Without a dog bowl, it will be difficult to serve your dog the carefully selected dog food. But don’t buy just any product to fill up your furry nose. Meanwhile, in the stores you can find an enormous selection of variants with different properties. It pays in everyday life to choose the bowl to suit the dog.

Feeding Bowls For The Dog Are Available In All Variants

When buying a dog bowl, you are spoiled for choice from different colors, sizes, shapes and materials. The enormous variety makes the bowl search difficult, because a wrong purchase can make your dog’s eating a burden or even harm him. We have the most important tips for the selection here for you:

• Buy a dog bowl that is as practical as possible for you and your dog.
• Easy-care and hygienic materials save time and keep your pet healthy.
• If you want, buy the bowl in a design that matches the decor or looks good for some other reason.
• The bowl size should fit the size of the animal, but still leave air so that nothing goes wrong when eating.
• There is a solution for every eating problem: for example, an anti-wolfing bowl slows down a wolfing dog.

Anti-Wobble Bowl And More: Common Designs Of Bowls For Dogs

There are not only plain bowls for sale in stores. Although the round and low food bowls for dogs are as normal as plates for humans, there are several other variations available.

A feeding station or feeding bar is a device that holds two or more bowls. It looks like a low bench. There are additionally alternatives that resemble a stool or a music stand. The advantage of this is that the dog needs two bowls anyway (food and water). The holder provides the necessary stand due to the additional weight and prevents constant slipping when feeding. Last but not least, feeding stations look appealing and chic.

• Some models have a back wall that protects your wallpaper from splashing food and water.
• If you don’t always want to put the bowls up first before cleaning the floor, buy a wall-mounted feeding station.
• Special food bars offer a lockable substructure for food bags or cans.

A raised dog bowl is designed to allow dogs with old or injured joints to eat in a painless and relaxed manner. Since it’s not always easy to determine the perfect height for eating, we advise using height-adjustable models.

Your dog can’t eat his portion of food fast enough? What on the one hand speaks for your excellent barfing skills or a good brand food, can on the other hand cause your four-legged friend severe stomach problems. With an anti-gulping dog bowl, your friend has no choice but to eat slowly. For a more controlled intake of the food provides a food maze.

Other Special Designs For Special Cases

While many dogs can hardly stop eating, others like to leave leftovers in the bowl because they don’t feel as hungry. With dry food, this is usually not a problem. But wet food dries out quickly in the air and spoils easily at room temperature. A dog bowl with a lid is a good solution to preserve freshness. Simply close the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. You should let the food warm up before serving it again.

How do you actually feed your dog while traveling? Foldable bowls are ideal for feeding. They can be folded before and after use to save space and stowed in bags and suitcases. However, it is particularly difficult to provide water when you are far from home. On a hike, a water bottle with a fold-out bowl proves its worth. There are also bowls without lids, which allow access to water even during a car ride due to their anti-slosh function.

What your dog food station, elevated dog bowl or other dog food bowls should definitely have are rubberized feet or a silicone rim on the bottom. These features make the bowl non-slip or slip-resistant, so your dog won’t push his food all over the room.

When buying, make sure the dog food bar is suitable for the location where it will be placed. You can put outdoor bowls in your kitchen, but an indoor product probably can’t handle the weather in your backyard. Here you may have problems with extreme temperatures or humidity.

Carpet Pad Under The Feeding Station For The Dog – Yes Or No?

A bowl pad is always a good investment. The dog bowl or food bar for the dog itself rarely bring protection from spilling food crumbs or splashing drinking water. The pad protects the floor and incidentally provides a better grip on the bowls. An anti-snacking bowl for the dog can also reduce the cleaning effort for you.

Feeding Bowls For Dogs Are Made Of These Materials

A dog bowl is usually made of one of the following materials:

• Melamine
• Ceramic
• Stainless steel
• Wood
• Silicone

What are the advantages and disadvantages associated with them, and which materials are safe?

Melamine Bowl

Melamine is a special plastic that you can equip with a variety of designs. It is pleasantly resistant to breakage and does not splinter. It is also easy to clean. Unfortunately, like many types of plastic, melamine is not completely safe due to problematic ingredients. These can be dissolved out by high temperatures, acids, fats and salts and pass into the food. However, since melamine is mostly used as a material for bowl holders, but the bowl itself is made of stainless steel, there is nothing wrong with using it.

Ceramic Dog Bowl

A ceramic dog bowl brings a flair of the Mediterranean Sea and thus a vacation atmosphere into your home. In addition to the attractive appearance speaks for the material its naturalness, its high stability and its harmlessness for the dog. Unfortunately, a ceramic dog bowl can break quickly. A ceramic dog bowl is often an anti-snagging bowl for the dog.

Stainless Steel Dog Bowl

Unlike a ceramic dog bowl, a stainless steel bowl will not break. The metal is absolutely harmless, very easy to clean and compatible with any type of food (moist, semi-moist and wet]. When eating, there are no scratches on the surface and metal bowls are furthermore suitable for temperate eating. The disadvantage is that some dogs are reluctant to eat from a stainless steel bowl.

Wood As A Bowl Material

Wood rarely appears as a material for a dog bowl, and that’s a good thing. Although such bowls look natural and beautiful, but in the fine wood pores also all kinds of germs and bacteria make themselves comfortable. Hygiene when eating looks different. In addition, wooden bowls are unsuitable for wet food, because that leaves stains.

However, a raised dog bowl often comes with a frame made of painted wood, which is a good compromise. Attention: Wood invites some dogs to chew. Therefore, you should know your four-legged friend well and, if necessary, resort to an alternative.

Silicone Dog Bowl

Feeding bowls for the dog can also be made of silicone. When buying, make sure that it is medical silicone, because only this is safe for the dog. Medical silicone is anti-allergenic, easy to clean and very lightweight. Since it is free of pores on its surface, no pathogens spread in the material.

Dog Bowl Or Food Bar For The Dog: This Is The Right Size

There is only one rule for choosing the size of a dog bowl: the bowl must be a little larger than the food portion. You determine the portion size based on factors such as your dog’s size, age, breed and activity level.

In the trade, bowl sizes are either indicated with diameters and heights, or you can find information about the capacity. Some dog bowls only offer space for about 200 milliliters of dog food, others even for 900 milliliters. In some cases, online stores also show all three sizes.

The bowls should be slightly larger than the amount of food – regardless of whether they are free-standing or recessed in a feeding station for the dog. Many dogs press their snouts into the food when they eat, so it will otherwise spill out. With the right size you prevent a mishap.

Cleaning Food And Water Bowls

Ideally, the dog bowl can simply be put in the dishwasher, because it gets really clean. You even save water compared to rinsing by hand. Clean bowls after every meal. You don’t want to eat from a dirty plate.

According to a study, daily water bowl cleaning is also necessary. The bowl is especially prone to germs because the drinking dog releases saliva into the water. The germs multiply and pass back into your dog’s mouth every time he drinks. If he then licks your face, you can also become infected.

FAQ About Dog Bowls

What Are The Best Bowls For Dogs?

The best bowl for your dog is the one that suits him best. Unfortunately, no general recommendation can be made. But with our tips you will find the right model in no time. Read also our guides with recommendations on the best dog bowls, for example this one.

Why Should You Buy A Raised Dog Bowl?

A raised dog bowl is easy on the joints. Larger dogs in particular seem to be able to eat more comfortably with it. For some animals, eating while standing upright even helps with stomach upset. In this regard, however, an anti-gulping bowl often already provides relief for the dog.

Should Large Dogs Eat From An Elevated Bowl?

Large dogs sometimes do better with elevated bowls. The upper edge should be at about the height of the breastbone. This way, your four-legged friend does not have to contort himself and can eat his food in a relaxed manner.

Elevated Dog Bowl: Why Should Dogs Eat Elevated?

This special design should facilitate digestion and protect the dog’s joints. However, no general rule can be derived from it. This bowl variant is not the right one for every animal.

What Is The Optimal Feeding Height For A Dog?

Pay attention to the signals of your dog to find out his optimal eating height. Does he eat well, is lively and has no problems afterwards? Then the height of the bowl already seems to fit. If your pelt-nose seems to show joint pain when eating or the digestion does not work optimally, a different feeding height could provide relief. In case of doubt, your vet will help you determine the height.

Do I Need A Feeding Station For Every Dog?

Dogs tend to envy food, so each pack member needs his own food bar. If possible, you should get a dog used to eating only from his own bowl right from the start. In order not to get confused yourself, it is a good idea to personalize all bowls.

Is There A Difference Between A Drinking Bowl And A Food Bowl?

It is possible without any problems to offer your four-legged friend exactly the same dog bowl model for eating and drinking. The only difference you should pay attention to is the number of containers. While your dog usually needs only one bowl, depending on the size of the house, apartment or garden, several drinking bowls may be necessary.