Let's Eat!

One thing that I like to do when dogs seem stressed initially, is to use their meal times to work their brain a little. Instead of just chowing down out of a bowl, I put Ellsworth's food in what is called The Green. This is the original but they now make a smaller version.

The Green not only slows down his eating but it makes him really focus on how to use his snout, paw, and tongue to flick the kibble around the blades so he can get to it. And it has been shown that when the brain is in "seeking" mode like this, the part of the brain that causes stress reactions shuts down for awhile.

Ellsworth immediately got the hang of it and seemed to enjoy it and stay engaged. Good job Ells!

Chima, checking to see if Ellsworth missed any crumbs after the green was set up on the hearth.