[Jchrest]

Just like the title says, I have a stupid question, and when I get feedback, I’ll probably be smacking myself because it’s probably a common sense answer. Feel free to post yours as well!

With the exception of Lyka, our dogs love the water. And they WILL get into it anyway possible. This includes water dishes. We had a large orange tub outside for them that we filled fresh daily. Well, Seiran learned it was the perfect size for a one pup pool. So we stopped filling it up, and there is no water outside now. They have free range of the doggie door, so we aren’t not giving them water, just not outside anymore. We also kept two large bowls of water for them inside. Now Crios, Floki, and Seiran paw (dig) all the water out of the large water bowls, and the tile is soaked again. So I had DH run to the store last night and pick up those self waterer things. 2 1/2 gallons, with a small dish to drink from. Now they just use one paw instead of two to dig the water out, but now they have 2 1/2 gallons of water, times two, to dig out.

Please tell me there is a simple fix to this! We fenced off the pool, changed sized and styles of every water dish know to man, but the tile is still getting soaked. They know they aren’t supposed to, because they only do it if I run to bathroom or become distracted with the kids or DH. So they “hide” the behavior when they aren’t watched. I spent so much time cleaning up spilled water, and it’s driving me nuts. It’s a slip hazard for everyone, and it’s very difficult for me to clean up, I’ve learned the motorized chair and a dry mop work, but not well.

How do you keep water dogs out of their water dishes?!?! With the chickens, we put chicken wire about an inch under the water so they didn’t use it to bath in, but I don’t think that will work for the dogs since they use long tongues to lap it up. I’m just stumped on this one. Short of being vigilant 100% of the time, which is hard with a large family and large pack, is there anything else out there that works?

 

[car2ner]

Have you tried raising the bowls so that they are in a stand just shy of head high?

 

[MineAreWorkingline]

For "those" dogs, I put water bowls outside.

 

[dogma13]

A deep bucket like the Home Depot orange buckets or the tall kitty litter buckets clipped to something so it won't get knocked over.They can reach down in to drink and possibly get one leg in there if really determined.

 

[dogfaeries]

I use a stainless steel bucket, and clip it to something high enough that they can’t really get into it. If that doesn’t work, then just give up on water bowls outside. If they have access to the water in the house through a dog door, that’s all that matters.

 

[LuvShepherds]

I trained mine not to play in their food or water dishes. I have a spill proof bowl in the crate for my older dog. I got it at Petco but they don’t make it anymore. It looks a lot like this one

https://www.petmate.com/petmate-no-spill-pet-bowl/product/23371

 

[Jchrest]

Andddd just as I thought, I’m smacking myself right now. Lifting the bowls is genius and such an easy fix! Thanks guys!!!!

 

[selzer]

German Shepherds have drinking problems. I think maybe it's the German. LOL. But no water dishes are allowed in my house. I do use SS buckets and clip them to the fencing and have most of them in horse water bucket holders. But those are on the ground, and I will catch my youngsters with one or both front legs in them, and sometimes they will paddle the water out on themselves. Well, water buckets get filled once a day. If they paddle it out, they maybe be thirsty, but they will not die before tomorrow. It is rare when I come and find a bucket totally empty and dry. I have a swimming pool for Bear and Tinny, and I thought it was only Tinny that liked it but the other day, I saw Bear in the pool. I have a pool for Cujo2, Hepsi, and Kaiah too. Kaiah loves it. The other two, not so much. Uzzi likes it, but she is in with her mother, she is currently the one who has her legs in the water bucket.

 

[Dunkirk]

I was reminded of this:

https://www.usatoday.com/videos/new...-dog-squeezes-into-tiny-bird-bath/2234544001/

 

[Jchrest]

That clip was priceless! And so reminds me of Seiran! The girls left the lid up and door open in their bathroom, and I heard a death scream. Sent DH up to find out what was going on, and it was Seiran, sitting in the toilet as happy as can be. My oldest woke up to use the bathroom and thought it was a huge black spider ?

 

[Sunsilver]

Jchrest, OMG, that's hysterical! I laughed SO hard at that!

 

[Jchrest]

It was pretty funny after I got my drama llama calmed down. She tends to be dramatic and unreasonably hysterical. Which is puzzling, I’m pretty no nonsense and raised 3 other children the same way. If she were a dog, she’d be one of those that runs screaming and whining when another dog just looks at her. I chose to believe those genetics came from her father and not me ?

DH is so squeamish he was just as hysterical to watch washing Seiran off. It’s gray water, not raw sewage! Now all the doors upstairs have self closing hinges on them ?

 

[GSDchoice]

Have you tried raising the bowls so that they are in a stand just shy of head high?

My dog has a passion for drinking out of bird baths, so yes they can drink effectively from that height and they sure can't dig in it.

I have learned to avoid all the stores and homes that keep bird baths near the street...
I don't think it's healthy to drink from bird baths!

 

[Jchrest]

Okay, DH is getting ready to build the stands, but question. Again, probably stupid question.

The dogs measure as follows:
Lyka - 23 1/2
Crios - 23 1/2
Seiran - 21 1/4
Floki - 21 1/2

Lyka won’t do anything but drink, but Seiran has shown the evil water paw trick ways to Crios, who has gleefully fallen pray to her ways. Same with Floki, but he’d rather pick the whole bowl up at once and dump it and drag it around the house. So if DH makes them the right height for the pups. Never mind, just figured it out. And yes, it was a common sense answer. Lol

Bird baths are yuck. And they are rarely used by just birds. Also, if the water doesn’t get dumped on a regular basis and clean water put in, hello breeding ground for mosquito’s, and the chance to introduce larvae to your dog. And birds and squirrels poop and pee in it too, so I’m sure that’s not healthy for a number of reasons I’m too lazy to look up! Lol

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

I use a stainless steel bucket, and clip it to something high enough that they can’t really get into it. If that doesn’t work, then just give up on water bowls outside. If they have access to the water in the house through a dog door, that’s all that matters.

High clipped bucket is what I do with boarders who want to play in their water. It usually works. I have one who also has to get a big bowl outside before she comes in because she snorkels in it while drinking and makes a huge mess. Its just how she drinks when she is hot. If I let her do it outside, she does not do it inside.