LEARN/FAQ
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FAQs
How does the dog or cat get the water from the bowl?
Dogs drink like cats in that they reverse curl their tongue and plunge it into the water and the water ends up on the back side of their reverse cupped tongue in that chamber and also to the front side of their tongue as they pull it into their mouths and repeat the process. This Bowls design makes a pool of water at the base of the round shape of the lid roughly 5/8 of an inch deep. The distance from the top of the ball shape of the lid to down where the water level sits is roughly 1/2 the length of the average sized tongue of the respective Breed Size Lid. Also the width of the drinking sphere is roughly 10 to 15% wider than the respective breed size tongue using it. The dog rests his muzzle at the top of the ball shape on top of the lid and his tongue laps up the water from the pool at the base of the round shape. As their tongue plunges into the pool of water the shape of the ball shape forces even more water up the sides of it and into that reverse cupped chamber on the backside of their tongue while they drink. The water automatically replenishes and stays at that 5/8 inch level.
My Dogs weight falls on the weight limit line between two breed sizes, what Breed Size Model should I buy?
If you are unsure what size to order simply email us at info@slopperstopper.com with the weight of your dog and attach a photo. To get the most accurate idea of your dogs size include a photo that has been taken from 8 feet away while the dog is standing sideways in a doorway. We will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours guaranteed and usually within an hour with the correct size model you need.
If I have a Flat Faced Dog with wide tongue but shorter tongue like an English Bulldog or a French Bulldog what breed size should I use?
If you have either of these breeds or similar you'll want to get the size that makes sense for the width of the tongue but you'll want to modify the unit slightly following our Water Level Modification Instructions below at the end of this page. Examples of the two breeds mentioned as far as sizing would be English Bulldog, Large Breed Model and French Bulldog, Medium Breed Model. Before you modify unit though try with the dog 1st because the majority of the time no modification needed but sometimes it is needed, depends on tongue length. Any breed with a shorter tongue type could potentially benefit from this Modification but try without first.
If I have multiple dogs, a smaller one and a larger one, can my smaller dog drink out of the bigger bowl?
This question depends on what type of smaller dog. If the smaller dog has a thinner and longer snout then yes. The smaller dog will simply put his whole snout down into the circular area and drink from the water at the bottom. As a rule of thumb, always size to the larger breed dog and the smaller breed sizes will be able to drink from it as well.
Why does my dog make more of a mess than I thought he would?
There is a break in period of 2 to 3 weeks to see maximum results. In a lot of cases it works right away but sometimes can take up to 2 weeks for the maximum amount of mess to stop. For those first few weeks your dog may make more of a mess than you want and it is usually because they try and put their whole snout down into the circular area. At about 2 weeks the dog will get used to it and figure out that it is much more efficient to drink by resting his muzzle on the top of the ball shape instead of jamming his snout down into the hole. You can look to see roughly 85% of your old mess is gone using this bowl, in some instances that percentage is even higher. We have seen many instances where a dog learns to drink from this bowl and then will only drink from it, even when there is a wide open/no top open water bowl next to it. They really enjoy drinking from the Slopper Stopper Bowl once they are used to it.
Does the dog still get the same amount of water on a daily basis?
Yes, the Slopper Stopper bowl slows down your dogs drinking slightly but they continue to get the same amount of water they would normally drink throughout a day. The bowl allows for 85% or more of the water to be consumed by your dog versus other bowls, which end up with 30-50%+ of the sloppy water all over your floor, for you to clean up. For all those dogs that drink too fast and throw up because of it, this bowl greatly helps with that bad habit as well.
How long does it take for my dog to figure out how to use the bowl?
Some dogs go right to the water and start drinking, some may take a day or so to get use to it. An easy way to start them drinking from it is to put a little a little bit of peanut butter on your fingertip and rub it onto the inside lower edge of the ball shape of the lid. Once the dog smells the peanut butter they will go right to it and then realize there is fresh clean water for them to drink.
How effective is the unit at keeping the breeds with long ears, hairy ears and long beards completely dry when they drink?
The Utility Patented design prevents breeds with long ears, hairy ears and beards from getting those areas wet. This greatly reduces those areas from getting wet and creating a mess. If you have a breed that has an especially long beard like a Labradoodle, pay close attention to the width measurements of the lids on the BUY PRODUCTS page compared to the width of your dogs tongue and order the width that is 10-15% bigger than the width of your dogs tongue.
What if my dog is a puppy and not full grown and expected to continue to grow?
This bowl was designed to be used with a full grown dog. If you know for a fact your dog will continue to grow into a bigger sized Breed Lid than you'll need to buy multiple lids to accommodate his growth. Example: You have a 4 Month Old Lab Puppy that will be roughly 70 pounds when full grown but he's making a mess now and you want something that helps now. Well if he is 4 months old and only 35 pounds he needs a Medium Breeds Lid (21-50Lbs), then at full grown he needs the Large Breeds Lid (51-85Lbs). You would simply buy 1 extra Lid Only of the Medium Breeds Size Lid, then switch it out to the Larger Breeds Lid later on as he grows and matures. Also note that puppies and dogs as they are growing are much worse of drinkers than at full grown as they are still developing size wise and mentally. All the different Breed Size Lids fit the same 10 Inch Wide 1 Gallon capacity Tritan Plastic or Stainless Steel Bowls.
Would my Great Dane or Mammoth Breed dog be able to use the Slopper Stopper?
We now have a Mammoth Breed Sized Lid to accommodate those larger dogs. See the Sizing Chart on the BUY PRODUCTS page or email us at info@slopperstopper.com with the weight of your dog or a photo. To get the most accurate idea of your dogs size include a photo that has been taken from 8 feet away while the dog is standing sideways in a doorway.
How often should I wash my bowl and lid?
We recommend at least every two days for the Bowl and Lid, personally we wash ours with our three dogs daily by hand washing when we fill the unit daily. Also the Gasket should be taken out every month and cleaned and reinstalled. We say if you wash your drinking cup every day why not your dog's bowl? Its best to treat your dogs water bowl like your own drinking cup.
Is the Bowl DishWasher Safe?
Yes, but a word of caution, dishwashers all have very different levels of hot water and for that reason we recommend hand washing just to be safe. All the parts are definitely dishwasher safe though.
Water Level Modification Instructions: Is there a way to increase the water level at the bottom of the ball shape?
We engineered the unit to work as sold but if you feel like you would like to raise the water level more you can take a 1/4" Drill Bit and make two holes in the drinking chamber area directly across from each other at the same level and the water will rise to a level even with the bottom edge of the holes you drill. You could even drill 4 holes if you want to as well (1 at 12 O'clock, 1 at 3 O'clock, 1 at 6 O'clock, and the last at 9 O'Oclock in the drinking chamber area - This way they are evenly spaced around the ball shape). Also make sure they are all at the same height level. The more you drill the easier the water tension is broken and it refills to that same level as they drink. Bottom line is whatever height you drill the holes at is where the water level will rise to the bottom edge of those hole(s), so start low and go up, because you can always drill higher up to raise water level but you can't lower water level if you start too high up. Also be sure to use a high number (very fine finishing type) sand paper and sand off any sharp edges or burs from the drill bit on the inside edge of the ball shape so the tongue doesn't hit any sharp edges. A small knife at a 45 degree angle in a circular motion along the hole edge will take off any burs as well.
