Stainless Steel Floating Water Bowl for Dogs, 3 L

Some dogs drink like they mean it. Water goes everywhere, the floor gets a puddle, the ears come up dripping, and by the afternoon there is a damp patch by the back door that never quite dries. This floating water bowl is built around exactly that problem: a deep stainless steel tank with a disc that sits on the surface of the water and moves with it, so the water has nowhere to slosh to.

The disc rises and falls as the level changes and leaves only a small opening in the middle for your dog to reach through. That does two things at once. The surface stays calm rather than rolling over the rim when the bowl is knocked or when a big dog buries their muzzle in it, and the water sits below the rim instead of level with it, so ears and the fur around the mouth stay largely out of the way. A soft splash ring pushes onto the rim by hand, narrows the mouth of the bowl a little further and stops the disc lifting out during a determined drink.

The tank itself is stainless steel, which is what you want for water that stands all day: it does not absorb odours the way a plastic bowl can, it does not soften or cloud, and it wipes clean rather than staining. Three grippy pads on the underside stop the bowl travelling across tiles, laminate or a hard kitchen floor when your dog leans into it. The three parts – the bowl, the floating disc and the splash ring – separate in seconds, so nothing has to be scrubbed around a fixed lip, and the manufacturer suggests cleaning it out at least twice a week.

It suits the sort of household where the water bowl is a permanent fixture rather than a travel accessory: a large or enthusiastic dog in a kitchen or utility room, a hallway by the back door, a run of tiles you would rather not keep mopping. The generous capacity means you can fill it in the morning and leave it be, which helps on a long day away from the house. Cats can drink from it too, although it is a bowl scaled for a dog.