[rod5591]

Our puppy is 5 1/2months old now. We got her at 9 weeks old. She spends her time mostly outdoors in a fenced yard except at night when we bring her in to sleep in her crate. We try to keep her water bowls outside filled up, but she seems to empty them as fast as we can fill them, not by drinking, but by splashing the water out of the bowl with her feet, or knocking the bowl about with her paws, slopping the water onto the ground.

Has anyone experienced this with their puppy? Really I am re-evaluating the intelligence of this dog--it is getting hot outdoors and she needs lots of water, but she doesn't seem to "get" that she is emptying her drinking water with her play.

Any thoughts?

 

[LRP]

This is 100% normal. My female lives in her kiddie pool likes it a day spa. Both our male and female enjoy splashing in anything filled with water. We have 2 large water jugs filled up, a 30 gallon Rubbermaid pail and the kiddie pool filled full time during the hot days to keep up with both playtime and drinking. If its hot, they need water to play in as well. We also run the sprinklers for them in the back during the hottest days so they have cool water and some action. I highly recommend getting 1 of those cheap hard plastic kiddie pools to allow her to sit in during the day. At night we empty it all so she is dry and can come inside with us.

Below is the most recent water/mud play day with both dogs.... you can see all the water jugs

 

[LRP]

Also - I get you were probably looking for help to stop this but honestly its a natural thing for them. I am sure someone has tips to slow her down but I wouldn't want to stop her from doing what she enjoys. Invest in a good waterer, something that will hold a lot of water and has a smaller drinking section so she cant stick her paws in and get the water out as easy. Also a large Rubbermaid container or pail helps to hold a lot of water at once. I have just gotten into the routine every morning of grabbing the hose and filling everything up for them because I want to keep her happy when its hot.

 

[Sabis mom]

Our puppy is 5 1/2months old now. We got her at 9 weeks old. She spends her time mostly outdoors in a fenced yard except at night when we bring her in to sleep in her crate. We try to keep her water bowls outside filled up, but she seems to empty them as fast as we can fill them, not by drinking, but by splashing the water out of the bowl with her feet, or knocking the bowl about with her paws, slopping the water onto the ground.

Has anyone experienced this with their puppy? Really I am re-evaluating the intelligence of this dog--it is getting hot outdoors and she needs lots of water, but she doesn't seem to "get" that she is emptying her drinking water with her play.

Any thoughts?

I banned water bowls indoors for a long time. Totally normal and she may or may not grow out of it. I had one that liked to bury his whole head in his bucket and another that carried the dish around splashing water everywhere! I had one that would tip over the bucket and lay in the resulting puddle. I put a kiddie pool in the yard and let them splash there instead. I got one with little critters printed on the bottom and my current dummy spent all day trying to dig them out or catch them or whatever she was doing. Pretty solid entertainment.

 

[Schaef]

I don't think dogs in general can surmise they need to save/ration drinking water vs. knocking it over.

I had a similar issue...water bowls are just too much fun to play in/with. We now use larger water buckets which cannot be tipped over.

 

[crittersitter]

Of course. She's a puppy! They all do it Best thing we ever got for outdoors are flat sided stainless steel buckets that you can hang from a clip. At least it can't be knocked over.

 

[LuvShepherds]

Because it’s so much fun!

 

[Custom Billet]

Because it’s so much fun!

Pretty much it! It's fun!

Did she see you fill the bowl? If so, she knows you will fill it right back up! She is actually MUCH smarter than you think. :grin2: She got you to fill her bowl so she can splash in it, cool off and have a good time!

 

[Kyrielle]

Our puppy is 5 1/2months old now. We got her at 9 weeks old. She spends her time mostly outdoors in a fenced yard except at night when we bring her in to sleep in her crate. We try to keep her water bowls outside filled up, but she seems to empty them as fast as we can fill them, not by drinking, but by splashing the water out of the bowl with her feet, or knocking the bowl about with her paws, slopping the water onto the ground.

Has anyone experienced this with their puppy? Really I am re-evaluating the intelligence of this dog--it is getting hot outdoors and she needs lots of water, but she doesn't seem to "get" that she is emptying her drinking water with her play.

Any thoughts?

Two reasons:

1. It's fun. She's a puppy and splashing water is fun!

2. Dogs often cool their feet and undercarriage off when they're hot over drinking water. Heat escapes faster through their paw pads and inner legs vs drinking.

Solution: Get a kiddie pool! Or a spill-proof bowl.

 

[Chuck and Melissa]

Our nearly 4 months old GSD does the same thing. And like you we are worried he is not getting enough water. We do keep water indoors as well, he really doesn’t care for the heat. He spills the water outside and lays in it, cooling down I suppose, drinking water in the house is a whole ne adventure it seems he forgets to close his mouth after drinking. Just funny

 

[dogfaeries]

Get a kiddie pool. Seriously. I can’t imagine having a puppy without one, or an adult dog for that matter.

 

[Sabis mom]

Get a kiddie pool. Seriously. I can’t imagine having a puppy without one, or an adult dog for that matter.

Cheaper then cable and way more fun!

 

[NaughtyNibbler]

My puppy is a couple weeks shy of one year. She is still a messy and enthusiastic water drinker, She likes to dig the water out of the bowl or play with the bowl and dump it over. I cleaned up a lot of floods, before I wised up and permanently made her indoor water source a water-filled bucket kept inside of a bath tub in the bathroom. For her outdoor water source, I have 2 locations with a large stainless steel bowl, that I station at the top of an appropriately sized garden pot (with something like rocks in the bottom to weight it down).


I'll probably wait until she is around 2 to try a water bowl on the floor in the house. I've made some bad decisions, thinking she was behaving better with water, only to have her dump a bowl or bucket of water on the floor. I guess I was lucky with my prior 2 GSD's. They weren't so mischievous with their water bowls, but all GSD's I've had/have like to attach the garden hose. Just can't productively water outdoor plants with my dog at my side.

 

[wm97]

Because it's fun and it helps them cool off. Same reasons kids play in the sprinklers.
I researched all sorts of methods of dealing with it. I eventually got a Lixit.
Just my opinion, but I think GSDs do better when they can be physically close to you as much as possible. These dogs are usually happiest when they are touching you, or within arms reach.