5 Tips On How To Keep Dog Water Clean Outside (+ Bowl Tips)

To keep dog water clean outside, empty, wash and refill the bowl every day (more often in hot weather), use an easy-to-clean stainless steel bowl, keep it in the shade, and place it where wildlife and other animals can’t easily reach it. Adding ice on hot days helps keep the water cool and fresh for longer.

Summertime means outdoor fun with our furry friends, so here are 5 simple tips to make sure your dog always has clean, fresh water outside.

5 tips on how to keep dog water clean outside

1Rinse and refill your dog's water bowl daily

Just like we need to drink fresh water every day, so do our dogs. A good rule of thumb is to start with a clean bowl each morning, and then rinse it out and refill it before you go to bed at night.

When the water is constantly outside, we even recommend rinsing and refilling it more than once a day – especially in hot weather.

Rinsing alone isn’t quite enough, though. If the inside of the bowl feels slimy, that’s a layer of bacteria called biofilm. Scrub the bowl with hot, soapy water (or put it in the dishwasher) at least every few days, and daily in summer, then rinse it well. Also dump out any water that’s been sitting for days: still water can grow algae and becomes a breeding spot for mosquitoes. If you use a fountain or gravity feeder, see how to clean a dog water dispenser.

Make sure you fill the bowl with enough water, a dog needs around 1 ounce of water per pound of bodyweight. So if your dog weighs 30 pounds, they need around 30 ounces of water a day, and more when it’s hot or they’ve been active.

Another important thing to keep in mind is to use clean water. Some countries do not have clean tap water, so it might be necessary to use other sources of water.

2Make sure you use a correct bowl

For outdoor water, we’d avoid glass and cheap plastic bowls. Plastic scratches easily, and bacteria can hide in those scratches, while glass can break and cause cuts on your dog’s face or paws.

Instead, use stainless steel or sturdy glazed ceramic. Both are easy to scrub clean, and an insulated stainless steel bowl also helps keep water cool. Keep in mind that any bowl, metal included, can heat up in direct sun, which is why the next tip matters.

3Put the bowl in the shade

As any dog owner knows, it’s important to make sure that your pet has access to fresh water at all times. However, in hot weather, it’s especially important to keep the water bowl in a cool, shaded spot. Otherwise, the water will quickly become heated by the sun, making it less refreshing for your dog and more likely to encourage bacteria growth.

By placing the bowl in the shade, you can help keep the water cooler and fresher for longer.

4Other animals cannot drink your dog's water

Make sure that other animals don’t drink from your dog’s water bowl. While it might seem harmless, this can transmit diseases and parasites that can make your pet very sick. In addition, other animals may not be as clean as your dog and could contaminate the water with bacteria or viruses. We look at the human side of this in can you get sick from sharing water with a dog.

Wildlife such as raccoons and rodents can also spread leptospirosis, a serious bacterial disease, through their urine. Bringing the bowl in at night, or placing it close to the house, makes visits less likely. If you suspect that another animal has been drinking from your dog’s bowl, be sure to empty it and wash it thoroughly with soap and water.

The same goes for water your dog finds on its own. Discourage drinking from puddles and stagnant ponds, and keep your dog out of water with a green or blue-green scum, which can contain toxic algae. Call your vet right away if your dog vomits, drools, stumbles or seems weak after drinking from a pond or lake.

5Add ice cubes to their water to help keep it cool

On hot days, adding a few ice cubes to your dog’s water can help keep it cool and refreshing. Ice in water is safe for healthy dogs; if your dog likes to crunch cubes, give smaller ones so they’re less likely to chip a tooth.

Warm water is more prone to bacteria and algae growth, so keeping it cool also helps keep it clean. Plus, your dog will appreciate the extra effort to keep them cool!

Warm water also evaporates faster, so check the level a few times a day and top it up to make sure your dog never runs dry. In winter, the opposite problem applies: check that the water hasn’t frozen over.

2 Dog bowls we recommend for outside usage

Here are 2 of our favorite dog bowls that are perfect for use outside: