Product Review: Kyjen Slo-Bowl Fun Feeder

Kyjen's Slo-Bowls are designed to make dogs eat as slowly as possible. These Fun Feeders each have a raised pattern that basically turns them into a maze. Dogs can't really inhale their kibble using one of these bowls, instead they have to carefully work individual pieces out with their tongues, pushing them through the maze until they get each piece to a spot where they can pick it up. The bowls come in multiple colors and patterns, and two different sizes for large and small dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

Eating too fast can be a huge problems for a lot of dogs. At worst, they eat so fast they just barf their food back up right away. At worst, they can develop bloat. This is a condition where a gas-filled stomach twists, cutting off the blood supply to all sorts of body systems. Bloat is a medical emergency, and even recognizing it and getting help immediately may not be enough to save the animal. It is most common in large dogs, particularly deep-chested ones like Great Danes. Preventing the dog's stomach from getting too full of food, air, or water seems to help a lot.

Slowing down a fast eater can also help prevent bloat, dogs that inhale their food also inhale a lot of air at the same time. Spending time and effort to eat a meal also helps a dog expend some mental energy. That is the purpose of our many puzzle toys, and it's also the purpose of the Slo-Bowl.

As a side note, Outward Hound was formerly a sub-brand of Kyjen. The company has apparently decided to rebrand everything as Outward Hound only. This is unfortunate, as I had long associated Kyjen with high-quality puzzle toys and games, and Outward Hound with low-quality pet carriers, travel bowls, and other products that often seemed like they were designed by people who would never use them. A lot of their stuff reminds me of Ruffwear gear, only cheaper and without the quality or guarantee. Outward Hound's current "About Us" page has a lot to say about them being a new company designed to improve the lives of dogs and their people. In reality the brand has been around since the 1990's, and their products have dominated the travel section of big box pet stores for a good chunk of that time. Outward Houd/Kyjen was acquired by the Riverside Company in 2013. They also acquired the Bionic company in January of this year, and Nina Ottoson's puzzle toys last month.

So the Kyjen Slo-Bowl has been rebranded as the Outward Hound Fun Feeder. This seemed to coincide with them changing all the brightly-colored bowls to be the same weird greenish-gray hue for a while. Happily they've changed them back. Unhappily, the Hills bowl shape doesn't seem to have been included in the Outward Hound line. Ours is the bright pink flower shape.

Pros: Brightly-colored and highly durable. Has a no-slip rubber bottom and is top-rack dishwasher safe. Really seriously slows down rushed eaters, even with tiny amounts of food. When I had a total of five dogs here for a week, the Slo-Bowl turned my fastest eater into the slowest. Works with kibble, canned, raw, freeze-dried, and basically any kind of food.

Cons: Is exactly as obnoxious to clean as it looks. If the dog doesn't clean every last molecule of wet food out of the bowl, I have to use three different-shaped scrubbing tools to get it clean. Really-determined food-inhalers at work have been known to flip the bowl over, or even throw it against a wall the reduce the challenge.

Bottom Line: My dogs mostly only eat things like pumpkin and salmon oil out of bowls, but when I'm feeding kibble I sometimes put Brisbane's in this instead of one of our many puzzle toys. He doesn't seem to mind it, but he doesn't get all excited about it, either. They call it the Fun Feeder, but it's still a dog-thwarting device and the dogs know it.

Does your dog attempt to inhale their food?

Puzzle Toy Review: Kyjen Jigsaw Glider

The Kyjen Jigsaw Glider is a board game style puzzle toy with four different treat-holding cavities and three moving pieces. This toy moves in a somewhat different manner than many of our other puzzles, so it presents some unique challenges.

Photo by Erin Koski

I find this toy visually appealing because I love jigsaw puzzles. The Jigsaw Glider has two purple pieces that slide away from each other to reveal two of the treat wells. The green piece in the center slides back and forth to reveal additional wells beneath the ends.

The Jigsaw Glider was easier for Brisbane to solve than the Kensington Kennel Club slider puzzle The entire surface of the toy is made up of sliding pieces, rather than just a few small inset parts. It's much easier to solve by accident, too.

Photo by Erin Koski

Part of the challenge with this toy is that the green piece covers up three treat wells when revealing the fourth. There is a lot of movement required, and the puzzle doesn't stay solved once it's been opened.

Puzzle Toy Review

Capacity: 2/5
I think I can fit half a cup of kibble in here.

Loading Speed: 5/5
Very easy to dump in with a measuring scoop.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
This toy gives Ulysses a bit of a challenge, but is not impossible.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 3/5
Briz got the hang of the Jigsaw Glider right away, it takes longer for him to open it than it does to inhale his food out of a bowl, but not that much longer.

Size: 4/5
I think Ru would be able to use this puzzle if he actually cared about food enough. A very large dog might have difficulty getting the food out of the little holes.

Durability: 3/5
Xhuuya the raven likes to pull the purple sliding parts off the Jigsaw Glider, so I know they come off pretty easily.

Noise: 5/5
Rubber feet plus close supervision mean I never hear this thing thunking around on my hardwood floors.

Locatability: 5/5
Since this is a toy made for use with supervision, I never have to worry about losing it.

Washability: 4/5
It has a lot of nooks and crannies, but it can be cleaned thoroughly.

Versatility: 4/5
Raven-approved. This puzzle does not require thumbs, pinchers, or pointy teeth to solve, and can be use by dogs, cats, corvids, and probably toddlers.

Total: 40/50

Puzzle Toy Review: Kyjen Treat Triad

The Kyjen Treat Triad is a board game style food puzzle toy for dogs (and sometimes ravens). It consists of a three-blade propeller-shaped spinning piece atop a base which holds three treat compartments. In order to reach the food, the dog must spin the propeller and then lift the flap above each compartment.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is a fairly advanced puzzle toy, and it has a knob on the bottom to tighten the propeller and make it even more difficult. The Treat Triad has a lot of potential for dogs who figure things out really fast because it is very easy for them to accidentally spin the propeller while sniffing. This means the dog may not immediately realize why they suddenly have access to the food, and it may take a few exposures before they really understand that they have to spin the thingy.

Photo by Erin Koski

Complaints about this puzzle include the fact that the treat wells are pretty deep and narrow. I've heard of at least one dog getting cut on the door flaps while retrieving treats. Larger dogs may have trouble getting to the food, and many just flip it over and roll it around until it opens.

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 4/5
I fit maybe half a cup of kibble in the entire thing.

Loading Speed: 5/5
Dump kibble in each well, done.

Photo by Erin Koski

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
Ulysses is the sort of dog to accidentally open the Treat Triad several times without actually figuring it out.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 4/5
Briz spent a good ten minutes exploring the Treat Triad before emptying it.

Size: 2/5
Larger dogs may have difficulty using this toy as intended. Smaller dogs shouldn't really have a problem, but at 40 pounds Brisbane has trouble getting the food out.

Photo by Erin Koski

Durability: 2/5
The propeller itself is pretty sturdy, but the door flaps are really thin and kind of sharp around the edges.

Noise: 5/5
This is one of those toys that's just supposed to sit still on the floor.

Locatability: 5/5
Doesn't go anywhere, and I supervise during playtime.

Washability: 3/5
It can be scrubbed, but it's a giant pain in the butt.

Hoardability: 1/5
Nobody is taking this thing anywhere.

Total: 36/50

Puzzle Toy Review: Kyjen Tic-Tac-Twirl

The Kyjen Tic-Tac-Twirl is a board game puzzle toy that is particularly fun for bulldogs and other flat-faced breeds. It has four spinning flaps the hide four treat compartments. The Tic-Tac-Twirl is unusually versatile in that it can be solved at least three different ways, and does not require the dog to retrieve their treats from a small cup or cavity.

Photo by Erin Koski

I've done it! I found a puzzle toy easier than the Kyjen Star Spinner! This one is particularly fun for Ulysses because he barely has to touch it for treats to come flying out. Literally, not kidding about the flying treats. This is what makes this game so accessible for brachycephalic breeds like bulldogs and pugs.

To properly understand how the Tic-Tac-Twirl works, it helps to know that the cavities underneath the spinning squares are shaped like half-pipes. There is just enough clearance for each square to spin, and that's it. Each cavity also has a little hole to the outside world in the side of the toy.

Photo by Erin Koski

The toy is loaded by spinning each flap vertical, dropping the treats inside, and then rotating the flap horizontal to cover them. None of the flaps stays flat, they all sit at a slight angle. Here are three methods for solving the Tic-Tac-Twirl puzzle:

1. Rotate each flap 90-degrees and slurp the treats out of the compartment.

2. Rotate the flap by pressing the inner edge of the square down first so that it sweeps the treats out of the hole in the side of the puzzle.

Photo by Erin Koski

3. Rotate the flap 180-degrees by pressing the outer edge of the square down first so that it sweeps the treats up onto itself.

This versatility makes this puzzle workable by dogs of all sizes and shapes, as well as a variety of other animals with hooves, paws, and beaks. Xhuuya the raven thinks it's pretty fun to explore as well. For a puzzle-savvy dog like Brisbane, this toy presents no challenge at all, but for a timid or less experienced dog it provides a fun and non-threatening game. It is certainly more accessible than some of our toys with the tiny treat compartments.

Photo by Erin Koski

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 3/5
I can put more than half a cup of food in here, but it is probably going to go spewing everywhere as soon as anyone touches it.

Loading Speed: 4/5
Dump and spin. The only thing that slows me down is trying to keep all the treats inside long enough to let the dogs have a go at it.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 3/5
It doesn't take Ulysses very long to get the treats out, but the variety of ways they come out surprises him. The novelty provides a lot of enrichment.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 1/5
Briz utilizes method #1 and spends about the same amount of time emptying this as he would emptying four small bowls of kibble.

Photo by Erin Koski

Size: 5/5
The durability and mechanisms of this toy should make it usable by teeny tiny toy breeds and giants alike. Also large birds, and probably ponies or something.

Durability: 4/5
Unlike our other Kyjen Dog Games, the plastic base on this one is reinforced and quite heavy and thick. It won't stand up to real chewing, but it should be able to take quite a bit of dropping and kicking.

Noise: 5/5
Rubber feet keep it from sliding on the hardwood, and the rate of reinforcement for poking at the spinny bits makes it less likely that the dogs will be kicking this one across the floor in frustration.

Locatability: 5/5
Supervision required, no removable pieces, and no toy-flinging means I always find it right where I left it.

Washability: 2/5
Know how I said it has a reinforced base? This is accomplished by nesting two pieces of plastic together, making a nice thing place for water to seep in. Getting this toy properly dry is going to take a lot of shaking and waiting, and if it gets super gross there's probably no hope of salvaging it.

Hoardability: 1/5
Not going anywhere with Brisbane.

Total: 33/50

Puzzle Toy Review: Kyjen Doggy Blocks Spinner

The Kyjen Doggy Blocks Spinner is a hard plastic board game puzzle toy. The puzzle includes four removable square blocks that each hide a food compartment. Once all blocks have been removed, the yellow disc on top spins freely to reveal four more small treat compartments.

Photo by Erin Koski

Solving this puzzle takes a similar set of skills as solving the Yin-Yang-Yum, though I think this one may be easier. For starters, the colored cups sit a little looser in their holes, making it easier for the dog to wiggle them around and realize they can be picked up. The top disc on this one also spins very easily once the cups are removed, and the thin yellow disc seems to be more intuitive than the thicker lids of the Star Spinner or Yin-Yang. Both Brisbane and Ulysses figured out right away that spinning the disc would uncover the treats.

Photo by Erin Koski

Ulysses still hasn't quite figured out how to pick up the blocks to uncover the food, but I think he might be getting closer with the Doggy Blocks Spinner. The square blocks seem easier to pick up than round cups. I usually pick up the blocks to show him the treats first, and sometimes I even put the blocks on the floor by themselves with treats underneath to help him with the concept. He has seen this toy once now, and the Yin-Yang several times and he might be starting to catch on.

Photo by Erin Koski

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 3/5
It holds a bit more than half a cup of kibble, far more than my monsters usually eat at once.

Loading Speed: 5/5
Pick up blocks, spin disc, dump in food, reassemble. There's a lot of parts, but zero effort.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
Ulysses might starve if this was his only dinner option. It takes him 10-20 minutes to solve this puzzle depending on how much I help.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 4/5
Brisbane solves the Doggy Blocks by methodically moving each block, with no hesitation. Still, it takes him a good five minutes or more to completely open the thing. I could put just one treat in there, in one of the compartments under the disc, and it would still take him almost as long.

Size: 4/5
A huge dog might have trouble getting the blocks into his mouth. A tiny one may also have the same issue, though I'm pretty sure Ru could dig the blocks out of here if he really wanted to.

Durability: 2/5
The hard plastic won't stand up to chewing, and the yellow disc is pretty flimsy. Both Brisbane and Uly first tried to move it by bending it away from the blue base instead of spinning. That said, this is a supervision only toy anyway, so nobody is suggesting a dog be left unattended with it. This is an interactive toy that we use with me sitting on the floor cheerleading.

Noise: 4/5
Put it on a rug and it's pretty darned quiet. Rubber feet on the bottom keep it from sliding too much. It does have the potential to make a racket though, given how much the dogs want to violently shove it backwards across the room with their front feet.

Locatability: 4/5
While this is a supervision-only toy, it also has four, count them, four removable pieces. We generally get this out and play with it and then stick it back in the toybox but...it's really only a matter of time until one of those boxes wanders off. (Does anybody else have a Monopoly game in their closet that's missing the shoe? It's like that.) This is an even greater certainty in households with dogs that enjoy hiding things.

Washability: 4/5
Dishwasher safe, blah blah. Also not terribly annoying to hand scrub and dry, this is where those removable blocks are kind of helpful.

Hoardability: 1/5
This is a supervision-only toy so there will be no hoarding.

Total: 36/50

Puzzle Toy Review: Kyjen Yin-Yang-Yum

The Kyjen Yin-Yang-Yum is a board game puzzle toy made out of hard plastic. This puzzle requires two different problem-solving skills to complete, making it significantly more challenging than our Star Spinner. To access the large treat compartments, the yellow and red cups must be removed from the blue base. Once the cups have been removed, the red and yellow sections can be rotated out to reveal four smaller hidey holes.

Photo by Erin Koski

This was Brisbane's first board game puzzle, and it still takes him a few minutes to complete it. Removing the cups is the biggest challenge, even though he knows exactly what to do. Getting a good grip and lifting each cup out of the base is tough without thumbs. I love watching Briz work through the puzzle because he is so careful and methodical about it now.

Photo by Erin Koski

Ulysses, on the other hand, still hasn't figured this one out. The Star Spinner is still a little intimidating, and he just can't get the Yin Yang to give up its secrets. I've been encouraging him with nice smelly treats under the cups, but he is still baffled.

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 3/5
I can fit about half a cup of kibble in here, enough for Brisbane and Uly but not enough for a dog that eats a normal amount of food.

Loading Speed: 5/5
Dump in the kibble and it's ready. I can load it with the same scoop I use to measure the kibble.

Photo by Erin Koski

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
Uly and I have spent ten minutes at a time working on this puzzle for several sessions now, and he still hasn't figured it out. I've been carefully demonstrating how the cup covers the food, and he is just beginning to understand that he has to pick them up.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 4/5

Photo by Erin Koski

Brisbane knows exactly how this puzzle works, but it still takes him several minutes to work through the steps. It's a shorter activity than a frozen Kong full of peanut butter, but clearly requires more mental effort.


Size: 4/5
Ru is a bit too tiny for this puzzle, he can't get his mouth around the cups to pick them up. I would worry about using this toy with a mastiff or a Great Dane too, just because the cups are so much smaller than their massive jowls. So not toy or giant-breed friendly, but fine for regular-sized dogs.

Durability: 3/5
Since this is a supervision-only toy, it isn't made to be played with like a durable chew toy. It should hold up nicely when used as intended, but I worry about the hard plastic and moving parts sometimes when Brisbane plants his front feet on it and shoots it across the room. Large dogs who are less delicate about picking up the cups may put this toy through a lot of wear and tear.

Photo by Erin Koski

Noise: 5/5
Love those rubber feet on the bottom! This toy stays mostly in place on the hardwood and operates silently, unlike some of our particularly heavy bobbing toys.

Locatability: 5/5
The rubber feet keep it from sliding all over the house, and the fact that we play this game together means I always know where every part of the Yin Yang is.

Photo by Erin Koski

Washability: 5/5
There are no nooks and crannies for food to hide in with this toy, it's easy to scrub clean and set out to dry. It's also dishwasher safe, for those lucky dishwasher owners out there.

Hoardability: 1/5
Briz can't haul this one away to his lair, after playtime it gets picked up and put away.

Total: 40/50

Puzzle Toy Review: Kyjen Star Spinner

The Kyjen Star Spinner is a plastic puzzle toy intended for use with close supervision.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Star Spinner has two levels, each with five compartments. The top level covers the bottom level, and the lid covers the top level. There is no resistance, and all three pieces spin freely. I have seen an adjustment knob on the bottom mentioned, but mine has no trace of this and the product website doesn't mention anything like that.

This is a ridiculously easy puzzle for most dogs to solve. The internet is filled with reviews complaining that it only takes a couple of nose nudges to open all ten compartments. Other issues include difficulty removing the treats for large and flat-faced dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

I found this toy at a thrift store, so I originally wondered if parts were missing. What kind of dog can't figure out how to open this thing in two seconds flat? Then I gave it to Ulysses. This toy is a challenge for dogs that are skittish and unfamiliar with the concept of making things happen. Uly watched me load it up with kibble, gave it a few cautious sniffs and then looked sad that he could not find it. After watching me spin the lid back and forth a few times, he ventured to touch it with his nose and then startled at it moving. Once he became more comfortable with the whole concept, he attempted to eat the kibble, and instead bumped the lid shut again.

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 2/5
I can fit maybe half a cup of kibble in here, it's definitely not a food bowl substitute unless the dog is very small or eats very little.

Loading Speed: 5/5
Spin it open, pour in the food, spin it shut.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 3/5

It took Ru a few minutes to nibble all the kibble out of all the different compartments, and Uly took more than ten minutes to warm up to the whole concept.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 1/5

For Brisbane I'm not sure this is any slower than a food bowl. It definitely takes me longer to fill it.

Size: 2/5

This is safe and even fun for tiny dogs to use. However, there is definitely a maximum size beyond which dogs will have trouble using this toy, and Briz and Uly are just about there at 40 and 45 pounds. The compartments are shaped in a way that makes the kibble annoying to retrieve even though it is very easy to find. The wider the dog's muzzle, the harder it will be for them to eat their treats. It probably varies from dog to dog, but I wouldn't give it to a Labrador, and even a French bulldog or Boston terrier might have trouble.

Durability: 2/5
This is a toy intended for use with very close supervision, as in, the handler should be right there beside the dog the entire time. It should not be chewed or flung. It should, however, be able to withstand a whole lot of scooting across the floor along with enthusiastic pawing and nosing.

Noise: 5/5
Rubber grips on the bottom make this toy quiet enough for a top level apartment with hard floors and no rugs. I guess it could be loud if the dog decided to scoot it around instead of just spinning it open, but the vast majority of dogs aren't that dumb.

Locatability: 5/5
Rubber grips, close supervision, and a lack of incentive to pick the puzzle up and carry it around means I always know where it is. It is usually on my counter, or in the toy box, unless I am actively cheerleading a dog into opening it.

Washability: 2/5
Oh god, it is nearly impossible to clean. Seriously, I needed three different types of scrub brush to get into all the little nooks. There are plenty of places for water to pool and hide too, so drying it can be a pain in the ass. It's probably not dishwasher safe, either.

Hoardability: 1/5
As this is a supervision-only toy, Brisbane is not allowed to drag it off to his lair. Not that he would need to, it's basically a food bowl and holds no allure once emptied.

Total: 28/50
As far as puzzle toys go, this one isn't that impressive. It is absolute cake for a problem-solving dog like Brisbane. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it made a nice, simple introduction puzzle for dogs unfamiliar with the concept.

Product Review: Plush Puppies Invincibles

Plush Puppies Invincibles are squeaky plush toys by Kyjen. Unlike most squeaky toys, these keep squeaking when punctured.

Photo by Erin Koski

We have had this toy for several years now, and it's one of Ru's favorites so it sees a lot of action until it is inevitably lost under the couch again. My dogs aren't terribly hard on toys, but once a stuffy has been breached its days are numbered. Brisbane thoroughly enjoys unstuffing his toys. I'd buy him the kind that don't contain stuffing, but I'd feel guilty stealing that joy from him.

Photo by Erin Koski

Ru loves this toy more than Brisbane, but he doesn't actually squeak it. He likes to instigate games of tug, and race around the house dragging the snake. Sometimes he grabs it and spins around until it rests over his back, then wears it around the house like that.

Photo by Erin Koski

Our Invincibles snake is an earlier model than the ones currently available, it doesn't have Extreme Seams. It has held up just fine, however. It is a six-squeak snake, and all six segments still squeak just as advertised. This is awesome because non-squeaking toys just aren't that exciting.



Pros: Continues to squeak indefinitely. Goes through the washer and dryer and comes out looking new. Apparently great fun to shake wildly. Has no visible damage after several years of play. Is cute, durable, and washable enough that I haven't gotten tired of seeing it around the house.

Cons: Continues to squeak indefinitely. This one doesn't set off Brisbane's OCD tendency to squeak nonstop for 30 minutes, but if it did we'd have a problem.

Bottom Line: The Invincibles snake probably wouldn't hold up to a dog that eats stuffies for breakfast, but it definitely works as advertised. My mildly-destructive dogs have yet to kill the squeak in this one, and that's impressive. They also continue to enjoy it every time I fish it out from under the couch again.