I can admit. I definitely have a special affinity for dog bowls. How can you resist? There are so many shapes, colors, materials and sizes – it’s wonderful! As designers we have a flair for nice looking functional things. The type of dog bowl one has can actually tell a lot about personality. Face it, the dog bowl isn’t really for Fido now is it? Yes, it’s meant for him but I guarantee he truly doesn’t care with what you serve him, but what’s for dinner instead. Dog bowls are definitely for dogs, but essentially the bowl type and style is entirely up to you.
Navigating the Wonderful World of Dog Bowls
Let me tell you, it’s not easy! It can get very intimidating at times. With such a vast selection, how do you pick the perfect pair? We’ve compiled this very extensive guide that will help narrow your selection. I’ve spent hours selecting and compiling links to our recommended dog bowls! It’s essentially all about form and function. What works best for you and your pooch in your space? Do you have whimsical flair? Do you like little colorful dog bowls that you don’t mind washing by hand? Or are you the modern minimalist who wants a low maintenance, high-style dog bowl that suits your clean contemporary flat? There’s a perfect bowl out there for you. You just gotta find it.
We like to reflect on the construction and material first then move to the style and design because Vish and I are big on functionality. Design comes second. Once you’ve figured out your preferred material and features of choice, then all you have to do is bravely search for dog bowls that correspond to your criteria. We have some great examples and recommendations for each type to give you a better visual snapshot of the different styles available.
Dogs will pretty much eat out of anything that’s clean and of good size. I think size is one of the main criteria you should consider before selecting your dog bowl. You wouldn’t want your cutie-patootie-puppy drowning in his bowl of water. Think of size like this – if you have a short nosed dog like a Chihuahua, then a small dog bowl is best suited for your little guy. For long nosed dogs like Halle, German Shepherds or Greyhounds, a deeper dog bowl is best. In this case, size does matter!
What to Look for in a Dog Bowl
You don’t want to be spending your precious time or money constantly buying new dog bowls. Here’s our fail proof recommendations. The dog bowl must be:
- Easy to Clean & Maintain
- Proper Size
- Flat or Rubber Bottom
- Well Priced
- One Bowl for Food & One for Water
- It’s gotta work for YOU – You must love it!
You should also consider dogs with long fluffy ears. I would advise Cocker Spaniel and Basset Hound owners to purchase a dog bowl with a narrower opening to protect their floppy ears. You don’t want their kissable ears to get wet or soiled with dog food because it could cause some serious ear problems. Plus you don’t want to be reaching for your dog ear cleaner too often either.
Dog bowls are super fun. There are no rules or limits, just functionality and personal taste. Are you ready? Ok. So let’s take look at your dog bowl options.
It’s a Material World
The best way to look at dog food bowls is to consider what they’re made of. There are 3 primary dog bowl materials; Plastic, Stainless Steel and Ceramic. They each have their own pros and cons which will narrow your selection.
- Most common, inexpensive, you could even find them at the dollar store.
- A gazillion color, shape and size options, many styles available.
- Easy to clean but will show wear and tear.
- Outdoor feeding friendly.
- If you’re leaning towards plastic, then look for recycled plastic dog bowls. Better for the environment.
We personally don’t recommend plastic bowls for various reasons:
- May cause allergies.
- Easy to crack & chip. Always inspect your dog food bowls regularly.
- Short life span.
- Avoid lightweight plastic dog bowls. They can be moved around too easily.
- Outdoor feeding friendly.
One of our plastic favorites – Wetnoz Studio Scoop Dog Dish.
- HBD Favorite! The best dog feeding bowls!
- Very easy to Clean & Dishwasher safe.
- Corrosion, odor, rust resistant.
- Certain models offer Wire stands.
- Conceals chewing and scratching marks.
- Outdoor feeding friendly.
- More and more popular with many fresh modern styles and designer dog bowls.
- Environmentally friendly (recyclable) and most are made of recycled material.
- Extremely tough & resistant even with rough chewers. Almost indestructible.
- Some models come with wider bottoms and Anti-skid rings.
- Fair-priced. Don’t purchase a cheap stainless steel dog bowl that will last you only a couple of months. Look for high quality thick stainless steel bowls. They cost a bit more but they have a longer lifespan that can go up to several years. The higher the quality means fewer problems for you down the line.
- If your dog tends to tip and play with his bowl, look for heavier stainless steel dog bowls with Non-tipping features.
Our Top Stainless Steel picks:
- Many Creative designs to suit all personalities. Here’s where you’ll usually find the popular pink dog bowls, designer dog bowls and the personalized dog bowls.
- Easy to clean.
- Fair-priced.
- Some may be dishwasher safe.
- Lightweight ceramic dog bowls are more prone to damages.
- Look for heavier ceramic dog bowls if you don’t want a water park in your kitchen.
- May get damaged easily. Inspect regularly for any cracks & chips because they could harbor some nasty bacteria that could get your dog sick.
Some of our Ceramic choices:
Of course you’ll also find glass, porcelain, stoneware and earthenware dog bowls. Just remember to consider your preferred features and pick a bowl that’s best for you and your loving companion.
With the Big Three out of the way, lets take a look at…
Specialty Dog Bowls
There are many specialty dog food bowls available on the market. Some are truly good like the travel bowls or slow eating bowls because they are very functional and not gimmicky. Others are questionable and trixie!
- Great for your dog and great for the planet.
- Many materials, colors, sizes and styles available.
- Easy to clean.
- Some are dishwasher friendly (top rack).
- Medium priced.
- Eco-friendly is definitely an HBD favorite!
Here are some wonderful Eco-Friendly dog bowls:
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- Polkadog Packabowl, Great for Travel too!
- A must for the any outdoorsy dog or sport breed. Great for camping, hiking and travelling.
- Inexpensive.
- Non-spill material/design.
- Compact, foldable, easy to clean and store. Made of durable materials.
- Since Halle is always ready for a fun car ride, she’s the “Queen of the back seat”. We always keep one in the car at all times.
- Look for ones with hooks and clips that you can hook up to your clothing or hiking bag.
A few we recommend:
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- Road Refresher – non spill dog travel bowl
- Chewber
Multipurpose dog toy and bowl. This is what Halle uses. Great for water breaks, tugs and fetch games on the go.
- Don’t fall for these. Huge gimmick!
- Highly not recommended because they don’t dispense proper amounts of dog food. Not reliable.
- You dog should never have his food sitting out exposed to air and sunlight for prolonged periods. It may go bad and cause digestive problems. Dog food must at all times be stored in a cool dark place and carefully sealed for optimum freshness and yumminess!
- Expensive. Not worth your money. Cheaply designed with low quality plastic parts that easily break.
- Your dog should have clean filtered, fresh water that is changed regularly throughout the day.
- Don’t feed your dog like it’s a free-for-all buffet because he’s gonna end up looking like an overweight ogre. Always offer fresh good-quality holistic and organic dog food manually, at scheduled times of the day.
- Unnatural for the dog to always have food available 24/7. Plus it exposes him to a high risk of obesity.
- If you’re going to be late for dinner or away for a prolonged period of time, be a responsible owner. Put your dog in doggy daycare or ask a friend or someone else to temporarily take care of him while you’re out.
Don’t buy into these automatic dispensers.
- Highly recommended for dogs that tend to wolf down their food with too much air.
- Great for dog breeds that are prone to bloat, like Halle.
- Slow eating bowls are fun and challenge your dog’s creative side too.
- We also recommend them for all dogs. Teaches them to slow down, which is a good thing.
- Fair-priced.
- Many fresh designer models available.
We recommend these Slow Eating Dog Bowls:
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- Brake Fast Slow Eating Bowl
- Eat Better Bowl, Available as a water bowl too!
We will go over the great “elevated dog bowl” debate in a future article.
- May cause bloat in certain dogs.
- Expensive.
- Not recommended. Also not necessary unless you have an extra large breed or your dog has some physical problems like back pain or arthritis.
- Beneficial for larger dog breeds (as they don’t have to bend their front legs to eat) and senior dogs.
- Unnatural for the dog to eat food elevated.
Our selection of elevated dog bowls:
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- Phuket Raised Dog Feeders
- Cantilever Raised Wrought Iron Double Dog Dinner
- High-rise Elevated Dog Feeders in High Gloss White
- Edo Storage Tables, YES it’s Zebra Wood!
- Great for outdoorsy dogs like Huskies.
- Keep your dog’s water from freezing in colder weather.
- Medium priced.
HBD Heated bowls recommendation:
- If they’re not biodegradable then they’re very WRONG for the planet, period! Come on folks, don’t be lazy and jump into the use and toss mentality when you have so many great dog bowls out there.
If you’re gonna go disposable at least go green:
You might feel like the options are never-ending! Take your time and stay focused on your dog bowl needs. Now that you have a better idea of what to get, remember to keep your furry friend’s feeding area clean and neat. Always offer a clean bowl. Give your dog 10 minutes max to eat his dinner and then take it away. We generally pop our stainless steel dog feeding bowls right into the dishwasher once Halle’s done licking ’em clean. Again, keep the feeding area clean at all times. Pick up any kibbles or pieces off the floor. We just point and Halle pleasingly does the job pronto.
Have you experienced any dog bowl disasters? Is your dog a silly clown that plays with his food or water? They can be so funny during dinnertime. Share your thoughts. What’s your most favorite dog bowl of all time? Stop fussing about your dog bowl and make dog feedings super fun! Good dog bowls are priceless – and Wonderful!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
We love our stainless steel bowls and wouldn’t use anything else. When on a trip our guys know how to drink from the bottle, in the car on a long trip we use a fabric little bowl. Otherwise, stainless, stainless, stainless. They come in different shapes and sizes
Jana with us it’s stainless steel bowls all the way ;)
No other type of bowl beats their functionality.
2 paws up to your guys for drinking from the bottle! Very cool :)
Some people might think that a stainless bowl is boring but there are many modern designer stainless bowls out there that fit great into a contemporary space.
If you go stainless, you never have to worry about your dog’s bowls for a pretty long time.
Thanks for sharing – wags to Jasmine.
Great post! Just wanted to add one to your Elevated Dog Bowls list. We picked up a really cool modern style feeder from http://www.TrendyPet.com. We have it for a while now, we love it and our dog loves it too!