Hello everyone! This is Krista with Episode #111 on the Wag Out Loud Pawdcast. You know how most of us have a dominant hand as either right or left-handed? Well, according to the largest study ever on the topic, your dog likely has a clear paw preference. Researchers from the UK’s Lincoln University did a study with nearly 18,000 dog owners and determined that 74% of dogs demonstrated a clear paw preference and 26% used both paws equally. Of those with a paw preference, 58% were right-pawed dominant and 42%, left-pawed. Pretty interesting, wouldn’t you agree? Thanks to our sponsor, the Mine Pet Platter This has to be one of my favorite products ever! The Mine Pet Platter is designed to benefit the health and well-being of your dog and promotes the ultimate natural feeding experience for both meals and treats. What is it? Well, it’s a patented, bone shaped platter designed for your dog’s feeding instincts. It includes scoops and ridges that naturally slows your dog’s eating routine and makes mealtime fun. After watching my dog Winston slow down instead of inhale his food from a bowl, we’ve never gone back. Now he explores, sniffs, paces, walks around the platter and licks it clean! Its BPA free, made in the USA, dishwasher safe, sustainable, recyclable and has a 100% money back guarantee. There are too many benefits to fit into this ad, so I encourage you to learn more by going to https://minepetplatter.com/ and learn that how you feed your dog is just as important as what you feed them. And as a bonus, Wag Out Loud listeners can take advantage of a 10% discount by using the code WOL10 at checkout! Hi there, dog lovers, I have been super excited about this interview with Carol Smeja. And I promise that you will learn something new today. Our topic is Ditch the Bowl. And Carol, why don't you introduce yourself and share with us your love of dogs. Wow, thank you so much for having me, it's a pleasure to be with you. Right now I can honestly say I have a 14 pound, little havanese, who is the biggest part of my life. I've had dogs all of my life, and they have continually been a strong member of our families. And what makes them so special is their unconditional love, their ability to understand what we're going through. And I don't think you could have anything better in your life. But part of what got me started into the pet business was my own little havanese. And I observed one day that she was inhaling her food so fast, that she would let out a belch that would have people literally in tears because it was so loud. And she is the source of inspiration behind the original mine Pet Platter. And that is what we're going to talk about today. So Carol, let's go back to the beginning. I know you've done so much research, and we know that dogs are known descendants of wolves. And can you share with us your studies of wolves and how they actually eat in the wild? Absolutely. The closest descendant to dogs is the gray wolf. And I think sometimes we forget, because they we treat them like family members, we actually forget that they are animals. And one of the things that we can do is to respect who they are and their senses and how they approach the world. And I actually studied how wolves and mountain lions eat in the wild. And the interesting thing is that when people oftentimes think a wolf will go, bite into a carcass, kill it, and then just eat very fast. However, it's much more methodical than that. They are instinctive creatures. There's a method to how they approach the whole feeding ecology. And the thing that I would like people to understand is wolfs spend over 95% of their time in the wild hunting. And so by feeding from a bowl, you're taking all of that time that they instinctively know what to do. And we're turning it into a 10 to 15 second feeding process. When wolves are hunting their prey, they will go out, spend the day doing it. When they kill the carcass, they will circle around it in both directions to make sure nobody else can come in to take their prey away from them. And then they deconstruct their prey. And will even pull the organ meat out. So there's an intellectual instinctive decision making on how to deconstruct the carcass and then to actually eat those components. And so it isn't just this thing that happens in a couple of minutes. There is a method to how they they do this. And it's sort of Mother Nature provided them to these instincts for survival. That's fascinating. Carol, why don't you right up front answer the question, what's wrong with having our dogs eat out of a bowl? Well, the first thing is that you're asking them to stand very stiff in one position, because the food is contained in a very small receptacle. So they can’t have any control. They can't sniff out what the different foods are in there. They're sort of restricted in there. But also we're asking them to stick their head into a hole, which blocks their peripheral vision. And as I already stated, if they can’t see around them, it creates anxiety because they don't know if somebody is going to come and steal their food. So that's when they tend to eat faster and gobble their food. The other thing is, again the food is piled high. And the bowl is a convenience for us Krista, right? You know when you when you think about it, it makes it easier, people are concerned about food getting on the floor. But think about what we're doing. They love to sniff foods out instinctively, they need certain nutrients to survive in the wild. And they're programmed to go after those nutrients. When it's all piled high in one bowl is sort of like a fast food container. And you know how we eat from fast food containers, you just have a tendency to gobble it up, because the food isn't displayed on the plate. So not only do you eat faster, but the enjoyment factor isn't there either. The other thing is that licking is a big part of the feeding process. And if it's all contained in a bowl, they can't lick up the juices and different elements of food. It's just downright eating fast. The other thing I want to let people know about the bowl is that the sides of the bowl, act as a collecting wall. So if you watch your dog, instead of eating over their food, they're actually pushing into the side of the wall. So they're gulping more food and more air, which leads to belching regurgitation. And in many dogs can even lead to bloat. Yes, so those are just a few of the elements involved in that. One other thing. A lot of people put the bowl in a corner in the kitchen, when you are feeling that way. Number one, the dog cannot see what's going on around him his vision is blocked. And importantly, their second most powerful sense is hearing. And they hear a lot more than we do, they can hear up to 10 miles away, and their hearing frequency is quite different from ours. So they're getting all this noise in the background. But because they're put into a corner, they can't move around and see what's going on around them. And one other thing I'd like to say. And most of your listeners probably know this, dogs see the world through their nose. And in actuality, they, they smell in 3D, they have 25 times the olfactory receptors that we do. So by stuffing the food all in the bowl, you're not allowing them to see what is going on in that bowl. And that's taking away It's like putting a blindfold on a dog in many ways. It sounds awful what we are doing. So the feeding experience to them has to be anxiety ridden. I guess a little bit of fear to your point because they don't know if somebody is around to snatch it away from them. So they're eating so fast. I just don't I can't believe we've been doing this forever. Well, you know, it's interesting, because I've had some pet parents come to me and say what have I been doing to my pet. But you know what, it's just a matter of understanding who they are. And that's why I appreciate programs like yours. We're all here to spread knowledge together. And so if we take a moment and think about what our dog's senses really are all about, by pulling their their feeding platform out of out of the corner, and I'll be talking in in a minute then about the pet platter. But let's give them the feeding territory that they deserve. We will forget about our convenience, and you will be so surprised at how feeding them correctly, naturally slows down their eating, as well as makes it more enjoyable for them and improves digestion, which is one of the top problems that vets are seen today. digestive issues. Yes. And you're saying even the elevated bowls, they don't help at all either. Well, when you think about the elevated bowl, you're making it easier for the pet to shove the food into the collecting wall. On the side of the bowl. It's actually easier to do that. Another thing to do, which I would encourage your listeners to do there was a Perdue study talking about elevated feeding and bloat and They did find evidence that it can actually increase the likelihood of bloat, especially among the larger breeds. Not good. And Carol, we spoke before I know that you told me that there is positive and negative licking. Can you cover that? Sure. I think this is one of the things that that we're going to be learning more and more about right now. There are certain types of licking that are a result of anxiety, and frustration. And then there's positive licking. Positive licking is where you allow to get allow the dog to get the food easily from the receptacle that they're eating from, where there's no frustration involved. Negative looking is when the dog cannot get at the food. And the reason I'm saying that is again, their strongest sense is their nose. And if they smell food, which they cannot get at, that creates compulsive licking, which is actually not healthy and can cause frustration in a dog. So you always want to make sure that how you're feeding them is positive licking, it's relaxing and rewarding. So I would have to assume then the licky mats that we have seen are not positive licking? Well, I think you really have to observe your dog. And because of food particles are getting caught in there and they can't get at it. What they will do is continue to go into compulsive licking, you know, look at the behavior of your dog and see how they're interacting with that. And Carol, you say that having our dogs eat correctly can actually change their behavior. What do you mean by that? Oh, absolutely. When a lot of dogs are getting more and more frustrated because of how we feed them. When you allow them to eat naturally, you will see more relaxed, a more relaxed stance. They're more calm, they enjoy the feeding process more so and they will not be as hyped up. I always tell people, if you want to know if you're giving your dog an enjoyable eating experience, watch their behavior after they eat. Are they calm? Are they relaxed? Are they satisfied with their meal, and if not, then there's something that you're doing to either impact one of their senses, or they're not able to get at their food or the food isn't being served in a way that they can control it. And I think we need to understand that, you know, instinctively there is a survival instinct in our dogs. And they know that they have to eat to survive, give them the opportunity to control their area, which is why giving them movement and the opportunity to engage in their meal will lead to better satisfaction. It reduces the anxiety. So if you have a dog that is gulping their food like crazy, regurgitating afterwards is frustrated. You know, they're in high anxiety and frustration during eating. Yep, that makes sense. Well, the good news is that Carol, you've made it your mission to come up with a better way to feed our dogs. And by the way, cats as well. So can you share how the mine pet platter came about? Yes. As I was saying before, we noticed that our little dog was eating way too fast and letting out a belch and one day I was preparing chicken for her. And I was cutting it up on a cutting board. And my daughter said why don't you give the scraps and juices to Pip our dog. I put it down on the floor. And for the next 15 minutes. I saw her walking around the board. sniffing, licking. And this went on for almost 15 minutes. She usually finished her meal in about 45 seconds. And she looked up at me licked her lips with his great look of satisfaction and laid down and it was like oh my god. So when my husband had come home and I told him about it. He said eureka! and I'm a psychologist and sociologist so we started out by observing how wolves and mountain lions eat in the wild reading, doing observational studies of how wolves and mountain lions kill prey, talking to various professionals in the industry. In fact, I volunteer at the zoo right now. And so it let us understand what natural instinctive eating is all about. So we took those core ideas, and my husband, who was a product designer translated those into what is the original mine pet platter. And it is a platter in a bone shape that sits flat on the floor. And it has a ridge going around, as well as scoops in the center. And the whole notion of it is that it gives 360 degree view and movement. So they have complete vision of what is going on around them. And they can also control by moving around and eating where they want to. The other point is that you can spread the food all over. So what you'll see your dog do is go into sensory exploration, he is sniffing out the different nutrient components of his meal. And you'll see him to start pick up and licking those portions of the meal that he needs. First, second, and third and what his preferences are. So we're stimulating his mind and how He rewards himself by getting those nutrients. Then the scoops in there promote licking. And the scoops are very easy to get up. It resembles the ends of bones and the licking it leads to a very rewarding experience. There's no frustration involved. But all that positive looking is releasing positive endorphins which make it rewarding and calming. Which naturally slow the eating process down. So what we basically did was to take what Mother Nature has done with wolves, and we translate it into the platter. And the interesting thing is when you let them eat naturally like they do from the pet platter. It eliminates the problems we've caused. So they'll no longer dump out their bowl. They do that because they want to sniff out what's in the bowl. It's just another example of you know, when you let them eat the way they're meant to. You don't have any problems anymore. Well, I think I am your biggest fan newest, biggest fan. I tried the pet platter with my dog Winston. And we did a little test. So the same exact meal for breakfast, we put it in the bowl, and it was gone in 27 seconds. We put the same exact meal on the pet platter that evening for dinner. And it took him four and a half minutes. And you're right. It's a totally different experience. And he takes his time. And he walks around the platter because we don't put it up against the wall. And we can put it in the dishwasher. It's dishwasher safe. And do you want to talk about the materials that it's made of because it's actually a warming plastic? Right, it's actually made with cellulose fiber, which comes from plant life. And it is a warm material. So if you ever put any sort of sticky like friendly dog friendly peanut butter or anything, it tends to cling to it more. And the one thing that my husband and I spent a great deal of time on was manufacturing and material. cancer rates among cats and dogs are doubling every year. And we feel it's not only what you serve, but how you serve your pets. So our mission was to go out and find the absolute best material we could and the cellulose fiber makes this platter so strong that you know even a Rottweiler could bite into it and and it would be fine. But the other thing is our manufacturing. We are 100% USA. Our manufacturing facility is in Wisconsin. Everybody there uses the pet platter. It's sort of a family orientation. But we make sure that there are good manufacturing processes in place. And I'm up in Wisconsin all the time. But two things pet parents need to understand. What is the material? Where is it sourced from? And where is it manufactured? We even went so far, because we consider this such a mission. After the platter was manufactured, we sent it in for independent lab testing, to prove that it is food safe. So it's nonporous. Great for raw feeding. But you don't have to worry, nothing is going to Leach. And it is more expensive because of that. But we were either going to do it right or not at all. So we're very proud of the time and energy we put into that. And like you, you know, we're committed to benefiting the health and well being of our pets, and there is no compromise that we put in there. You should be proud because it is a phenomenal product. It's just like I, you know, a V8 moment you put your hand on your head and smack your forehead, like why didn't I think of this? Why have we been feeding wrong? All this time, it just, this makes so much sense. And I love that the pet platter is for any type of food that you feed your dog. So whether it's dry, wet, canned, raw, freeze dried, it works for all types of food. And remember that you can also freeze foods on it, such as goat's milk, bone broth, or yogurt. And you can even pop yogurt and then pop blueberries in the little divots pop it in the freezer, and then it acts like little ice cream cones. And so one of the things I should say if you have an A high anxiety dog, and I know a lot of people have gone out and gotten rescues during the pandemic, and I get a lot of requests about how do you deal with anxiety and transitioning to a new home. And one of the things that I did with a gal who got a rescue I told her take doggy friendly peanut butter, put it all over the platter, leave it on the floor and then come back. And so her dog used to literally tear the apartment because separation anxiety was so extreme. And after she did this, she came back and he was asleep by the pet platter. So all that positive licking. Just relaxed the dog and put them sound to sleep. So if you have a rescue, and we're working with a number of rescues, now people are writing into us, you know, the pet platter, will will take the anxiety away, especially if you don't know what emotional or physical trauma your dog may have been through the open field vision of the pet platters, his ability to control and move around his ability to lick all of those things are going to contribute to less anxiety and a more relaxed dog. So you can you know, slowly but gently bring them into your family life. That's a great point. And Carol, what is the significance of the platter colors? Well, my husband and I actually look into that a lot of people think that dogs see black and white. But that's not true. They do have a color spectrum, although it's different from ours. So we selected colors that they can not only see, but they can differentiate. And the reason for that is if you have more than one dog get a different color platter for each dog, the first color platter that you start feeding them with, they'll adopt that as their personal feeding territory. And they won't go to the other color because they respect each other's feeding territory then, so it's just one of the things we tried to do because we know when you have multiple dogs resource guarding and aggressive behavior can become a problem. So just make sure you get different colors. And What colors do you offer? We have a yellow, a teal and a red. And you have two sizes for dogs correct? one for small one for large dogs? Right if your dog is under 30 to 35 pounds, we suggest the small bone over 30 to 35 pounds the larger one but if your dog is an excessively fast eater, then we kind of opt for going to the next larger size just To help them with that. And also, for those people who have flat face dogs, what we recommend is the pet platter because there is nothing poking into their noses. I hope you don't mind if I talk about slow feeders. one of the things to look out for is if you go up and try to touch your dog's nose, they'll immediately swerve from you. They don't like things touching their nose, it's part of their survival instinct it’s how they see the world. But they have sensitive mucous glands on the inside of their noses. If those dry out or are hit into, it becomes irritated, which interferes with their ability to smell. So you don't want anything projecting into their faces. And what I often say is, if you're sitting down at the dinner table, would you want somebody there with a rubber nose hitting into your face? No. You know, again, it's understanding what their nose is all about, and how important that sense is. That's why everything on the pet platter goes down, downward, nothing projects out. And that's to protect their nose. So by spreading the food out and having the scoops go down, through natural feeding, you're slowing the process. And the other thing is, you know, again, watch your dog's behavior, if they become aggressive after you're feeling a certain way. You know, something's wrong. If they're frustrated or walking in circles. They're trying to communicate with you. I need to I need to eat a different way. Well, I promised everybody that you would learn something today. And I I really guarantee that not all of us know everything that Carol is sharing with us. So the last thing I want to say, of course, you do have a platter for cats as well, so you can eat the whole family. well, we're coming out with those at the end of the year or beginning of next year. We're working very hard on that. But stay tuned to our website and we will be getting that out shortly. And I'm sure everybody is wondering as usual do we get a discount? Well, yes, you guys do get a discount because I have vetted the pet platter and want everybody to have one. all dogs need a pet platter. So the offer is the team at the mine pet platter is giving 10% off. All you have to do is use the code WOL10. Again for 10% off. So thank you, Carol and team for offering that. Carol. Where can everyone find out more information about you and the mine pet platter? Well, you can go to our website, https://minepetplatter.com/ and it tells the history of how we came about and everything about the platter. But you know what we love to hear back from our pet parents. We have people contacting us all the time. Our goal is to help make the world better for our dogs and cats. We're here to share our information and to help other people. So feel free to contact us. We're always here to help. Carol, I can't thank you enough for being with us today and for the amazing products that you make. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you, and thanks for helping us get our information out by sharing all this knowledge together where we help one another. Thanks Krista. Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for tuning in again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the Bark About it section. Or you can click on the social media buttons to share an episode. Special thanks to Carol for being on the show. Catch you next time! Also, don’t forget to Subscribe for FREE and please leave a review: Apple Podcasts | Android | Spotify I Stitcher I iHeartRADIO “The Wag Out Loud pawdcast is supported by listeners like you! The show started as a passion project that would help all of us make well-informed decisions for our dogs’ health and well-being. After many amazing guests, intriguing topics and incredible feedback, the WOL pawdcast is hitting a nerve. 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