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5 Best Dog Self Serve Water Fountains (Outdoor Dog Water Fountains)

best dog self serve water fountain
What are the best dog self serve water fountains?

Are you in the market for a self-serve water dispenser for your dog? Wondering why you need one in the first place? Don’t worry! All of your burning questions are going to be answered on this page!

Best Overall
PetSafe 2 Gallon Automatic Water Fountain for Cats, Dogs - With Pump, Filter, Dishwasher Safe
Simple Faucet Attachment
Cool Pup™ Faucet Waterers—Unique and Innovative Outdoor Faucet Attachments That Make It Easy to Offer Dogs Cool, Fresh Water Even When They're Outside Alone
Basic Water Dispenser
URWOOW 1 Gallon Pet Café Pet Waterer Water Station Fountain Dispenser and 1 Gallon Self-Dispensing Pet Feeder Food Dispenser
Stylish Running
Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Fountain Raindrop Design
High-Tech
DOGNESS Pet Fountain Cat Water Dispenser Healthy and Hygienic Drinking Fountain 2L Automatic Electric Water Bowl for Dogs, Cats, Birds and Small Animals (White)
PetSafe 2 Gallon Automatic Water Fountain for Cats, Dogs - With Pump, Filter, Dishwasher Safe
Cool Pup™ Faucet Waterers—Unique and Innovative Outdoor Faucet Attachments That Make It Easy to Offer Dogs Cool, Fresh Water Even When They're Outside Alone
URWOOW 1 Gallon Pet Café Pet Waterer Water Station Fountain Dispenser and 1 Gallon Self-Dispensing Pet Feeder Food Dispenser
Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Fountain Raindrop Design
DOGNESS Pet Fountain Cat Water Dispenser Healthy and Hygienic Drinking Fountain 2L Automatic Electric Water Bowl for Dogs, Cats, Birds and Small Animals (White)
Best Overall
PetSafe 2 Gallon Automatic Water Fountain for Cats, Dogs - With Pump, Filter, Dishwasher Safe
PetSafe 2 Gallon Automatic Water Fountain for Cats, Dogs - With Pump, Filter, Dishwasher Safe
Simple Faucet Attachment
Cool Pup™ Faucet Waterers—Unique and Innovative Outdoor Faucet Attachments That Make It Easy to Offer Dogs Cool, Fresh Water Even When They're Outside Alone
Cool Pup™ Faucet Waterers—Unique and Innovative Outdoor Faucet Attachments That Make It Easy to Offer Dogs Cool, Fresh Water Even When They're Outside Alone
Basic Water Dispenser
URWOOW 1 Gallon Pet Café Pet Waterer Water Station Fountain Dispenser and 1 Gallon Self-Dispensing Pet Feeder Food Dispenser
URWOOW 1 Gallon Pet Café Pet Waterer Water Station Fountain Dispenser and 1 Gallon Self-Dispensing Pet Feeder Food Dispenser
Stylish Running
Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Fountain Raindrop Design
Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Fountain Raindrop Design
High-Tech
DOGNESS Pet Fountain Cat Water Dispenser Healthy and Hygienic Drinking Fountain 2L Automatic Electric Water Bowl for Dogs, Cats, Birds and Small Animals (White)
DOGNESS Pet Fountain Cat Water Dispenser Healthy and Hygienic Drinking Fountain 2L Automatic Electric Water Bowl for Dogs, Cats, Birds and Small Animals (White)

Why do you need a self-serve dispenser?

By having a self-serve water dispenser for your dog, you can be sure that your dog will always have access to fresh water throughout the day.

Many of the self-serve dispensers on this page have been designed to encourage your dog to drink more water. They accomplish this by keeping the water flowing. The movement will catch your dog’s attention, and this will encourage them to drink from the water bowl. This will help to prevent dehydration.

Finally, many self-serve water dispensers will filter the water in the bowl. This is important. Dogs can get quite messy with their bowls, and the self-serve dispenser will help ensure that the water stays nice and clean. Dogs are known for getting muck into their bowls (as well as pieces of hair) will be filtered out. Basically, the dog is probably going to enjoy drinking the water a little bit more.

What type of self-serve dispensers are available?

5 Best Dog Self Serve Water Fountains (Outdoor Dog Water Fountains) 1

There are a few different types of self-serve water dispensers available for dogs. We are not going to cover all of them in our reviews. This is because we really have tried to limit ourselves to the ‘best of the best.’ This means that you see some types listed here that are not included anywhere else on this page.

Lick Water Dispenser

This is probably the most basic of water dispensers.

A lick water dispenser doesn’t have a bowl. Instead, it sits over a faucet. When the dog licks it, water is released from the faucet. This way, your dog can have a bit of a drink.

There are also automatic units out there. These will let water out whenever your dog walks by. These tend to work a little bit better if your dog is suffering from dehydration. This is because the automatic water movement may encourage them to drink a little bit.

Automatic Watering Bowls

You will often need to connect these up to a hose, although some could feasibly attach to a faucet.

Whenever the water in these bowls gets too low, then it will be automatically refilled. It is a basic set-up, but it works. Just do bear in mind that these water dispensers will not have a filter in them. This means that they are not brilliant if your dog enjoys making their water filthy. 

Pet Fountains

You will find that many of the products that we talk about on this page are going to fall into this category. 

Pet fountains are just water fountains that will continually be moving the water around. Some dogs are not fans of this initially, but they eventually get used to the water movement.

Many people find that pet fountains are fantastic for encouraging dogs to drink due to the water movement. You also have a filter built into them. This helps to keep the water clean.

Water Dispenser

The typical water dispenser is one that will have a massive bottle of water on it. Whenever the water in the bowl gets low, then it will be refilled from the bottle. Again, this is simple, but it works. These will not have filters, and there won’t be that much in the way of water movement unless your dog is drinking.

Product reviews

Now that you know why you need a self-serve water dispenser for your dog, let’s jump into reviewing the products.

We have tried to ensure that we have something for everybody here. We promise you, all of these are going to be brilliant water dispensers. However, you may find that one or two are more appealing to you than the others.

Best Overall: PetSafe Drinkwell Fountain

PetSafe Drinkwell Water Fountain for Cats, Dogs, or Multiple Pets - Automatic Water Bowl - Pump and Water Filter Included - Dishwasher Safe - Easy Clean Pet Dish - Water Dispenser - 2 Gallon/256 Ounce
$74.95
  • CUSTOMIZE WATER FLOW: Adjustable flow control lets you choose how fast the water flows from the stream; turn off the water stream for quieter operation or for the shyest cats
  • 2-GALLON WATER CAPACITY: This durable plastic pet fountain is great for big dogs and multi-pet families
  • ENCOURAGES HYDRATION: A falling stream of water entices pets to drink more and helps support kidney health in pets through increased hydration
  • DID YOU KNOW: Your pet needs 1 oz of water per 1 lb they weigh every day, so a 12 lb cat should drink 12 oz of water each day
  • NO THIRSTY PETS: Open bowl-design gives your pet access to water even if the power goes out
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04/20/2023 10:42 am GMT

With a whopping 2-gallon water capacity, it is unlikely that you will need to be replacing the water in this fountain all that much, even if you have multiple pets drinking out of it.

Since this is a water fountain, the water is going to be continually moving. Some people find that this is fantastic for encouraging even the most stubborn of pets to drink water. Don’t worry. You have a lot of control over that water flow. You can turn the pressure up or down. If the sound irritates you (it isn’t really that loud), then you could even turn it off.

At the heart of the PetSafe Drinkwell Fountain is a water filter. The water will be continually flowing through this water filter, which will keep it nice and fresh for your animals. This is actually quite important if you have multiple animals drinking from the water fountain. It means it continues to taste great for your animals. Of course, this water filter is also fully replaceable if you need to.

While this water fountain is pretty decent at keeping itself clean thanks to the water filter, you will be pleased to know that once it does get a little bit grubby, the bulk of the equipment can be cleaned safely in the dishwasher.

Honestly, if you are looking for the best self-reserve water dispenser for dogs, this is the route you need to be going down.

Best Self Serve Faucet: Cool Pup Waterers

If you are looking for something a bit simpler and budget conscious, then you may want to check out this Cool Pup Waterers faucet.

Cool Pup™ Faucet Waterers—Unique and Innovative Outdoor Faucet Attachments That Make It Easy to Offer Dogs Cool, Fresh Water Even When They're Outside Alone
$12.99
  • Faucet atttachment makes it easy to give dogs fresh, clean water outdoors
  • Attaches to any outdoor faucet in seconds, without tools
  • Waterer is activated when dog licks the lever
  • No assembly required; made in the USA
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
01/12/2024 12:27 am GMT

This cool little gadget can attach to your outdoor faucet. Whenever your dog licks the faucet, water will start to flow from the nozzle. This means that your dog will be able to always drink outside, even if their bowl isn’t around.

The only real downside to this bit of kit is that many dogs will require a small amount of encouragement before they drink from it. After all, most dogs aren’t really going to instinctively want to lick this. However, we have seen that most dogs will eventually drink from it.

All in all, despite the low price, this is a solidly-built unit. Pick this up if you want something simple to go outside. It will never let you down. We promise you about that!

Best For Small Dogs: URWOOW Waterer Fountain Dispenser 

This is a basic dispenser, that will work well for small dogs.

URWOOW 1 Gallon Pet Café Pet Waterer Water Station Fountain Dispenser and 1 Gallon Self-Dispensing Pet Feeder Food Dispenser
  • Automatic Gravity Waterer keeps water supply consistent to your pets and Feeder keeps dry food supply consistently to your pets
  • Waterers capacity enough to hold 1 gallon of water and feeder to hold 6 pounds of dry food suitable for small size cat and dog (6 pound)
  • Safe and no electricity required
  • Made of durable PP plastic that is easy to clean
  • Compact design that is totally space saving
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

With the URWOOW Waterer Fountain, the water can be loaded up into the bottle. Whenever the bowl is empty, the bottle will gravity feed more water into it. This means that your dog will always have access to water, even when you are not around. 

This is just a 1-gallon bottle. This is probably going to be a bit too small for the largest dogs out there. However, for small dogs that have lower water requirements, it is going to be absolutely perfect. It should hold enough water to keep your smaller dog hydrated throughout the day.

It is a straightforward design, but it is useful. Since there are no electric components, you can set this up wherever you want. The solid design means that it will be able to take quite a bashing if you put it outside.

Since your dog will get this a little bit mucky, as dogs always do with their water bowls, you will be pleased to know that it is easy to clean. It can’t be put in the dishwasher, but the plastic is pretty much ‘wipe down’ no matter how dirty it ends up getting.

If you pick one of these up, we suggest that you get a second one to go alongside it. This is because this dispenser can also hold up to 6lbs of food. Again, this is going to be perfect for those smaller dogs out there. If you are going to have an automatic waterer, why not get an automatic food dispenser too?

Stylish Running Water to Promote Hydration: Pioneer Pet Raindrop Water Fountain

Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Fountain Raindrop Design
$74.99 $44.99
  • Circulating drinking water is naturally appealing to your pet..Our customer service department at [email protected] or by calling 866-317-6278 in the US or 262-376-0768 outside of the USReplacement...
  • Replaceable charcoal filter for clean and pure, healthy water
  • Dishwasher safe, high grade stainless steel construction allows for easy cleaning, 60 oz capacity
  • Move the spout to the center so that everything is aligned perfectly for smooth flow and lesser noise!
  • Replacement filter: #3002 (3-pk) and #3014 (4-pk) Pioneer Pet Replacement Filters for Ceramic & Stainless Steel Fountains
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04/21/2023 02:34 am GMT

We know that there probably are not many people out there who wonder how you can fit a dog’s water bowl into their home decor. However, there probably are some. If you fall into that group (or just realized that you fall into that group), then this Pioneer Pet Raindrop Water Fountain is going to be perfect for you. 

This stylish water fountain looks fantastic. The teardrop-shaped center is perfect for more modern decors. However, we see no reason why it couldn’t fit into a more traditional design. It does look better than your more traditional dog water bowl, after all.

While this water fountain will cycle the water through a filter (more on that soon), it doesn’t look anywhere near as ‘aggressive’ as your average water fountain. This means that if you have a stubborn dog that doesn’t seem to do well with standard water fountains, this could work immensely well for them. 

The water will be sent through a fantastic filter. In fact, this is probably one of the best water filters that we have seen on a self-serve water dispenser. The only one that beats it is the first product in these reviews. However, this one is still going to keep that water nice and fresh for your dog. This can encourage them to drink a little bit more.

Most of this will be dishwasher proof too, which means that it will be dead simple to clean!

High Tech Appearance: DOGNESS Fountain Dispenser

DOGNESS Pet Fountain Cat Water Dispenser Healthy and Hygienic Drinking Fountain 2L Automatic Electric Water Bowl for Dogs, Cats, Birds and Small Animals (White)
$26.99 $24.99
  • New added LED water level window: 2L water capacity is ideal for pets small to Medium sized Pets. You can decide if you need to add water by observing the water level window instead of splitting the...
  • Circulating filtration System: The circulating filtration system uses a replaceable charcoal filter to purify the water, Remove hair, dirt and food particles. The circulation system helps provide...
  • Ultra Quiet & Low Consumption Pump: Our pet water fountain is very quiet (measured below 40dB) and low consumption, No interference with your children's and pet's sleep. normally last between 2. 5-4...
  • Easy to clean and set up: The pet fountain only takes a few minutes to set up. Disassembling for cleaning and maintenance is easy.
  • Great Quality: Our drinking water fountain is made of ABS environmentally friendly and BPA free material, which will provide long-lasting strength as well as a better drinking experience.
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02/02/2024 04:46 am GMT

This fabulous little water fountain has a very futuristic look to it. We know that this is not something that will be to everybody’s tastes. Still, it will undoubtedly look good if you have a modern, or maybe even more retro, decor.

This ‘boxy’ water fountain works slightly differently from the other water fountains on this list. Instead of having the water coming from a spout at the top, all of the filtering machinery is at the unit’s bottom. You just have a bowl sitting at the top. The water dispenser will constantly be filtering that water and filling up that bowl. This means that this design could probably work well for dogs that are not fans of ‘dripping water.’ The water seems like it barely moves. There is just a small ripple when switched on, but it still filters ever so good. 

Despite the brilliant design and the amount of tech packed into the DOGNESS Fountain Dispenser, it is surprisingly budget friendly. So, if you are looking for a more affordable option that still looks stylish, then you may want to check this one out.

Why is drinking water essential?

gray whippet
A gray Whippet. Ash would be a great name for such a cute gray dog?

Dogs, just like every other living creature, need a regular supply of water.

Without water flowing into their body, then the dog is likely to suffer from dehydration. While this may cause nothing more than tiredness in minor cases. In extreme cases, it can lead to severe injury or even death.

The problem is that many dogs are not drinking anywhere near as much water as they should. It can often be hard to spot too. Some dogs may be nothing more than ‘lightly’ dehydrated. If the problem isn’t dealt with, then it will become a far worse problem.

There are plenty of ways that you can encourage your dog to drink more water. The self-serve dispenser is one of the best.

Conclusion

All of the water dispensers for dogs that we have reviewed on this page are absolutely brilliant. You would be happy with any of them. However, we still encourage you to think about what will work best for you and your dog. This way, you can end up with the best water dispenser for your needs.