Buying guide
How to choose an automatic dog feeder
To choose an automatic dog feeder well you need to look at five things in this order: hopper capacity, dispensing system, material, whether it goes indoors or outdoors, and where it gets its power from. The dog's size and where it lives decide almost everything else.
1. How much capacity do I need?
The quick rule: capacity in kilos divided by the daily serving equals the days it lasts without anyone touching it. A 3 litre dispenser holds a little under 1.5 kg and lasts three days with a large dog; a 40 litre hopper holds 15 kg and lasts a month.
If the feeder is for a weekend away, almost any one will do. If it's for the day-to-day life of a dog that lives outdoors, capacity comes first, because a feeder that needs refilling every three days doesn't solve the problem it was bought for.
2. ¿Sinfín o sistema de rotor?
It's the technical decision that causes the most problems afterwards, and almost no product page explains it.
The auger is a spiral that pushes the kibble towards the outlet. It lets you dispense by grams with precision and it's what almost all indoor feeders use. Its problem is kibble size: the spiral is calibrated for small kibble, and it jams with large-breed dry food. When it jams, the dog goes without food and the unit doesn't warn you.
sistema patentado de rotor con escobillas, el sistema de volteo deja que el pienso baje por su propio peso. Es menos preciso —se dosifica por raciones de unos 150 gramos habiendo opciones para disminuir la ración, y a cambio no hay nada que se pueda atascar, sea cual sea la croqueta. Es el sistema de los comederos Producan, y está patentado.
Dicho claro: si necesitas controlar la ración al gramo porque el perro está a dieta veterinaria, quieres un sinfín. Si lo que necesitas es que no falle en tres años a la intemperie, quieres nuestro sistema de volteo.
3. Plastic or metal?
Indoors with a small dog, plastic does the job. Outdoors, or with a large dog, it doesn't: it splits along the seams, fades in the sun and gives way if the dog pushes it. Riveted 0.8 mm galvanised sheet steel doesn't split, and galvanising is what stops it rusting outdoors.
4. Will it be outside?
If it's going outdoors, look for a stated IP rating on the product page, not a «water resistant» with no number. IP65 means dust-tight and resistant to water jets from any direction, which is what you need to leave it in a yard all winter. It's covered in more detail in Outdoor automatic dog feeder.
5. Is there a socket where you're going to put it?
Indoor ones run on mains power or batteries. For a smallholding with no power you need a proper battery: the Producan P3 has an internal 12 V one with around 3 months of battery life. It's compared in automatic dog feeders with no plug.
What a Producan doesn't do
Better to say it now than for you to find out on opening the box. The Producan feeder it has no mobile app, no wifi, no camera, no microphone: it's set on the unit's own panel, with a timer that survives power cuts without losing the schedule. Doesn't dispense in exact grams, but by opening time. And it's not a living-room feeder: it's a 70 cm tall hopper designed for the yard, the smallholding or the breeding kennel.
If what you're after is a dispenser with a camera so you can watch the dog from the office, that's not us. If what you're after is the dog eating on time every day of the year no matter who's home, then yes.
Summary
| If your situation is… | What you need |
|---|---|
| Small dog, indoors, serving to the gram | Indoor dispenser with auger (not what we do) |
| Large dog, yard or smallholding, with a socket | Producan P1 |
| Large dog, no power nearby | Producan P3 with battery |
| Two dogs | Double version of either one |