Dumping the water bowl

[beth101509]

Theo is 4 1/2 months old and is the most challenging puppy I've ever had. He definitely keeps me on my toes. I think I will try the non-skid, anti-tipping dish and see how it goes. I used to have an absorbent pet mat under his water dish to sop up whatever slopping he did, but he liked to snatch that out and carry it around the house.

I had a towel under my dog's raised food/water bowl for all of a day before I decided it was a bad idea. He thought it was a game to get it from underneath his dishes...not fun for me.

[smartrock]

With mine, it was a game they outgrew. I had a "non-tipping, non-skid" water bowl, they tipped it, dug in it, blew bubbles through their noses into the water, splashed water out, rolled around on the wet floor, and generally had a lovely time playing in the water for a brief period as puppies. My kitchen floor got a lot of mopping. I put baby gates up to keep them in the kitchen. When we travel and I don't use non-tip bowls, Lark will still carry around the food bowls if they're left down after a meal but she leaves the water bowl alone.

[barry581]

Mocha has 3 "drinking problems". First, he would tip the bowl and play in the water so we got an anti tip bowl. The stainless steel one that was non-skid. But then I noticed he would drink so "aggressively" that the water splashed over the sides. So, I got this non-skid anti-splash bowl. It really helps with the tipping and splashing. It's too heavy and awkward for him to pick up.

Amazon.com : Indipets Stainless Steel Spill Proof - Splash Free No Tip Anti Skid Dish with easy pick up grip handle, 32-Ounce : Pet Bowls : Pet Supplies

Mocha's 3rd drinking problem is that he will get a mouthful of water (and he can hold a lot of water in his mouth) and drip it all over the floor as he walking. Haven't found a bowl to resolve this one

I think Mocha must be related to Bruce. He has the same three afflictions!

[Woodrow_Woodchuck]

LOL! Labs and their "drinking problems"

I thought bringing an empty dish to me would be a great trick. I taught my first lab, that if either dish was empty, bring it to me and I'd fill it for her. She was a nibbler as a pup so it worked out great... for a while. By the time she was one, the dish was a constant companion. If someone came to the door, grab the dish and go greet them. Let's go outside, grab the dish to go out. Let's hop in the truck... dish comes too! If the water dish was less than half full, she would pick it and carry it around also, leaving a nice trail behind her. Needless to say, for my other labs, right from day one the law is no picking up the dish!

I ended up with a thick, old, ceramic pie pan for food and drink for her. You can find some taller ones if you look. When pups, I went to medium sized ceramic ramekins for water. Large enough to hold some water but too small to crawl in while drinking. Now Sunshine has a 7" ceramic ramekin for hungry and thirsty. Hard to pickup with that glossy glaze, doesn't seem to feel good for her to pick up and heavy so they don't tip.

The other two drinking problems... well... it is part of having a lab. I just accept that around the thirsty dish is going to be wet and there will be a trail from there to wherever she goes next. That is why the two purple towels are always on the kitchen floor anyway.

[Georgie]

You can also put a giant rock in the bowl to make the bowl too heavy for lifting.

Pups love playing with water and usually the fascination with the water bowl (not water) is diminished as they reach maturity.

[Meeps83]

Maverick did the same thing (and still does with his food bowl). To solve the water problem we got a water bowl that attaches to the inside of his kennel and locks in. Since it's raised and locked in he can't spill it or steal it. We haven't cured the food bowl problem, but since is a healthy eater there's never anything in it.

[barry581]

Pups love playing with water and usually the fascination with the water bowl (not water) is diminished as they reach maturity.

Yeah it started for Bruce when he was about 5 weeks old!!!





I finally found a bowl he can't move or tip, but I still can't put it in the kennel as he will just splash the water out.

[Snowshoe]

I found that too. It wasn't just that he was tipping it over, he got right into it with his front feet and splashed. There was a time when a heavy bowl didn't work, a non tip bowl didn't work, a bowl fastened so it could not move or tip didn't work. If the bowl was within reach to drink out of it was also within reach to jump both front feet in. My kitchen floor was never cleaner.

[Macy]

Macy stopped digging in her water bowl eventually. I made it a non issue and just mopped it up. I never filled the bowl up because she would just splash it all out. She has a large stainless non skid bowl.
I admit I found it funny.

[Laura]

Mocha has 3 "drinking problems". First, he would tip the bowl and play in the water so we got an anti tip bowl. The stainless steel one that was non-skid. But then I noticed he would drink so "aggressively" that the water splashed over the sides. So, I got this non-skid anti-splash bowl. It really helps with the tipping and splashing. It's too heavy and awkward for him to pick up.

Amazon.com : Indipets Stainless Steel Spill Proof - Splash Free No Tip Anti Skid Dish with easy pick up grip handle, 32-Ounce : Pet Bowls : Pet Supplies

Mocha's 3rd drinking problem is that he will get a mouthful of water (and he can hold a lot of water in his mouth) and drip it all over the floor as he walking. Haven't found a bowl to resolve this one

I ordered this bowl from Amazon and it was delivered today. I guess I was overly optimistic (or stupid) because I filled it half full and put it on the floor. It wasn't even down for thirty seconds before Theo picked it up by the far rim, dumped it, and took off running with it in his mouth. It will be returned tomorrow. Blerg.