Plastic dog dishes and bowls offer simplicity and flexibility for feeding locations.
Things to consider: Separate dishes, teaching kids to feed the dog, and outdoor feeding.
Dish Choices - Plastic dog dishes and bowls for food and water come separately or joined together in partitioned pairs. Some people prefer to use separate plastic food and water dishes because the food and water tend to mix when the two plastic dishes and bowls are joined.
Learning Experience - Make sure feeding time remains a pleasant time between your child and your dog. First, instead of putting away your dog's plastic dishes and bowls when he has finished eating, leave them sitting out in the kitchen so that they lose their air of novelty to both child and dog. Next, when feeding time rolls around, keep your dog in a "sit/stay" position while he observes your child delivering handfuls of food into his plastic bowl (then wash your child's hands afterwards with soap and water). Your child will learn responsibility for the dog and his belongings. Your dog will learn to associate your child with positive things -- like yummy food. Only perform this exercise, incidentally, with dogs that do not guard their dog dishes and bowls from you already. Moreover, if the dog does growl during the exercise, you and your child just walk away.
Plastic Over Steel - For outdoor feeding and watering purposes, stainless steel dog dishes and bowls may not work as well as they conduct and lose heat more easily and therefore the water in them is more likely to freeze. Instead, consider deep and heavy dog dishes and bowls made of heavy-duty plastic.
