Crazy Puppy....... Slow Feeder

This is my homemade version of a slow feeder mat for our puppy. She is a beautiful black mongrel hound dog and we love her to bits but she eats way too fast if we put her food in a normal dog bowl..
The slow feeder mats forces a dog to eat slowly. They need to sniff out the exact location of the kibble. So instead of gulping it down in just a few mouthfuls and getting indigestion they take considerably longer and in using their sense of smell they are being stimulated but it also helps to keep them relaxed.

Supplies

Just two materials:
T-Shirt Yarn (in spanish Trapillo)
Plastic Mesh

Materials

Just two materials:
T-Shirt Yarn (in spanish Trapillo)
Plastic Mesh

I went to my local dollar store and they had a very poor selection of T-shirt yarn but I bought a roll or army green and later went back for a roll of navy blue.
I was thinking of picking up some sort of plastic fencing mesh but that was too curved so I got this red plastic grid instead. I think it is for putting glasses on to dry.
Anyway, everything was nice and cheap. Two euros for the t-shirt yarn and seventy five cents for the red plastic thingy. There are slow feeder mats on Amazon for €20+ so the DIY version was well justified.

Cut the Yarn Into Strips

Self explanatory wouldn't you say? I cut my strips 45 CMS/18 inches long. You could go a lot shorter and you'll get more strips out of one roll. And besides my mat has some seriously high shag on it!

Tie the Strips Onto the Grid

Again; not much to say here. I passed the strips through the holes and tied simple knots to keep them in place. That and a well populated forest of strips meant they weren't going anywhere. Above is a view of the underside.

Good to Go!

To use the mat just put the kibble in the centre of the mat and then spread it around in-between the strips.

And it would always be a good idea to supervise your dog while they eat.