Sample of dog bowls and feeders
Dog bowls will be a frequent part of your daily routine. We feed our pups twice a day. They each have their own food bowl and share a 3rd water bowl. The best thing about dog bowls is if you get a nice metal or ceramic one they can last pretty much forever. In fact, one of our sets was passed down from our dog of 11 years before we got our current two.
As we have large dogs we’re fans of the elevated dog bowl models. They allow the dog to eat and drink without straining their back or neck and makes the food or water easier to swallow. It also reduces the overall mess since the dogs are not continually lifting and dropping their mouths full of food and water so much. Plus, the frames keep the bowls in place, which also reduces the mess, and if braced against a wall or counter keeps the bowls from being snouted across the floor. Both our dogs have open metal frames and we like them for their simplicity, ease of cleaning, and easy access for lifting the bowls in and out.
Dogs tend to be a bit rough on their bowls, so choose something durable. Heavy ceramic or strong stainless steel are good choices. Both clean up easy and can go through endless cycles in the dishwasher. Plus, stainless steel will inhibit the growth of bacteria, but should still be washed after each use. (And while this article is focused on the everyday necessary items, we should also share that for travel we do have a set of hard rubber bowls, and for hiking we carry a foldable nylon bowl.)
If not placing the bowls in a frame of any sort, again consider something kind of heavy and/or with a wide base to prevent tipping. If your dog can flip the bowl with a paw or snout, you will absolutely end up with spilled food or water on your floors on more than one occasion.
If your puppy is going to grow to be a big dog, it’s okay to start with their adult-sized version. Just make sure it is still going to be big enough to hold their adult-sized portions of food. Only really large or really active dogs will ever eat more than a couple cups of food at a time, so any of the standard bowls you’ll find on the market will likely suffice.
Slow feeders, bowls which inhibit the rapid consumption of food are a really good option if your dog tends to inhale their food. It slows them down, and ideally they take a moment to actually chew their food, before they gulp it all whole in a few quick mouthfuls. Eating in that manner is not healthy and likely to cause digestion issues.
Now the really fun part of buying your dog bowls is the choice of styles and colors is almost endless. You’ll find we offer both stainless steel and ceramic options, plus entire lines of bowls with your favorite sports team from the NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA, etc. And again, if you buy a durable one which your dog cannot chew, bite, flip, or shove around it is likely to last you a very long time. So have fun, take your time picking the right one for you and your pup since, again, it is going to be very regular part of your everyday use.
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