Dog Bowls

The dog bowls on this page split by the problem they solve rather than by material. A dog that eats too fast needs ridges or a textured licking surface; a dog that shoves the bowl across the kitchen needs weight or a rubber base; a long-eared breed needs a narrow, tapered bowl; and an outdoor dog in an Australian summer benefits from a cooling bowl.

Which bowl for which dog

Fast eaters — the Lickimat UFO, Wobble and OH Bowl put a textured licking surface inside a bowl, while the Dogit Go Slow Anti-Gulping dish and the All Fur You Wobbler use a raised centre to break the meal up. Bowl pushers and spillers — the West Paw No-Slip bowls sit in a moulded rubber ring, and the All Fur You Spill Proof and Raised Non-Spill bowls keep the water in when a dog drinks heavily. Long ears — the Buster IncrediBowl is tapered so spaniel and hound ears stay out of dinner. Crates and travel — the MidWest Snap'y Fit clips onto crate bars so it cannot be tipped. Hot weather — the All for Paws Chill Out Cooler Bowl.

Slow feeder dog bowls

A slow feeder dog bowl puts something in the way of each mouthful — a moulded maze, a raised centre column, or a textured surface the dog has to lick rather than scoop — so a meal that disappeared in twenty seconds takes several minutes instead. That is worth doing for dogs that gulp air with their food, for households where one dog finishes first and then starts on another's bowl, and for a bored dog who gets something to do out of dinner. The three designs here suit different dogs. Maze and ridge dishes such as the Dogit Go Slow work best with dry kibble, since the pieces have to be worked out of the channels. Raised-centre bowls like the All Fur You Wobbler also rock as the dog eats, which slows things further but needs a floor you do not mind food landing on. The Lickimat UFO, Wobble and OH Bowl hold wet food, yoghurt or a spread across a textured surface and slow a dog most of all — rinse them straight after a meal, because wet food sets hard in the grooves. One caution on sizing: match the maze depth to the muzzle, since a flat-faced breed can be stopped by a deep maze rather than merely slowed by it.

Sizing and cleaning

Check the listed capacity rather than the diameter: two bowls the same width across the top can hold very different volumes once a slow-feeder maze is moulded into the base. Stainless steel inserts and the Dogit 2-in-1 dishes are dishwasher safe; silicone licking surfaces are best rinsed straight after a meal, because dried wet food sets hard in the grooves. Elevated bowls suit tall and older dogs, but if yours is a deep-chested breed, put the question of bowl height to your vet rather than assuming higher is safer.

• Dog slow feeders and lick mats
• Lickimat range
• Dogit range
• West Paw range
• All Fur You range
• All feeding tools