All About Dog Bowls

We are a nation of pet lovers. We often rate our dogs as a family member...their needs sometimes coming before our own. We buy them toys, beds, treats and special food. Clothing remains optional!

A necessity for any dog is appropriate dog bowls. Whether we decide to cave in to our own desires and look for a bowl that is compatible with our home décor or style the goal should be obtaining a dog bowl that is suitable for our pet. In order to determine what makes a bowl suitable we should first consider the size of our dog.

Large dogs need bigger bowls. A dog bowl should be big enough to hold a full feeding, but not much more than that. A bowl that is too big can lead to over-filling and that can result in your dog becoming overweight.

Most dogs love to eat and therefore they spend more than a little time at their food and water bowls. Emphasis should be placed on providing comfort for your dog as he eats. A bowl with a flat bottom will help to prevent any tipping and spilling of food. Many dog bowls are equipped with rubber rims or feet that help to keep the dish from sliding across the floor. Dog bowls made of dishwasher-safe materials are preferable because the high water temperature in the dishwasher aids in killing bacteria and germs. Your pet's bowls should be cleaned after every use - just as you would clean your own.

Research has shown that elevated dog bowls can be beneficial - especially for larger dogs. By elevating the bowls the dog is not required to bend his neck toward the bowl. This aids in posture as well as digestion. For an older dog this may help to alleviate pain from sore or stiff joints and/or arthritis. To determine the appropriate height for the elevation you will need to measure your dog's height at the top of his front shoulder. The bowls should be positioned about 6 inches below that level. For smaller dogs the bowls should be about 4 below that level.

The dog's water bowl should be about twice the size of the food bowl. Water is the most important nutrient for your dog, therefore he should always be encouraged to drink water and a larger bowl will assist with that. Dogs lose water through panting and elimination which means they constantly need to replace that water. The bigger sized bowl will also decrease the number of times that you will need to refill the bowl. Everyone wins!

Are you forgetful or are there times that you have to be away from home for longer periods of time than your dog can go without food? If so you'll probably want to invest in an automatic feeder. These innovative bowls hold a substantial amount of food that is slowly dispensed into the feeding dish. As the dog eats away the food in the dish more will fall into place. Similar water bowls are also available.

As responsible pet owners we all try to meet the needs of our dogs. By providing the appropriate dog bowls we can help them in various ways while helping ourselves at the same time. This adds to our dogs' comfort and contentment and also lets them know how important they are to us. Dogs really do rule!

About the Author

Mike Brown Great resources for dog bowls http://dog-bowls.org/ http://dog-bowls.org/stainless-steel-dog-bowls.html

Source: Pets Articles on ArticlesTree.com





Recent Pets Articles

Training Mastiff Dogs
It’s an old wives tale that an owner must wait until their new puppy is six months before beginning training. Training of a new pup should begin as soon as you bring home your new pet. This is especially true with Mastiff dogs.

Surprises for your pets when left alone
Our loyal companions depend on us for life and love. We are not the only ones who can get depressed when left alone. Our pets are also susceptible to getting the lonely blues when we leave them home alone or at a kennel or boarding facility.

Sun Conure Birds - The Beautiful Exotic Sun Conure Bird
I have always believed that everybody needs a pet in life. Be it a dog, a cat or even a bird, a pet of some sort or another can be a wonderful stress relief. Just sitting and relaxing with your pet can be a nice way to end a really hectic day.

How German Shepherd Dogs Can Avoid The Fatal Toxic Gut Syndrome
German Shepherd Dogs are at high risk of developing a life-threatening disease called Toxic Gut Syndrome. Within a matter of a few hours after the condition begins, your dog could die. While it's most prominent in German Shepherd dogs, other breeds are at risk as well, both from this condition and several related ones.

Cat House Training Using Cat Care Techniques
Cats are clean creatures and are usually easy to train to use the litter box. Using their inborn behavioral instincts will aid in cat litter box training. Choosing the correct box, litter type, and being persistence in your house training process is critical for success.

Healthy Homemade Dog Food Recipe
Dog owners are now hesitant to feed their dogs with processed or commercial dog food due to recent reports and news about food contamination on commercial dog food causing illnesses and premature deaths of dogs.

Labrador Retriever and CDV
Canine distemper is a contagious disease affecting large number of animal species, including your Labrador Retriever. This viral disease caused by canine distemper virus (CDV) affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous system.

Dog Training - Crate Training Pros and Cons
Dog Training - Crate Training Pros and Cons Debate continues unabated about whether or not crate training dogs is healthy or harmful. 'Crating' involves placing a pet in a cage, usually plastic or metal of roughly the size of the dog, for a period of time during the day or night.

Pet Shipping And International Adoption
International pet adoption of rare and/or expensive breeds is a common choice for people seeking those animals at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, international pet adoption scams are also more commonplace, as reported on various news stories.

Why Choose an American Bandog Mastiff Puppy
When you choose a pure-bred dog, you basically know what you are getting, 2 or 3 years down the line. You can know in advance the size and ahape of the mature dog, his color and temperament. So consider more than the "cuteness" factor.

The American Mastiff
The hybrid American Bandog Mastiff is a relative newcomer on the scene. But these wonderful dogs possess an ancestry that is part American Pit Bull Terrier; part Neapolitan Mastiff, even though the breed is only 40 years old.

Questions To Ask Before Getting Pets For Adoption
If you love dogs, love all animals, and hate to see an animal suffer just because the pet owner could not afford to get the information, you are so desperately needed to raise and protect your new pets.

Pet Insurance - Yes Or No
A large percentage of pet owners cannot see the benefit of pet insurance; this is peculiar when they are generally loved like any other person in the home. When it comes to looking after our own health needs, we do not forget how important it is; if we really cared out our pet's health we would not neglect them would we? Contrary to the belief of many, this is an important monthly expense; this attitude quickly changes when these pet owners are presented with the bills for treatment.

Natural Dog Food Vs. Commercial Dog Food
With all the scares into today's news, many people are very concerned about the dangers of commercial dog food. As a result, many pet owners make their own natural dog foods. This choice means you give your pets higher quality, healthy food that is safe.

Let Your Dog Play With Their Food
You're at work all day, and you come home, tired and hungry yourself. But your dog, who spent the whole day napping, is well rested and ready for play time. As much as you love your dog, you really just want her to entertain herself while you have a relaxing dinner.