Dog feeders can be helpful for your dog and for you. With a setup for your dog’s food, you’re far less likely to trip over it and cause a mess. The benefits for your dog also range from helping with digestion to accommodating your dog’s preference for grazing.
Whichever style you choose, purchasing a feeder could set you back quite a bit. So, we’ve collected the best types of DIY dog feeders that will hopefully inspire you to build your own!
The Top 10 DIY Dog Feeder Ideas
1. Dog Feeder and Storage by Manasa Reddigari
| Materials: | Plywood, drawer track, storage container, screws |
| Skill level: | Intermediate |
| Other tools needed: | Power drill, jigsaw |
This dog feeder also doubles as storage, which is perfect. Not only that, but it’s also a nice-looking addition to your home. This is an example of how a DIY project can still look professional, and you can design it, so it fits your home’s aesthetic.
| Materials: | PVC pipe, end caps, elbow, PVC glue |
| Skill level: | Beginner |
| Other tools needed: | Hacksaw |
A gravity dog feeder is a perfect solution when you can’t feed your dog on a schedule or if your dog is a grazer. This DIY feeder is easy to make, budget-friendly, and can be set up outside.
3. Feeding Station With Storage Compartment by This Old House
| Materials: | Wood, cleats, piano hinge, door slides |
| Skill level: | Intermediate |
| Other tools needed: | Jigsaw, straightedge, measuring tape, pencil, compass, rasp, cordless drill, paintbrush (optional) |
This feeder looks like one of the trickier options, but the instructions are so clear it really isn’t as difficult as it first appears. There is also added storage, which is big enough to hold large tubs of food. This keeps your dog’s food fresh and close at hand.
4. Rustic Dog Bowl Stand by Shanty 2 Chic
| Materials: | Laminate pine panel, pine board, nails, wood glue, flat two-hole metal plates, 90-degree two-hole metal plates, paint/stain (optional) |
| Skill level: | Intermediate |
| Other tools needed: | Jigsaw, clamps, tape measure, pencil, nail gun/hammer, glue gun (optional) |
This feeder option is designed to look like a farmhouse table. It is an example of a feeder that doesn’t look like it should be for an animal. While your dog can’t join you at the table, it can get its own version. Eating meals together will become easier than ever.
5. Dog Feeder Station by Four Oaks Crafts
| Materials: | Pallet boards, wood glue, lacquer, sandpaper |
| Skill Level: | Moderate |
| Tools: | Jigsaw, miter saw, metal detector, nail gun, sander |
Pallets are a great source of recyclable wood, but there are precautions you need to take especially when using the boards to make a feeder. Ensure that all nails are carefully removed, splintered sections are smoothed or removed, and that the pallets have not been treated with any potentially harmful chemicals.
Once you’ve selected and prepared the boards, this dog feeder station plan shows you how to cut and put the boards back together to create a raised feeder for your pup.
6. DIY Pet Bowl Stand by Centsational Style
| Materials: | Wood boards, screws, stain, polyurethane, plasterboard |
| Skill Level: | Easy |
| Tools: | Jigsaw, Kreg jig |
Although this DIY pet bowl stand uses cat bowls, you can easily modify the plans and use your own measurements so that you can create a stand for dog bowls instead. With a little bit of paint or stain, the stand looks great, especially thanks to the shaped legs on either end of the stand.
The most challenging part of the project is ensuring that you get the bow cutouts round.
7. DIY Dog Food Station with Storage by Addicted to DIY
| Materials: | Plywood, pine boards, wood, nails, hinges |
| Skill Level: | Moderate |
| Tools: | Jigsaw, drill, clamps, chisel, nail gun |
If yours is like a lot of pet households, you have dog bowls in one area and food in another. This arrangement takes up a lot of room and means plenty of toing and froing and dinnertime. With the DIY dog food station with storage, you can keep everything together so it’s tidy and more convenient.
There is some woodworking in this project, but the box design of the feeder means that it isn’t too challenging. It does look good when finished, though.
8. Raised Dog Bowls from Vintage Suitcase by Reallifedog
| Materials: | Wood, suitcase, metal strips |
| Skill Level: | Difficult |
| Tools: | Utility knife, Allen wrenches, drill, clamps, welding torch |
These raised dog bowls made from a vintage suitcase do require a bit more work than the other plans, especially as you will have to do a small amount of welding. But if you’re looking for an unusual and attractive design, the use of the vintage suitcase to create the base really does make this plan stand out from the rest and means it is worth the effort.
9. DIY Dog Food Bowl Stand for Small Dogs by Remodelaholic
| Materials: | Board, glue, screws, cereal bowls |
| Skill Level: | Moderate |
| Tools: | Drill, Kreg jig, saw, router |
If you prefer a more traditional design, this DIY dog food bowl stand for small dogs has a classic look and is especially suitable for smaller dogs. You could increase the dimensions and make a bigger stand if you have a bigger pooch.
Also, the plans use cereal bowls but you can absolutely substitute these for standard dog bowls.
10. DIY Dog Dish Stand by Ugly Duckling House
| Materials: | Plank, wood, glue, paint |
| Skill Level: | Easy |
| Tools: | Jigsaw, drill, sander |
This DIY dog dish stand is another classic design and it results in a minimalist finish for the stand. You don’t have to do too much cutting, although some sawing is required, and you don’t need to know any particularly difficult woodworking skills, so it is an easy project that can be undertaken by most people, even those with minimal DIY skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Elevated Dog Feeders Good for Dogs?
There are a handful of benefits to an elevated bowl. Even if your dog doesn’t have a specific medical condition that requires it to use an elevated bowl, you might find that they still benefit from its use.
- Provide a better experience for dogs with arthritis, neck, or back problems
- Do not move around while your dog eats
- Aid dogs that have digestive problems
- Help owners with physical disabilities
How High Should Your Elevated Food Bowl Be?
If you decide to use an elevated food bowl, getting the correct height is essential, and there are ways to measure your dog so you’re working with the correct measurements before you start your DIY project.
The best way to get the measurement is to have your dog stand with its legs directly underneath it and measure from the floor to where your dog’s legs meet its chest. Alternatively, if your dog won’t cooperate with this, measure from the floor to your dog’s shoulder and subtract 6 inches from a large dog and 3 inches from a smaller dog.
What You Should Know if Your Dog Is a Grazer
A free-choice method is perfect for a dog that is good at self-regulation when it comes to mealtimes. Free choice is when you leave the food out all day and allow your dog to help itself when it’s hungry. This is generally a good option for active dogs that are out burning lots of calories, as opposed to the couch potato type. It’s also a good option for nursing mothers who need more calories to produce milk for their hungry pups.
Some dogs can adapt to free feeding, and others merely prefer it. If they are a healthy weight and aren’t having accidents in the house, then they might be the perfect candidate to graze. If you’re going to leave food out all day, use dry food, so it doesn’t spoil.
The downside to this type of feeding is that the food could attract insects, raccoons, and rodents, so be on the lookout for pests. Grazing will not be suitable for every home. It wouldn’t work for diabetic dogs, and if you have more than one dog, you might find they bicker over the food.
- Determine proper dog food portions and ideal daily intake with our helpful calorie calculator here.
Final Thoughts
Whichever dog feeder you choose, we’re certain your dog will love it, and it will certainly make your life a little easier. Some come with storage that keeps your dog’s food fresh and close at hand. Others keep their bowls out of the way, so you’re less likely to trip over them.
We hope you’ve found this list helpful and that you’ve been inspired by the designs that will make mealtimes just a little bit easier.
Featured Image Credit: ariesa66, Pixabay
The Top 10 DIY Dog Feeder Ideas
