Dog Product Review: Slopper Stopper Dripless Water Bowl

Dog dig in his water bowl? The Slopper Stopper Dripless Water Bowl is the perfect solution.

Before Slopper Stopper

I adopted Patch, a 6 year old English Setter boy in February 2020.  It didn't take long to learn that he loved to play in water....and digging in the water bowl was one of his favorite pastimes.  He could clear a bowl and flood the kitchen in 30 seconds flat.  Then he would tromp through the puddles with his big muddy paws making for quite a disaster area with potential for dangerous slips and falls.

I have another dog Max, so limiting the quantity or timing of water placement wasn't a viable option. 

What's a dog mom to do?  Well....hit the Goodsearch search engine, of course!

I plugged in "dog digging water bowl" which brought up a few websites suggesting reasons why a dog might dig in the water bowl. Many had behavior modifications or alternate resource suggestions like "give them a kiddie pool if they are hot".....raise the bowl so they can't see their reflection.  Buy a fountain....they must like the water moving. 

OY!  I could just see the dog, fresh out of the pool dripping the accumulation of water from his 50 lb. frame all around the kitchen pleased there still was an opportunity to dig in the bowl. OR, pulling over a bowl on a raised platform adding distance to his flood capabilities OR batting at the waterfall with his paws to increase trajectory. Not solutions that I had in mind.  

 

After splashing he would walk through it

Also listed in the search results was a product review site touting the "5 Best Dog Water Bowls For Sloppy Drinkers: No More Messy" Not exactly the problem at hand, but I went to see what they had to offer.  None seemed to touch upon the digging problem, but there were links to Amazon. 

There ya go.....when in doubt.....Amazon to the rescue.

While perusing some water dishes that were great for travel, no flip, no spill, etc. I spied a video at the bottom of the one of the screens.....There was a photo of a golden puppy with his paws splashing out water from a bowl.  I played the video touting "Slopper Stopper Dripless Water Bowl" and it was as if Patch could have been the video headliner.  EUREKA! 

I was a bit taken aback by the $49.95 price tag.  Was I really going to spend $50 on a dog bowl when I already have every type of dog bowl imaginable after 40+ years of dog rescue?  I always try to stick to stainless steel for durability and ability to keep them clean and bacteria free.  Then I thought about the 3 times I had mopped the floor before lunch and I clicked the "add to cart" button without further hesitation.

I patiently waited the two days for the bowl arrival.  I hopped in the car to get the mail as soon as Alexa announced "a shipment has arrived".  I opened it, read the instructions, did a thorough cleaning with soap and water and set it up.  

Nice and tidy now.

Now to await the results.  Two days and the kitchen was no longer a flood zone.....the patio still was with the open stainless bowl serving as the water trough and above ground mini-pool. 

Both Patch and Max seemed ok with it and their water intake didn't seem affected in any way.  I waited 4 more days to be sure and then took the plunge and purchased a second FIFTY DOLLAR water bowl for the patio.  Best $100 I ever spent in two weeks.

Bought a second for the patio

Bonus is, when my friend's labby girl comes over I don't have to race to pick up the water bowl to prevent the "bowl flipper" from making a mess.  There is good weight behind the Slopper Stopper and she can no longer stand on the edge to flip the bowl over.

I chose the medium size insert after thinking about if Patch's paws could fit in the large insert's hole.  It was a good choice.  No matter which size insert you choose, the bowl holds a gallon of water so I'm not refilling all the time.  If a dog has the need of a raised bowl, the company has you covered.....there is a stand which is sold separately.

And yes, Patch frequently lies down to eat and drink.  Not sure what is up with that but it doesn't seem to have an adverse affect on him.  It's on the list of things to ask the vet during his next visit.

It's easy to clean and has eliminated the flooded kitchen and patio problems.  Slopper Stopper works for us. 

Less work for me