Our fondest memories are often associated with our pets. The touch of that wet nose or the warm body comforts us whenever we are upset…we cherish those long walks with them, the fun we had on the first seaside vacation where we took them; and how when we were too scared to get up in the middle of the night, they stood by us!

Pets mean so much for us, they have been our friends, comforters and protectors….it’d be less if I said they are our best friends. They are very much a part of our family…and there are some avid dog lovers who even throw a party on their pet’s birthday!

 Pet lovers can search every nook and corner for those perfect toys, foods, baskets, cushions and even clothes for their special friends! But there is that one aspect about our pet that we all face problems with is their eating habits. However clean your home may be, your dog is bound to mess it up when he drags his food bowl along the floor, or scatters it all over the room. You can either bear with it, or opt for an easy solution.

The solution to ending your pet’s eating problems, and dirtying your rooms is getting him a suitable food and water bowl. You can buy it in different shapes, colors or even have your dog’s name on it and make it special. Of course, you can even buy it in a matching color with his other things. But before going ahead with this idea, there are some practical aspects that need to be kept in mind. The following tips might help you in your search.

• The size of your dog is the first aspect you’ll have to consider when buying a food bowl. The bowl should hold enough food for one meal. Buying a bigger bowl would result in more food, and thus-over fooding! You don’t want your dog to be overfed and fat, do you? So choose a bowl that is keeping in sync with your dog’s size. Bigger dogs need large bowls and following the same logic, small ones would need a small bowl. When you go to the shop, make sure you check the dimensions of various bowls and choose one that would be just right to the size of your dog!

• Following close on the heels of this problem is another one that is as important! As said before, what is most common is your dog dragging the bowl all over the floor. This has to be prevented. The most viable solution is to buy a big bowl that is difficult dragging around. But this again would result is over feeding. But don’t fret! There is a solution to this too…and that is buying an anti skid bowl that has pads stuck to their bottoms and thus don’t budge from their place. Often, these light plastic bowls cannot bear the weight of the food and topple over. Obviously, if your dog is running across the room with his bowl, it is because the bowl is light so your dog is having problems reaching the food. These bowls make it easy for the dog to eat and also solve your problem of cleaning the floor each time they’ve finished eating.

• The bowls should be equipped to prevent any type of spillage, neither of food nor of water. Buying anti skid, heavy bowls is one solution. You’ll also come across containers and bowls which have a rubber rim running across its bottom. This will also prevent the bowl from being upturned or the water spilling over. You’ll also need to keep in mind the health concerns of your dog. Washing the bowl after every meal is extremely important, that’ll ensure minimum bacterial infections in your dog’s mouth. It’ll help if you buy a dishwasher safe bowl so that you can wash it alongside other utensils.

Whatever the problems are, ultimately it boils down to one thing which is most important! And that is, whichever bowl you buy, it must be comfortable for your dog to use. A moderately deep bowl allows your pet to have his food with ease, without having to drag it around and spilling it in the process. Make sure your dog doesn’t have to force his way through the bowl to eat. Just like we like our food provided that our bowls and plates suit our taste, please do ensure that your dog doesn’t skip his meals because the bowl is uncomfortable. Make meal times as enjoyable for him as they are for you!