How to Make a Raised Dog Feeder

When my boxer Bailey would eat, both of her legs would bow out and she would have to bend over so far to reach her bowls. She looked very uncomfortable. I started looking for a raised feeder for her. I priced all different styles ans sizes, and in my opinion, they were rather pricey. I decided to build one myself. Some of the materials that I was going to need, I already had left over from another project, so it would cost me less then half of what it would to buy one.

To make your own raised feeder you will need the following materials: plywood, (about a half a sheet), a 1x1 piece of wood, (the length you will need will vary on how tall you need to make you feeder. You will need this wood for the legs, and you will need two pieces for each leg. So this will have to be long enough to cut eight pieces, long enough to make your feeder the right height for your dog), a 2x3/4 piece of wood, (we used a piece of door framing), stain, polyurethane, and screws. If you want to decorate the feeder, (i.e. your dogs name), you will also need paint in the desired colors. Most importantly you will need two stainless steel bowls, that have a lip on them. Of course you will need the tools, such as jigsaw, circular saw, and drill, to put the feeder together as well.

I started my project by sketching out a ruff draft, (a VERY ruff draft!) of how I wanted the feeder to look. At this time I also figured out how tall I needed it to be so it would be at a comfortable height for my dog Bailey. I also needed to figure out how wide it had to be to fit both my bowls too. I wrote my measurements on my ruff sketch. To figure out the height I just put a little bit of food in the bowl and held it at what looked like a comfortable height for my dog. Then I had someone measure from the ground up to the very top of the bowl. This would be my height. To figure out he width, I just placed my bowls right side up on the plywood. It is very important to make sure the bowls are right side up, because you are going to be tracing them in a moment, and if they are the other way, your bowls will just fall through the holes when the feeder is finished. Then I adjusted them, leaving a little space between the two, and also a little space on the sides, and ends. I traced around the bowls, and then made a mark where I wanted it to end, and also where the edges would be. I measured this, and then started my cuts.

I started with the piece that the bowls were going to set in, since it was already marked. I just used the jigsaw on this. I cut my rectangle out, following my marks, and then proceeded to cut out the two circles where my bowls will sit.

The next thing I did was to cut the 1x1 to size. These would make up the legs. I used the circular saw on these, and followed my measurements from earlier. You will need to cut eight pieces EXACTLY the same height. You will need to attach two pieces together to make each leg. Then attach these to your top piece, (the rectangle), by screwing them in. You will screw in from the top of the rectangle.

Before I cut my last piece of wood, (the door framing), I first sanded all the pieces I just cut, and attached. Then I cut my framing to fit all around the edge of the feeder, (all around the rectangle piece.) This makes the feeder sturdier, as well as makes it look a lot better. I also cut a piece of this to make a 'support' beam for the feeder. This piece goes on the inside of the rectangle. You will need to flip the feeder upside down, and then measure the space between the bowls...the space going from edge to edge, not from bowl to bowl. You will attach your support beam here.

After all my pieces were put together, I did one last look to see if there were any ruff spots that needed to be sanded. I dusted the feeder off, and stained it. After the stain was applied and done drying, (according to the manufacturer's directions), you may paint any decorative touches on at this time. I painted my dog's name on the front, as well as some bones, and applied a few stencils too. Let your paint dry, and then you can apply your top coat. I applied two coats of polyurethane. This will protect the wood, (especially if you have a sloppy eater, and drinker, as I do!) This will allow you to be able to wipe the feeder down too, with out water staining the wood. I choose an oil based polyurethane for this, because water based tends to 'hold' water sometimes, making white spots.

After the top coat dried, your feeder is complete and ready for you pooch to use! Bailey loves her feeder, and no longer needs to bend and reach to eat. She looks a lot more comfortable, and I think this is going to be better for her overall health as she ages!