Bolting food is not simply a bad habit. A dog who swallows a bowlful in seconds takes air down with it, and that means burping, wind and sometimes the whole meal back up on the carpet ten minutes later. A maze bowl fixes it mechanically rather than through training, breaking the food into small pockets between raised ridges that have to be worked at one at a time.

This one is shallow silicone rather than moulded hard plastic, and that changes how it behaves in daily use. The whole plate flexes, so wet food and pastes come out of the channels under your thumb instead of drying into them, and it lies flat in a dishwasher rack. Silicone grips the floor on its own too, with no rubber ring to peel off and lose, so it does not skate away under a pushing nose.

• Food-grade silicone, 19cm across and 3.2cm deep
• Raised maze ridges to slow fast eaters
• Flexible throughout, so it wipes and rinses out easily
• Dishwasher friendly
• Three colours: Lime, Lavender and Snow Mountain
• Works for kibble, wet food, toppers and lick pastes
• Suits dogs and cats alike

On the measurements, and on what it will not fix. The maker notes that all parameters are measured by hand, so treat 19cm as close rather than exact. And a slow feeder stretches a meal out; it does not cure resource guarding or the anxiety behind frantic eating. If your dog panics at the bowl, that is a training question rather than a bowl question.

Who it's for: Dogs and cats who empty a bowl in seconds, and anyone using lick mats to settle a restless pet.