Product Reviews
Review: AiKiou Interactive Feeder for Dogs
The ultimate necessity for dogs who eat too fast.
Sarah is a designer, photographer, pet lifestyle expert, health & animal advocate, wife, and devoted dog mom (humble servant) to her loving Shih Tzu, Coco Bean.
Since joining the Pretty Fluffy team in 2012, Sarah writes feature articles on dog treat recipes, dog DIYs, dog lifestyle tips and designed the “52 Weeks of Treats,” and “Frozen” eBooks, authored by Pretty Fluffy founder Serena Faber Nelson.
An interactive feeder for dogs should be top of your list if you answer (or shout, or scream) “YES!” to any of the below questions:
- Does your dog tend to wolf their meals down very quickly?
- Do you serve your dog food and in 2 seconds it’s gone (and they’re looking up at you with ‘those eyes’ like you didn’t give them any food at all?!
- Does your dog get super bored during the day, and you are always on the lookout for something new to keep them entertained?
We can hear you saying yes! And the good news is you’re certainly not alone.
So much so, that the cool people at AiKiou (pronounced IQ) have come up with the ultimate solution for both of your dilemmas – an interactive feeder for dogs.
Just like a dog treat puzzle or enrichment toy, these clever slow feeder dog bowls are specifically designed to slow down your pup’s intake of food, while challenging them with a fun activity at the same time.
Keep reading to see our honest review of the AiKiou Dog Interactive Feeder!
EDITOR’S NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click one, we may earn a cute commission at no extra cost to you. We only ever recommend products we have personally vetted and think you’ll love as much as we do.
Review: AiKiou Interactive Feeder for Dogs
Meet Lucy, the chief tester
To test them out we brought in the perfect canine for the job, Coco’s fur-cousin, Lucy. She is probably one of the sweetest, ‘fraidy’ cat dogs who is always down for dog treats and dinner.
However, she eats her meals SO quickly that she thinks she barely had anything, causing her to always be hungry. Then she gives you that face. You know the one… *insert pleading eyes emoji*
To be honest, I didn’t have all the confidence in the world that she would be able to figure out the compartments and interact with the feeder. I love Lucy, but she’s not the bravest dog in the world (even more reason to love her).
But I couldn’t have been more wrong, and the results were fantastic!
How this dog interactive feeder works
Everybody knows that dogs like to dig in the yard because it’s fun. They like searching for food and that’s exactly what this slow feeder is about.
With it’s rotating top and 6 compartments with treat blockers (14 total for the large slow feeder) they will have fun while staying healthy.
THINK >> PLAY >> FIND >> EAT >> RELAX
THE JR. SLOW FEEDER
THE JR. SLOW FEEDERWith the AiKiou Junior slow feeder, dogs will use their sense of smell to hunt down their reward – ultimately practising their true nature and following their instincts.
By using their nose and paws to turn the central wheel and move the blockers, they will gain access to their meal. It’s a fun dog puzzle that challenges them to think, while controlling ingestion speed and reducing the risk of bloating and weight gain.
The Jr. Slow Feeder is small and compact, but can hold up to 1 full cup of food, making it perfect for smaller dogs who eat too fast!
THE SLOW FEEDER (Large)
Similar to the Junior interactive dog feeder, but with additional compartments!
Shaped like a dog paw, The Slow Feeder not only has a main central wheel, it also has adjustable toe caps that bring a whole new meaning to treat time.
These toe caps can be moved both forward and backward to reveal hidden treats. They are a little more challenging to move than the central wheel, making treats the ultimate prize when conquering the toe caps. It’s like they have taken a video game and made it into a dog bowl!
The Slow Feeder can hold up to 3 full cups of food, making it suitable for both large and small dogs. With its curved design, it reduces the chances of larger dogs being able to grab, pick up the unit, or chew it.
Slow feeders: A solution to a growing problem
In the last few years canine obesity has become a big health issue for dogs, and solving this problem is one of AiKiou’s main goals. Unfortunately, we have forgotten that dogs have natural needs, and food search is one of them.
Using an interactive dog feeder can enhance your dog’s life by encouraging them to search for food. This has many health benefits including lowering the speed of food ingestion, reducing weight and minimising anxiety.
The mental stimulation and problem-solving involved in interactive feeders for dogs, makes it a positive activity that boosts your pup’s confidence and helps them to rediscover their true nature by hunting and searching for their meal.
Results + what we loved
- Your dog doesn’t have to be a genius to use it = Positive self esteem. Lucy has always been the shy, backwards, somewhat slow, scaredy cat of the family. I’ll admit, I had my doubts that Lucy would be able to figure it out. But she did, and with flying colors might I add! It encouraged her to come out of her shell – she was pretty proud of herself. I loved witnessing that achievement. It was just what she needed.
- It’s a mind challenging puzzle. It promotes a healthy interactive activity by encouraging them to figure out a puzzle in order to gain access to their food. Lucy was 100% on board with figuring out the puzzle and moving around the compartments to reveal the food. She was thoroughly entertained. Win!
- Slows down ingestion speed to prevent the risk of bloating & weight gain. Lucy eats fast and as a result, she is always hungry and easily gains weight. With the Slow Feeder, her intake of food is much slower and she actually feels full when she is done.
- It makes treat time even more fun. Dog’s like variety just as much as we do. Experiencing this new way of eating and actually playing to get to their meal will add some fun to their day.
- Practical. Both interactive slow feeders have enough space to hold a full meal for your dog.
- BPA free plastic, hooray!
- Easy to assemble, disassemble, fill, and clean. With the removable lid, these slow feeders are a breeze to both fill and clean. Who doesn’t love easy?
- Color options & sizing. Aikiou’s line of interactive dog feeders come in two sizes and a variety of colors to suit your dog’s personality.
Who are they best for?
Having experienced these products first-hand, I would say that AiKiou interactive feeders for dogs would be beneficial for:
- dogs who are fast eaters
- dogs who are easily bored
- dogs who tend to bloat or have weight issues
- dogs with low self esteem
- dogs who crave variety
Where to buy
To purchase an AiKiou Interactive Slow Feeder for your best fur-friend, visit the AiKiou website or the AiKiou store on Amazon.
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I think these are really great…and would be great for my dogs, except that I feed them raw, and this doesn’t really work with raw food! Any suggestions?
Hi Chris,
I would suggest trying one of the open top slow feeder dog bowls. There are a number of products available. If you search for ‘slow feed dog bowls’ you can choose which ones would work the best for the food you’re feeding. Cheers!
First and upfront, I am one of AIKious owners with my wife who started the company. We do use raw food for our own dogs and use the AiKiou and Junior as feeders. Though I would not recommend in the Stimulo for cats, there are no problems and these feeders are even recommended by some raw food manufacturers like Faim Museau.
Thanks and by the way, one of the best review I saw so far.
Sincerely yours,
Alexandre Tremblay
I love Lucy!!! Sarah you amaze me at your creative writing. This is clearly a product that has concise and informative review. I think a lot of doggies are going to benefit getting this product!
I won an Aikiou Interactive Slow Feeder in the Junior size for my dog (http://bit.ly/Aikiou-bowl-review).
I probably wouldn’t have bought one myself, which is stupid because they are great! My pug likes to woof his food down so we use things to slow his eating.
We’ve got a No-Gulp bowl, the Aikiou feeder and also a Buster Cube that he has to roll around the floor to get his kibble out.
Sounds like dinner is a fun workout for him! Glad you enjoyed it too 🙂
Hi
We’d really like to use your photography for a piece I am putting together for The Sunday Telegraph. If we wrote a credit on your shot could we use one?
Many thanks
Holly
Hi Holly, can you please send through a request to serena@prettyfluffy.com – thanks!