The "Dish" On The Dog Pause Bowl

Back on June 6 I posted a story about Bacchus and I being asked to evaluate the Dog Pause Dog Bowl designed to control the quantity of food and the speed with which a dog would consume it.

The concept is the brainchild of Nancy Kerrigan of ice skating fame when she found her dog was an "inhalation" eater. Longtail Pet Products is the corporate entity that has made it a reality.

I had grandiose ideas about expanding the experiment beyond just the two of us but as happens, things got too complicated. What the heck. I have a perfectly good dog perfectly willing to try just about anything I ask of him.

While Bacchus was not the best candidate - he is not an inhaler, nor does he eat too much. The vet says he's just right. We'd do anything, though, to help fellow canines!

The dish is nicely solid with a "wavy" base to make it steady on any type of floor. It is divided into four compartments so the amount of food available without pausing is limited. Sounds reasonable to me.

For a dog with Bacchus's physical features, however, it had a few problems that can be easily remedied.

1. It was too small. A selection of sizes would help. Even if I divided up his food into three separate feedings, the bowl would not be large enough.

2. He couldn't get all the food out of it and it frustrated him. Again, size.

3. Though we put it on a rough bottomed mat, he nosed it across the room quite handily. A gasket of some sort on the bottom edge might help. Or a weighted base.

I give a thumbs up to the concept and design except for the points mentioned. Technically it worked as intended. I would not hesitate to buy one if he had the need.  For smaller dogs it would be great.

While Bacchus was experimenting with the bowl I decided to experiment with a short video. Just for fun. Not having a real video camera I had to splice together 30 second clips but it was fun and Mac made it relatively easy for a video newbie.

At least it will be proof positive to the good folks at Longtail that my comments are accurate! For what it's worth - enjoy!



For more information or if you have an idea that might help out a pet be sure to check out the above links.