Guest HarperGD Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Hey guys, So Harper learned a new trick today - digging in his water bowl = wet paws/floor and lots of fun!! Any idea why he might be doing this?? It almost seems like he wants to get to the bottom Is it just entertainment?? We have been diverting his attention with toys but he just seems to go back to the bowl. I don't want to take his water away so I'm not sure what we should do??? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooky Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I think he's probably just playing think its something lots of dogs do. Someone else might know better though. He's a real cutie bet your glad you kept him :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 he's playing ! he can't dig outside anywhere.. or play in puddles , or explore.. so water provides a wonderful play substance. You can always get him a different drink vessel... a long and narrow one .. or one which is slightly suspended... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkelpie Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 He is just being a typical puppy :D The mess he creates is an added bonus My youngest has stopped doing that inside finally but she has a shell pool out the back that she loves digging in! She got most frustrated the other morning when she tried to dig in it and the water was frozen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 (edited) Wait till summer and put ice cubes in the water bowl... Em loves it and it's great entertainment for me as I watch her try to get the ice ETA: The dogs are several water bowls laid out for them.. they are never without water. Edited June 29, 2011 by CW EW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie P Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 chase does face plonks I would rather water exploring than digging! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 There is no need to do anything, certainly do not take the water away. Pups should always have access to drinking water. You can't control everything or need to know why unless it is a big problem or dangerous. He is playing, just let him. If he starts tipping it all over constantly get a bigger & heavier bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 You can't control everything or need to know why unless it is a big problem or dangerous. He is playing, just let him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrirose Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 No big deal at all though from an OH&S point of view I wouldn't be happy having wet floors with kids running around ect so I would be placing an old towel under the bowl, try raising it up (as someone else suggested) or get a large bowl and place another bowl upside down in the middle so the water is around the outside of the inside bowl and if the pup tries to dig he/she will only be digging on top of the other bowl... no fun at all. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dxenion Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I don't want to take his water away so I'm not sure what we should do??? One of ours decided that the only way he could drink from his bowl was when he was standing in it. We were concerned about the water quality, especially when he used to plonk both front feet in the bowl after running through mud and other tasty water additives, so we resolved the issue by getting one of these. No more standing in the water! In summer he does has a clam shell to splash about in. We too were worried about wet paws and slippery tiles so we trained him to wipe his feet - problem solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasoo Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 My 8 week old puppy started playing in his water too. Hunter gets his feet in it, swirls his nose around the bottom of it, drips it all over the place. Lucky its in a heavy ceramic bowl which I keep in his pen in the family room. I have put a huge sheet of clear plastic (from Spotlight) under the whole pen. I then just mop it up once or twice a day. I can't wait till he is old enough and warm enough to go swimming. I have a feeling he will love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest english.ivy Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 My Belgian does this but my Pointer never does. I only allowed her to do it outside and she learnt that pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Every puppy I have ever had has dug in their water bowl. The problem is that they dig all the water out then have no water. For outside dogs providing a wading pool solves the available water problem. Inside the house a constant flood of water on the floor is not so good so I use noise distraction to discourage the behaviour from about 12 weeks. When you hear the water being dug out of the bowl, make a really load noise like hitting a wall or bashing pans together to startle the puppy. Then as soon as they stop digging praise like mad. The idea is that only digging in the water, makes the scary noise happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamSnag Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 My bailey does this.. he also puts his nose in it n blows bubbles lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 If you're worried about him running out of water you could try a no spill water bowl: http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=542 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HarperGD Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Haha thanks for the replies everyone! I personally think it's hilarious. I think I'll just put down a towel and let him go for it! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ons Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 my Latte is obsessed with water but I will not let her play with the water bowl inside or the water bucket outside. She gets a sharp no for doing that and told to get away. The inside bowl has to be shared with the other dogs and cats and the outside one with the other dogs. She actually is now very good about not playing with the water bowl inside, the water bucket outside still working on that. There's enough mess in my house without her adding water to it, if you dont' want her to play with water inside teach her now. I have however provided Latte with a clam shell pool, she can go for her life playing with that and loves it. If you wanted to use iceblocks I owuld put it in the clam shell pool. the other good thing about having such a large amount of water is that if Latte does play in the water bucket hte other dogs have another source of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinkdogg Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 When Ruskee drinks for longer than usual, we know soon a paw will go in. I distract her with noise, get her to sit, then lift the bowl up just enough, until she has quenched her first. She is starting to grow out of it at 15 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I had a foster greyhound who did this too, but at the age of 3. Argh it was so annoying! I ended up raising his bowl even higher because he'd just run water through the house, and his water would get all muddy and end up with sticks and leaves etc all in it, 2 seconds after changing it. For him though, it didn't seem like play - he had been living in kennels for ages before coming to live with me (his first time in a house) and I assumed it was something he'd picked up there, perhaps to.. I don't know.. remove crud from the water surface? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaJ Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 I keep 3 large buckets of water out for that very reason. I actually don't mind Bonnie doing it - she's even learned how to do it with her back feet. At least her feet are always clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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