need tips to get my dog to drink?

Question

my dog is about 7 months old and has always been a bit fearful of water. we bought him a new water dish and he drank from it for a few days but since then he refuses to drink water out of anything. right now I am having to bring snow in from outside to get water into him but as soon as it melts he stays clear of the dish

I have tried all those things and more I have even gone as far as putting food in his water also the vet has no idea as well as trainers in my area

I have tried many different bowls and such he doesn't like ice and he is terrified of the bathroom I have tried giving him bottled water rain water and tap water he will drink rain water if it's outside in a puddle but not in the house so far snow is the only thing working up until it melts

he is afraid of the water he hates baths if it is raining he will do his business as quick as possible and hold it as long as he can to avoid going out in the rain he is perfectly healthy ... I thought he would eventually drink but no such luck he went 3+days with nothing to drink until it finally snowed here

Answer 1

He'll drink when he's thirsty. Don't worry. My cat did this at first too. She would drink out of the toilet though! So, I just made sure to keep the bathroom doors shut and eventually she learned to drink from the bowl.

Answer 2

I'm sure its not fear of water, but he's a rather fussy dog. Some dogs are pretty fussy, and they refuse to drink anything more than 5 minutes old.

Sometimes, the solution lies not in the dog, but in the owner. Try not giving in to temptation to make a fuss out of the situation. Leave a clean bowl of water, in fact, make it several bowls of water around the house, inside and outside, wherever he has access to. Then observe him and beware of dehydration. Usually, the dog will give in before he reaches that stage. Another thing you can do, is to add some sugar or honey into the water bowl. Dogs love that.

If it doesn't work. Try bringing him for a vet check-up. Drinking little water can be a sign of some illness.

Answer 3

Better start storing snow into your freezer then. My pug won't drink from a bowl either. He prefers the bath tub (why I don't know maybe he loves the excitement of watching me run from the living room to the bathroom to turn on his water for him) try different things to put water into. smaller dish, bigger dish, bath tub, ice instead of actual water, maybe the water you have doesn't taste right to him, I have a friend whose dog won't drink tap water (her vet said when he gets thirsty he will drink few days later her dog was in the vet's office with dyhrdation...go figure) so she has to buy bottled water for him now. Talk with your vet and see if you guys cant' figure something out.

Answer 4

Is your dog eating dry or wet (canned) food ? If it's not dry food that he may be getting enough water from the food. If not, try putting the water in a plate or bowl that you use, he'll pick up on the smell of your food from it.

Have you tried the plastic dish that you flip onto a pop bottle filled with water ? It enables you to fill the bottle (I would suggest 1/2 way), freeze it and then fill the rest of the bottle with fresh water, that way it's always cold.

Answer 5

I've had this problem before but it was for a significantly older dog. Try adding a few drops of something the dog likes to the water, in my case it was peppermint. But do some research first and if your not sure call your vet to make sure what your adding isn't going to be harmful to the pup!
After awhile you can start decreasing the amount in the water until its no longer an issue.

Answer 6

i stopped up utilizing the floor mat that I have been given from mattress tub and previous, it is approximately an inch thick and it is cushioned for status, i exploit that it is water-resistant and it has foam below, it doesnt get moldy yet specific, I unquestionably have a Weimaraner and she or he has massive lips that carry a super form of water and she or he drools everywhere in the floor, often times she leaves me a effective little path, all i'm able to do is wipe it up, despite if, this massive floor mat has helped extensively as a results of fact now she gets it on the mat and not lots on the floor around the bowl. sturdy good fortune, whats up a minimum of they don't choose to place their total head interior the bowl after which shake afterwards.

Answer 7

The only thing I can think of is keep the water fresh. My dog will drink water when it's fresh and cold. Not after it has sat for hours.

Answer 8

I had this trouble with one of my dogs and my vet told me to mix some chicken or beef bullion in the water dish (however you need to change it every couple hours), it worked really well for my dog.

Answer 9

Ok..since none of the other answers were helpful..here is my view.. Try giving the dog salty snacks. This will enhance his thirst. If that doesn't work then i would take the dog to another vet to find out if there is perhaps another problem going on.

Answer 10

Show your dog a treat them put in the water bowl half sticking up so he can smell it better!