Pet Lodge® Automatic Dog Feeder | Chow Hound Outdoor Pet Feeder for Large Dogs | Tough Galvanized Steel | Made in USA | 50 Pound

Bought because of unique feeder design and other reviews, kept for the good design and food capacity.Our dogs had a 10lb plastic upright style gravity feeder, they liked to knock the top piece off and the food would spill, very frustrating. They then would stick their heads in the empty top part, and run around in a panic because they couldn't get their heads back out, greatly amusing but ultimately unsafe (but man was it funny). They liked to chew the bottom plastic bowl, it just wasn't working out. This unit is large enough they have never tried knocking it over or any of those shenanigans, when loaded with food it wouldn't be easy to tip over anyway. Even if they tried, you can use the two holes to mount it to a wall behind.We own 3 dogs, 40lbs, 50lbs, and a 75lb. Husky/Eskimo mix and a lab/husky mix. They didn't get how it worked at first, but only took me showing them for 5 minutes and putting some treats in the bottom (while showing them this) before the smallest caught on and figured it out. Over the next few days I continued to ask if they wanted food, and then opened the flap with my hand and held it open until they stuck their head in, they were scared of the automatic shutting of the flap and slight pressure on their heads when I stopped holding the flap but eventually learned it was not a threat or danger. Give them time, when they get hungry enough (about a day of no food for our dogs) they will overcome their fear and stick their head in if you have shown them a few times. After a few days they all feed from it easily and I don't worry at all. I have owned it about 3 weeks now.One reviewer said it stopped the "guarding" behavior of their dogs. It didn't do that for me, but I'm ok with that, each dog has their order in which they should eat, and that is just nature.The unit is galvanized thin-wall steel, and has two bolt holes near the top on the back for mounting or securing. The top flips open to pour food in, and the bottom has a flap that snaps shut (magnetic?) when the dogs pull their head out. I wouldn't put this unit in wet conditions, but for inside it works great, looks nice, and holds a lot of food, about a week or two for our dogs.

Great feeder! Work very well!

Good size for my big dog, It holds enough feed to last for about 1-11/2 weeks before needing to be refilled.I've been using for well over a year now and it's still in very good shape.Love the fact that it's US made!Super easy to fill,and clean out if necessary Great price point, would definitely purchase again.

The media could not be loaded. I had the task of feeding animals every day, and I realized I could save time by buying one of these. Then I realized I could save even more time by buying two. This product constitutes a simple but effective idea: put food into a queue so that animals can eat it on-demand. This frees you from having to feed them every day.------------------------------Additional PROS:✔ Dogs have to learn how to push the door open. (I had to teach ours.) This learning curve would appear to create a pretty convenient obstacle for pests, rodents, and even neighbors' dogs. One side note is that it probably isn't that bad if a rodent figured out how to open the door. You would then essentially have a honeypot in your yard, possibly making it easier for your animals to hunt it. Additionally, it might deter the rodent from looking for additional food in your house.✔ Dogs stopped fighting over food and around food almost immediately.✔ It is very easy to load food into the feeder. The top panel opens and the opening is big enough to make pouring the food easy and spilling the food unlikely.✔ It has been rain-proof. It is constructed well enough and there are a couple of ledges that make it unlikely rain will ever enter the feeder.✔ There are holes on the back of the feeder if you want to secure it to something, or even hang it above ground.✔ Perhaps intuitively (or counter-intuitively), our dogs are growing leaner. To me it makes sense. If they know they can get food at any time, why gorge?------------------------------Some CONS to consider:✘ The magnet system isn't perfect. I had to prop one so that it tilted forward a little bit. This was so the magnets would connect when the door closed. It wouldn't matter much if the door didn't close completely. It just looks better and makes it less likely unwelcome animals will find the food.✘ Although one feeder holds a lot of food, I wish they made bigger sizes. (Update: It looks like they now have a 50-pound version: 50 Pound Chow Hound Dog Feeder.)------------------------------In SUMMARY, great idea and a good product. I would recommend buying as many as you're comfortable with to increase the amount of time between feedings. Likewise, I would recommend having a bunch of water bowls.------------------------------UPDATE: 2016Our two feeders have been outside now for over three years. They're still going strong. We live in South Texas, and the weather can be hot and humid, and occasionally stormy. The only apparent deterioration is on the front doors. They've become grimy and discolored. My guess is that's the area that comes into contact with the dogs' heads.------------------------------UPDATE: 2018Our two feeders have been outside now for over five years! The main point of deterioration is the front of the doors, but it's nothing major. It looks like some surface rust has set in, and the doors continue to acquire grime from the top of the dogs' heads. I know the grime can be cleaned off, and I believe the surface rust can be treated. What's very impressive is how the rest of the feeder doesn't seem to ever deteriorate at all. For instance, the top of the each feeder basically looks the same as when it arrived.We also discovered that this feeder is so simple, even a small puppy can learn how to use it. I showed one or two how to open the door, and it seems like they all learned from each other after that - in only a few days. I've tried to upload a video. The puppies in the video were still nursing, and in fact they had just barely developed any teeth at all.

We have had a number of different feeding systems over the years, and so far this is the best we have had. The product is American made, sturdy, and coated to eliminate rust. It will easily hold the 25 lbs. it is rated for, and kibble feeds nicely down through the bin into the bottom so the dogs can eat. The top opens to the back, making it more secure from accidental opening by a frisky dog. We also like that the feeding door has a small magnet that keeps the door shut when not in use, but can be easily pushed open by even a small dog. This keeps birds and larger insects out of the dog's food, making for a healthier system. So far, it has proven rain proof, even in heavy rains. It has two holes on the backside that we used to mount the unit to our fence, placing the feeder close enough to the ground that the dogs can easily access it to eat, but not sitting on the ground when pests such as ants will find it. We recommend caulking around the unit once installed so that ants cannot get behind it and enter through the mounting holes or gaps. We have had several similar models in plastic, however, they subject to UV light deterioration, and the feeding doors do not close completely, making them more attractive to bugs and even some birds. We also had problems with the plastic units with puppies chewing them up. We think this is a great product and we are very grateful that Miller Manufacturing builds it.