Do automatic dog feeders actually work?

As technology advances and popularity of pet ownership continues to grow, it is no wonder that the two fields are combining to provide dog owners with some incredible dog technology, pet gadgets and innovative dog products. Dog automatic feeders are certainly one of the most useful pieces of dog tech that we’ve seen so far. They are specifically designed to make our lives a little bit easier and less hectic, but do automatic dog feeders actually work?

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Similarly to most other dog supplies, there are different varieties of automatic dog food feeders. Some of them dispense pet food using gravity and others are electronic. They have a larger capacity for dog food than a single bowl, and are ideal for people whose schedules require them to be away from their pets at feeding time, or for those who simply want to spend less time filling Fido’s food bowls. In addition to automatic feeders for dogs, owners can also purchase automatic waterers or water fountains for dogs.

“Gravity-style” dog automatic feeders and waterers are normally suitable for pets that do well with unrestricted access to their food. If your dogs are able to free feed without gorging themselves, a gravity-style automatic dog feeder would work well for them. The capacity of these feeders easily allow for several days worth of dog food to be stored, and they are typically less expensive than electronic feeders.

Many electronic automatic feeders allow you to serve single meals with portion control. They are served at times that you will set on a programmable timer.

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This allows your pet to eat at scheduled intervals and helps to prevent overeating.

Automatic dog waterers or water fountains actually circulate the water continuously through a carbon filter to remove impurities. They store more water than traditional dog bowls, and help keep your dog’s water cooler and fresher while minimizing bacterial growth.

Video: fully automatic dog feeder

An automatic dog feeder is usually structured somewhat like a gumball machine—there is one large compartment that stores your dog’s food and another smaller, dish-like compartment where the food goes into and is available to the dog. Automatic dog feeders primarily work with dry dog food, but there are units that can accommodate wet dog food diets as well.