With the Boxer breed, there are several elements
to consider when choosing food and water dishes
Material:
This is vital. Even with those marked as BPA free, plastic bowls are never recommended. They scratch super easy which allows bacteria to form quickly and they are much too lightweight for a Boxer.
Importantly, one major issue with plastic bowls are what they can do in regard to nose discoloration. There are so many dogs out there that have light (white or pink) spots on their nose; the owner thinks that it's a natural coloring that the dog grew into... but, no, it is due to a chemical reaction from eating out and/or drinking from plastic dishes.
So, to avoid those issues, it is highly recommended to opt for high quality stainless steel. These do not scratch easier, are easy to clean, resist bacteria build-up and are sturdy and heavy which prevents them from slipping so much.
Size:
It's easy to buy a bowl that is much too large for a Boxer pup, thinking that 1) he's going to eat enough to fill it and 2) that even if it is a bit big, that he'll quickly grow into it.
However, when a dish is just too large, this can make it uncomfortable for a pup to reach his food and this, in turn, can lead to either frustration and/or under eating.
For for young pups under 4 months a small works best. For most Boxers 4 to 18 months, a medium and for Boxers 18+ months, a large.
Height: Boxers should have floor level bowls. While raised bowls can look kind of cool and it may seem like a good idea to offer the dish up high where it might be easier to eat, don't choose this option. A raised dog food bowl raises the risk of killer bloat
by 100%.
Design:
While it may seem amusing to see a dog wolf down his food with record speed, both drinking and eating fast greatly increases the risk of bloat by 15%. So, you'll want your Boxer to have no choice but to swallow both his food and water at a reasonably slow pace.
Luckily, there are two great methods to easily make sure of this. You can opt for a slow-feeder bowl for your Boxer. These are designed to promote slow eating by using a safe projection that displaces the food.
The other option is to place a stainless steel portion pacer ball into your Boxer's existing dish. These are great as well, since they can be found in two sizes. As your Boxer starts to eat, he will nose the ball, thus always displacing the food with each bite that he takes. And since these are SS, they are super easy to clean and are heavy enough that they stay in the bowl.
To Recap:
The best bowls for a Boxer puppy or dog is a quality stainless steel, appropriately sized, floor level, slow-feeder or bowl + portion pacer.