She's an 8 week old puppy. Not a specific breed. I don't know what her parents where. I have her bowl in my room, on top of some newspaper. She had been drinking politely, but she started pawing at it and taking all the water out. I told her no, and seeing that she didn't stop, i removed the plate and only offered it to her from time to time so she could drink, but holding it and not putting it directly on the floor so she doesn't get a chance to 'dig' in it.
Why is she digging in it? How can i stop her from doing that?
I would like to have her bowl accesible to her all the time, without getting my hardwood floor all wet.
Answers:
First off, stop holding it.
It just gives her attention and gets you involved in the drinking activity if she acts up. Take the dish away when she does it. Give it back and let her drink later. As soon as she starts splashing take it away again. She'll get the point pretty quickly, just make sure its offered very frequently so that she doesnt go without water.
The elevated bowls are also a good idea. It makes eating and drinking easier for most dogs and as a bonus should solve this problem.
she is HOT
My sister's cocker spaniel does that. It's maddening and we haven't been able to stop him yet. But you can buy a bottle that is like a gerbil bottle for your dog. You attach it to a crate or wall, etc. and fill it with water. Then she can get water when she needs it, but can't make a mess.
try elevating her bowl to where she doesn't have to bend down so its harder to get her paws up to it.
My dogs do that all the time, and most in the summer. For inside, we have an elevated bowl that stops most of them.
Digging sometimes is a teritorial thing. Since she is a puppy she may think that other dogs will drink it. Also if she can't tip it she does that. My puppy who is a year does that. Find one that is higher up so she can't get into it. Like a raisable bowl. Do you have any other dogs?
she is just playing.
Some dogs can't get enough of water play.
You might put an inch or two of water in the tub and let her splash around and play in there.
But you'll need to train her that her water bowl is for drinking, not for playing in.
If you don't feel like training her, they have pretty big bottle drinking systems for other animals that a dog can drink from easily. Think of a hamster's drinking bottle with the ball at the end, only much bigger, for animals like rabbits and birds. You can mount it to a cupboard door or to a wall with a few screws and a bracket.
She probably thinks it is a toy. My basset/beagle did that when she was young. I bought a higher grade water bowl for her (the first one was plastic), so she couldn't do any damage to the bowl.
I have to ask. Is there a design on the bottom of the bowl? If there is than that may be what she is digging for. I have found with some dogs and pups if you have a bowl that has a design in the bowl they are fasinated buy it looking down through the water. So they try to get at it to see what it is.
I'd get her a plain bowl and see if she still does it.
It might be the newspaper underneath if she was previously papertrained. You know what you do.. You know those little pans you get to put boots on in the winter.. Shallow plastic things.. Put food and water dishes on there.. Anything spilled is right there in the pan.. No worries.. Or in the kitchen I have one of those deeper tubs.. It's like 8 inches high, and probably 2 feet by a foot and a 1/2.. I put their water dish in there.. Then if it gets bumped.. water is in the tub.. If someone things they are funny and wants to play.. water is in the tub.. And that drippy drooly one.. can't make a mess all over the floor, cause.. it's all in the tub!
My families siberian huskey did that for awhile. We never figured out why because we have a boxer too and he never digs in it. The husky does love to play in water in general, puddles, the hose, sprinklers, the rain... you name it. Some people say it's an "ownership" thing - the dog wants to show that it's their water dish and nobody elses. Try an elevated bowl for her and see if it helps, she shouldn't be able to get her paws up to dig in an elevated bowl.
Hope this helps. :-)
Ask the dog whisperer! He knows his Sh*t.
its on tonight from 8-10pm on nationl geographic channel.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/colum...
Your puppy might be running on instinct still, or she's just having fun... Puppies from larger litters tend to stand in thier food or water bowls while eating/drinking. This is because they are trying to prevent their brothers/sisters from stealing thier food! Or, she might be seeing a reflection of light in the water and dig at it to get it out of there. She might grow out of it, but just in case you might want to get an elevated bowl. It could make it too hard to reach into the bowl, or change the puppy's view in the water so the reflection doesn't drive her mad!
She is hot or playing with it.Put it up a little higher so she can just drink and not play in it...
I've seen my dogs do this when outdoors on a warm day. I think the cool water feels good on their paws and helps cool them. But in your case I think she's just playing lol. When she starts pawing at her water bowl, tell her NO and hand her a toy, then play with her a bit, leading her away from the bowl. You mat have better luck just distracting her from playing in the water rather than making an issue of it. GL
I have one that you would think was diving for apples when she drinks. Feel like tipping her over and using her to mop up the mess sometimes.
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