Bergan Aut-O-Dine Dog Feeder & Storage, 100-cup

I purchased this enclosed feeder about a month ago. My dog training camp is located in Alabama about 85 miles off the Gulf Coast, so, insects and feed bowls are a problem. I thought this feeder was a great idea and according to many users, it is. Sadly, it did not work for us. I have 3 dogs, 2 Aussies and 1 Shih Tzu. All eat nicely from an open 24/7 feeder. I introduced this feeder and took away the older one. Eating for all 3 stopped immediately. They were curious about the new feeder but, afraid of it. When introducing the feeder, I showed the dogs it empty and allowed sniffing and moving it around to occur. Next, I had the dogs, assist me in filling it, setting it in their eating spot and again, let them explore it. When they got curious about the contents inside and began scratching the door, I showed them how to push on the door and open it, revealing the food. My agility dog went first. Her method of getting the kibbles was to scrape them out onto the floor and then eat them. The Shih Tzu, found sitting up on the edge and eating worked and loved digging into the ton of food inside. That was short lived, as it was only partially full. Eventually, she had tunneled inside and fell against the door, which closed and trapped her inside. Getting her out was no easy task! She and food blocked the door from swinging inward. Then it was chicken dog's turn. She was not interested after watching her baby Tzu be gobbled up by it. Also, the feeder blocked her side vision as she had to put her head inside a tad. She felt unsafe. None of them could push open the door independantly to get to the food. FRANKLY, I had difficulty pushing the door open and closing it. I added a knob to the door to have something to hold on to. The area between the door and front lip of the feeder was too tiny for the Aussies to put their head in to eat without the door obstructing the process. The agility dog refused to eat from it, unless it was in her puzzle bowls. She loves those and gathers them at night into her crate to sleep with them. Around here you never know when the new kid will steal your favorite dish. The method I ended up using was I had to open the box for them and leave it open. Chicken dog didn't attempt to eat and waited for snack time. Agility dog threw kibbles everywhere and then ate the ones that landed in her bowl. The Shih Tzu tapped the entry of the feeder and whined until I fed her. The intent was to make independant eating of pest free food possible for the gang. Since the door had to remain open, as they could not open it due to the weight of it with a half full feeder, bugs moved in. That ended everything. In the three weeks we tried this feeder, all the dogs lost too much weight for it to be safe to continue using the feeder. Attitudes declined and sad faces appeared. I thought this feeder was the answer. For us, it wasn't. I train dogs professional and try though I may, I could not get them to use the feeder. They stopped coming to the kitchen at feeding time; staying in their open crates napping. Agility dog only came to the kitchen to help me cook dinner. She started to counter surf, a habit broken 2 years ago. For us, this feeder may have worked better if the eating area had been bigger, the sides were made of clear plastic so as not to block vision o, and the door was easier to push open and then close completely on it's own. The food would prevent the door from closing. I would try a feeder of this nature again but, it would need a serious redesign. I am happy it worked well for so many of you. I offer our experience for knowledge if you are considering this feeder. Your dog's personality has got to be a major consideration. This product is well made, easy to setup and clean. You should not hesitate about quality construction and durablity issues. It does keep pests out, assuming the door stays closed. Our problem was, it kept dogs out too.