For many Pugs with flat faces, eating out of a flat bowl can be challenging. I started with a standard bowl for my Pug but quickly found it was a bad idea. After some experimentation, I found the best Pug bowl for our little guy. Not all bowls are created equal and here you will find my recommendation.
Think of it this way. Imagine trying to reach something over your head and having really short arms. Short people problems. The issues a Pug faces when eating are similar in nature.
They have a relatively flat face. For Pugs trying to reach food at the bottom of a flat bowl that is as flat as their face can be a challenge. Add to that breathing problems and you can see how that may cause issues.
Pugs are brachycephalic dogs. Brachycephalic dogs are prone to breathing issues. This can make eating a difficult task.
I don’t know about your Pug, but mine is also far from a slow eater. He attacks his meal with excitement. This further increases the possibility of choking and numerous other problems. There are ways to lessen the odds of this happening to your Pug and choosing the right bowl for them can certainly help with that.
Pugs are prone to some health issues when eating out of a standard flat bowl. Avoiding these issues are prime reasons to not use a flat bowl.
These are all strong reasons to experiment with different dog food bowls for your Pug. If your Pug has ever had any of the issues above changing their food bowl may help.
After researching the various options we decided to go with the Ourpets Stainless Steel Tilt-A-Bowl. It is made from quality material and is stainless steel so it’s easy to clean. The elevated and tilted orientation of the bowl was what we felt would help our Pug slow down his eating.
We read the reviews and talked to some other Pug owners. Also, a very important factor was that it had to match the stainless steel water bowl we already owned. We purchased the Stainless Steel Tilt-A-Bowl and it arrived a couple days later.
That’s a resounding YES! For that reason it gets my pick as the best Pug bowl. We found that this slanted bowl did help to slow down how quickly our little Pug ate his food. He actually slowed down considerably and ate at a slower pace.
This helped to prevent him from burping and occasionally vomiting up the meal he just ate. This bowl was exactly what we were looking for and it achieved the outcome we had in mind.
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In case the bowl I picked for my Pug doesn’t fit your style I did want to leave you with a few other alternatives that could help.
When we first got our little Pug I hired a dog trainer friend of mine to work with us. Some advice she gave us was to make him “work for his food” with training. We had him work on crate training to earn food, practice sitting, practice laying down, and more.
On occasions we couldn’t train him one on one, we put some of his kibble or some treats in this ball to get him mental and physical engagement. It’s not a bowl at all but it did work great for feeding times. It’s one of my Pug’s favorite dog toys. This kept him busy but also slowed down his eating dramatically. We still use the IQ Treat Ball often with our little guy.
This is another similar option to the stainless steel option I purchased above. This one does come in more colors so if you want more color options this one may be for you. The dish is stainless steel so it is easy to clean as well. It also comes in a few different sizes.
I was tempted to get this one when I first was looking but the price difference was the only reason I didn’t pick this one. It is a quality bowl, comes in a few different size and is made for flat-faced dogs like Pugs. I really liked this one too but I was happy with my choice.
Related: Best Strollers For Pugs
Pugs and their little flat faces are a big part of their charm. While their short snouts are adorable it can make eating out of a standard bowl a challenge. That’s why I switched to this Pug bowl. My hope is that this helps you in finding the right bowl for your Pug.