This varies for all water bowls and dispensers. Some water bowl dispensers come with cleaning filters, where they collect all the minerals and bacteria, providing clean water to your dog. These do not need frequent cleaning, so you can clean them once every month or two. Then, you have timed cleaners. These devices tell you when the cleaning is due according to your watering pattern, so it’s a pretty straightforward approach there. Then, we get travel dispensers. Since these have a small capacity and often require complete disassembling for refills, you may clean them right then and there. However, for most standard products, cleaning needs to be scheduled at least once a week.