Unless you are cooking your dog’s meals instead of serving them from a bag, box, or can, after-meal cleanup should not be complicated. But let’s face it, some dogs, like some people, are just sloppy eaters.

Instead of trying to improve your dog’s mealtime manners, try some of these suggestions.

1. To make cleaning your dog’s food bowls easier, coat them with vegetable cooking spray to keep food from sticking on the bottom.

2. An alternative to using cooking spray on your dog’s bowls is to purchase nonstick bowls for him. Nonstick bowls are available in kitchen stores or housewares departments.

3. To keep food from flying onto the floor around your dog’s food dish, place the dish on a tray instead of a place mat.

4. Plastic salad bar containers with lid and bottom still connected can become food and water dishes or a tray on which to place your dog’s regular bowl to keep food and water from spilling.

5. If you are caring for a litter of puppies that have been weaned, competition for food may become intense. Instead of giving each one a separate dish, try feeding them from a muffin tin to keep cleanup chores to a minimum.