

Let Sleeping Snacks Lie 

Do you like it when the server snatches your last five cheese fries before you were done? Dogs don’t either. Early clean-up trains them to inhale their food faster, before someone takes it away—so make sure they’re really, really done before you intrude.

A chewy challenge that’s tough to Toppl® 

The new Toppl XL serves a hearty helping for bigger breeds (and hungry mid-sizers) while making mealtimes last longer. On its own, it can work as an introductory slow feeder—not so hard they get frustrated, but not so easy they can inhale all their food at once.

Think your wolf pup might be ready for more? Combine a Topp L with your Toppl XL, or a Toppl S with a Toppl L, and you’ve got a bigger, harder puzzle that will keep their brain engaged, their jaws joyfully working, and their food savored.

Toppl XL offers all the healthy elements of a big wolf hunt—but it’s much cuter, and a lot easier to throw in the top rack of your dishwasher.