Almost all dog breeds are sloppy drinkers; some are just messier than others. Luckily, the splashes and spills of your pet dog can be reduced by choosing a better water bowl. Yes, we do have the technology.
Deciding the best dog water bowl for sloppy drinkers might be a bit overwhelming, though, as there are many options with different features, designs, sizes, and colors.
To help simplify your selection process, we’ve compiled a list of the best dog-friendly water bowls today. But before we get into our top picks, let’s discuss why dogs need specialized water bowls.
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How Do Specialized Water Bowls Help?
There are two reasons why dogs are such messy drinkers: cheeks and paws.
Dogs, as well as most carnivores, don’t have the most convenient cheeks when it comes to suction. In addition, dogs don’t have hands, and they can’t bring the water up to their mouth using their paws.
So, dogs use their tongue muscles to bring the water up to their mouth, and they have to do this quickly before the water spills out of their tongue. This, in turn, results in one big wet mess.
Of course, it gets messier if the dog is thirsty or is in a playful mood.
It’s also worth noting that some dog breeds have long hair and ears that take a dip into the water while they’re drinking and splash water everywhere.
Dogs require about one ounce of water for every pound of their weight each day, so the drinking mess is bound to happen multiple times a day.
If you don’t dry your floor every time your dog drinks, water might damage your floors and carpets. This can be pretty frustrating to deal with, especially in high-traffic areas (wet socks, anyone?)
This is why you need a water bowl for sloppy drinkers.
Dog Water Bowls for Sloppy Drinkers
Not all dogs are the same. Some are larger than others, and some are more active than others. Having said that, many dogs can benefit from a spill-proof water bowl designed to accommodate sloppy drinking.
All dog water bowls shown in this post are designed around the main idea of limiting or slowing down the amount of water accessed by your dog. This slows the dog down while drinking and prevents the mess.
Luckily for you, since so many dogs are messy drinkers, there are a lot of products on the market to help prevent dogs from slobbering water everywhere. You will need to pick one that is suitable for your pup’s breed, size, and traits.
That said, here are the best dog water bowls on the market today:
1. The Slopper Stopper
The Slopper Stopper (among many cleverly named bowls on this list) is a unique patented design. It has a snap-on lid that both reduces the amount of open drinking area, and also forces the water to be lower.
The net result is like placing a lower, smaller bowl inside the actual bowl (but without reducing overall water capacity). The lid keeps the dog’s ears and facial hair dry so they don’t drop water everywhere. It also prevents your dog from gulping too much water, which can lead to choking.
The Slopper Stopper bowl is stainless steel and comes in three different sizes for different breeds: Mammoth, Medium, and Small. All three sizes take up to one gallon of water. Be sure to pick out the right size for your dog, and keep in mind that you will need to regularly take apart and clean this to prevent any bacterial growth.
2. Road Refresher
The Road Refresher is another spill-proof bowl for your messy drinker. It’s made of BPA-free polypropylene, which makes it light and durable. It has three parts: the floating plate, black top, and main bowl.
The floating plate design helps promote slow drinking. It does this by limiting how much water can flow upward through the plate at once.
The black topper part of the bowl is great for dog breeds that have long ears or beards. Lastly, the bowl comes with a non-slip Velcro foot to keep it in place.
The Road Refresher comes in three sizes for different dog breeds: small, large, and extra-large. These sizes can be filled with water from 20oz up to 47oz. As with all bowls on this list, make sure you regularly take it apart and clean it out.
3. Ray Allen Buddy Bowl
The Ray Allen Buddy Bowl is a spill-proof water bowl. It has both a top lid that narrows the drinking area, and a inner bowl that slows down the rate of available water.
This design helps dogs take small slurps, which prevents the choking hazard. This also means that dogs won’t splash or wet their ears and facial hair.
Ray Allen Buddy Bowl Comes in three different colors; white, black, and coyote (gold). Currently, 44 oz is the only size available.
4. Neater Feeder Express
The Neater Feeder is a system for less messy food and water consumption. Rather than trying to limit how fast a dog can drink or eat, it instead tries to contain the mess within its walls.
The Neater Feeder has high walls to prevent spilling of water or food outside the area. And it has a container under the bowls that stores the spilled water in it. Both techniques keep your floor dry and clean.
The Neater Feeder is available in two variants: Express and Deluxe. The difference between Neater Feeder Deluxe and Neater Feeder Express is the guard heights, and the ability to add leg extensions to raise the height of the bowls. For more information on elevating your dog’s bowls, check out this blog post.
- The Neater Feeder Express comes in sizes S (for small dogs) and M/L (for medium to large dogs). It has a 4.5″ Splash Guard and a feeding height of 5.5″. The Express version is not compatible with leg extensions.
- The Neater Feeder Deluxe comes in sizes small, medium, and large. It has a 5-inch Splash Guard and a 5″ feeding height, with leg extensions up to a 7.5″ feeding height.
Each version has different color options including: almond, cappuccino, gunmetal, aquamarine, cranberry, and black.
5. Golden Wolf Less-Mess
The Golden Wolf Less-Mess bowl is a spill-proof dog bowl with a floating disk feature that prevents your dog from drinking too quickly.
The floating disk also protects the water from dirt and dust, keeping it clean and fresh for your dog.
This bowl is non-slip, so it would be hard for your dog to kick or turnover. It’s not complicated to use, as it has no lid or seals.
The main benefit of this design over more complicated mess-proof designs is that it has fewer interlocking parts. There’s no snap-on pieces that risk breakage when you take it apart to clean the bowl.
Golden Wolf Less-Mess bowl holds up to 24 oz of water, which makes it suitable for all dog breeds and sizes.
6. Kurgo Splash Free Wander
Kurgo Splash Free Wander water bowl is a splash-free and non-spill bowl. Its tapered tip reduces the splashing and mess of your sloppy drinker.
Unlike the other bowls on this list, it is specifically designed for travel. That weird tilt you may have noticed? That’s so you can set the bowl of water (or food) on a car seat, which is tilted, and have the bowl sit level.
This means hassle-free, mess-free travel drinking and eating for your pup.
It’s made of food-grade silicone, which is safe to use. And the silicone makes it very lightweight, so it’s easy to travel with and store.
Kurgo Splash Free Wander water bowl dimensions are 7.3 × 2.75 × 7.3 inches and can be filled with up to 24 ounces of water. It comes in two colors: red and blue.
7. Petmate No Spill Bowl
The splash-free Petmate No Spill Bowl has a narrow opening to prevent splashes. As with the other bowls of this design, the narrow opening keeps their hair and ears dry and lessens the available amount of drinking area.
This is definitely the most budget friendly option of the bunch, coming it an under $10 at the time of this post.
Petmate No Spill Bowl is made of hard plastic, can hold up to 48 oz and comes in blue with a gray lid.
8. UPSKY No-Spill
The Upsky is a spill-proof and no-mess dog water bowl. It works similar to the Road Refresher but with a slightly more modern look. The bowl has three components: the bottom bowl, a floating disk, and the top lip.
The floating disk keeps the main water supply largely free of contaminants (for example, if your pup drools pieces kibbles into their water bowl). The paw-shaped opening in the center allows for a small amount of water to pass through. This provides a shallow drinking bowl that they can drink from, without drinking too much, too quickly.
It also has a non-slip bottom, keeping it from sloshing around the floor.
The Upsky bowl comes in four colors, and two sizes: 35 ounces and 70 ounces, and is suitable for all sizes and breeds.
Conclusion
Regular hydration is very important for your dog and doesn’t have to come at the expense of your clean, dry floors! As we’ve seen in this post, a lot of engineering thought has gone into making a bowl that keeps your pup hydrated while causing as little mess as possible.
So, if you’ve got a sloppy drinker, try out one of the options on this list to keep your home clean, and your pup from drinking too quickly to the point of choking.
Be sure to remember to keep your dog’s bowl fresh and full at all times.
All of the bowls on this list require cleaning on a regular basis, at least once a week. Scrub the bowl with soap under hot water or, if it’s dishwasher safe, run it in the dishwasher on the hottest cycle.
We hope you’ve found an option that suits your needs and your pup’s size. Good luck and enjoy your clean(er) floors!
