Choosing a bowl for your dog may not seem one of the more important decisions you have to make for your dog; however, you would be surprised to learn of the things that you need to take in to account when you set out to buy your furry friend a brand new bowl. When you get to the dog bowl aisle of your pet store you will find yourself faced with a few choices: ceramic, plastic or stainless steel being the primary choices you will need to decide upon and then you will need to look at whether you want to purchase a “raised feeder” for your dog which will bring your dog’s bowls off the floor and up to a more comfortable height for him.

The primary choice of bowls: ceramic, plastic or stainless steel is an easy choice to make -ALWAYS go with stainless steel bowls. Stainless steel bowls are not only easy to clean but they are non porous unlike plastic and ceramic. Having non porous bowls is important because it lessens the likelihood of bacteria growth in your dog’s bowls and bacteria growth leads to infections and illness that you don’t ever want to willingly expose your dog to. Using stainless steel bowls will also decrease the chance that your dog will suffer from acne, dog acne is, nine times out of ten, a result of poor hygiene in the feeding area – using stainless steel bowls will cut the chance of bacteria therefore reducing your dog’s chance of suffering from acne.

Now we move on to raised feeders. Raised feeders are recommended not only by animal experts but also by vets everywhere for many reasons, the primary of which is cleanliness. Raising your dog’s food off the floor reduces the chance that bugs will crawl towards and in to your dog’s feeding area, Keeping food away from the floor area is also cleaner simply because when your dog eats on floor level he is more likely to spill masses of food on the floor and retrieve them along with whatever else is already growing on your kitchen tiles!

Raised feeders are also recommended for dogs because lifting food up to your dog’s shoulder level reduces the strain of bending down to eat. Senior dog’s with arthritis, dog’s with joint problems and larger breeds of dog find this to be a problem when it comes to meal time and being able to raise the food up instead of your dog having to bend down eliminates a lot of the pain that goes with repetitive bending to eat. If you do have a dog that is at risk for bloating while eating talk to your vet before procuring your raised feeder!

Keep in mind when you purchase a raised feeder that not every raised feeder is ideal for every dog. Metal feeders have a tendency to rust when they are not wiped dry after use. Plastic feeders with storage space underneath tend to prompt mold growth in dogs that are sloppy drinkers.

There are other questions that many dog owners run in to when it comes to feeding and food bowls for their dogs and most of the time there is already a product on the market to cater to these questions. Two of the questions that crop up most frequently are in regards to dog bowls sliding all over the floor when a raised feeder is not being used and dogs that eat too quickly.

Dog bowls that slide are annoying not only to your dog but also to everyone in your house that has to listen to your dog playing hockey with his bowl across the kitchen floor. There are two solutions to sliding bowls: primarily I recommend using a raised feeder so that your dog’s bowls are kept contained and your dog is unable to push them around the floor. The second option for sliding bowls is to purchase a stainless steel bowl with a rubber footer/ rubber feet, these feet keep your dog’s bowl from slipping and sliding. You can also try using a mat to keep your dog’s bowls on; however, these are not always effective in stopping your dog from knocking his bowl off the mat and on to the floor while eating.

Dog’s that eat too quickly result in dog’s with tummy aches, gas and sometimes even bloat, a devastating symptom which results in needing surgical correction. There are a couple of ways to avoid your dog inhaling his food, the easiest and the one that I use for Jet, is to place his Kong toy in the center of his bowl on top of his food. Placing a toy in the feeding bowl before giving it to your dog creates an obstacle for your dog to eat around which results in slower eating. Some dogs may be too smart for this trick and may remove the toy from their bowls, if this is the case you can try feeding your dog from a clean baking tray. Placing food on a flat baking tray makes it harder for your dog to inhale his food as he is only able to take a few pieces of kibble at one time. Finally, if you prefer not to use your baking wares to feed your dog there are a few dog bowls on the market which come with a built in mound in the middle of the bowl which will slow your dog’s eating in the same way that the toy method does; however, this is not removable but keep in mind that most of these bowls are plastic because of the molding needed to create them so I would use this as a last resort method.

Take your time shopping for the right bowls and raised feeder for your dog and your dog will thank you later!

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there

The children were nestled all snug in their beds
With no thought of the dog filling their head

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap
Knew he was cold, but didn’t care about that

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter

Away to the window I flew like a flash
Figuring the dog was free of his chain and into the trash

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
But Santa Claus – with eyes full of tears

He un-chained the dog, once so lively and quick
Last year’s Christmas present, now painfully thin and sick

More rapid than eagles he called the dog’s name
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain

“Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let’s find this dog a home where he’ll be loved by all.”

I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear

The gift of a dog is not just for the season
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons

In our haste to think of the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed

A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don’t give a gift, then put it on a chain

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight
“You weren’t given a gift! You were given a life!”

Author Unknown

What is denning? Denning is just what it sounds like – your dog’s natural instinct to create a warm and cozy place to sleep IE: a den. In the wild your dog would spend time creating a natural den in which to sleep, bring food home to and raise puppies in. A den is your dog’s warm, cozy, secure and most of all HIS place to live. Even though your dog may not have to create his den in the wild anymore he still possesses the instincts from centuries of life in the wild that tell him to den.

So how does my dog den? Different dogs have different ways of denning but some behaviours you may observe are hoarding of toys/bones in the bedding area, moving of blankets or pillows that are in his sleeping area, digging in his sleeping area and circling before laying down. All of these are ways in which your dog creates a comfortable area for himself to sleep and have roots in instinctive behaviour.

- Your dog will hoard toys and bones in his sleeping area just as he would hoard food and physical things he obtains in the wild. Just because you know you’re not going to steal from your dog he can’t be sure you aren’t going to steal from him, not only this but familiar objects also create a sense of home for your dog just as they do for you.

- Moving of blankets and pillows, circling before laying down, as well as digging in his bedding are examples of nesting behaviour. Your dog does not have the privilege of blankets and pillows in the wild, his bedding in nature would be comprised of leaves and dirt and whatever he could scavenge. Leaves and dirt do not hold shape like a blanket and you can imagine they are not as comfortable either and so your dog must move things, dig around in things and circle before he can comfortably sleep.

Your dog can have the most comfortable sleeping area in the world and he will still exhibit some of these behaviours and he understands them just as much as you do. If you have a dog who seems to be a little neurotic about these denning behaviours you would be well served to provide him with a crate where he can confine his possessions and feel cozy without feeling exposed.