Drinking from the water bowl

Gunnar is the WORST drinker ever! He sticks his whole muzzle into the bowl and then gulps at the water. Then when he takes his nose out of the bowl water runs down to the floor. We have two water bowls next to each other in one of those stands up off the floor because he used to paw at the water on the floor and tip it. He takes turns dunking his nose from one bowl to the other making a huge sopping mess on my floor. It's starting to ruin my linolieum (sp?) and it seems to be getting worse the bigger he gets. He still attempts to paw the water out of the bowl even though it is off the floor quite a bit. Anyone elses dog do this? Any hope he will outgrow it? Any ideas on how to save my floor?

He should outgrow it. Bimmer did. He would paw ALL the water out of the bowl and lay in it! I got him a wading pool for the backyard, lol! Now he's taught Shiva and Kharma to wash off before they come in the house - so, there IS hope!

Why don't you try putting Gunnar's dishes in a big tray with sides on it to contain the water and keep it (mostly) off of your floor? Or maybe even a big absorbent welcome mat.

Gracie plays in her water too. She paws at it, will even pick up the dish full of water and run with it making a heck of a mess. I ended up buying a water dish she hasnt figured out how to carry but she still plays in it and makes hugh messes. I also bought a small pool for them today. She loves the water, loves playing in it so we'll see if she gets any enjoyment out of a pool. When I water the flowers I'll spray the water out in the yard and she runs circles thru the water like a little kid, jumps in any puddles she see's, tries to catch the water drops. So maybe she'll like the pool. Hope so.

HAHA!

It's a German Shepherd thing, I guess.

Rocky does that and then our tile gets soaked with water dripping out of his mouth.

Have you ever taken him swimming? He might really enjoy it. Get some of that water-obsession out of him.

You'll find this interesting, Emma. Before Bimmer goes hunting, he'll often find a puddle and lay down in it, covering his belly and legs. I can only think he's obscuring his scent. Before he comes back in the house he washes off in his wading pool.

Hmm...that really is interesting. I wonder if it could be a temp. control thing...? Only because I know how much worse my dogs smell when they're wet! Maybe it's got something to do with reducing the amount of noise he makes by plastering that long hair down so it doesn't catch on branches and such.

Or maybe it's just a revel. "Hooray! Rabbits is gonna die!" LOL! This will give me something fun to think about, anyway. I just got over my "What the hell is wrong with this standard poodle?" line of thought. Turns out he could hear mice in the walls. Long story.

He picks a nice smelly puddle. I think it must be some wolfy hunting instinct thing. He's really a trip. I'll be honest though, it was unsettling to see him kill his prey. He doesn't do it like a dog. He's quiet; no histrionics. He doesn't shake it or do anything that might make any noise. He crushes the windpipe then bears down and suffocates his prey so it can't draw any unwanted attention. THEN he hauls it off into shelter and eats it. It's weird to see him shift gears like that. Ordinarily he's so civilized and gentlemanly. The first time I saw him respond to a threat it gave me the willies and made me very glad he was on my side!

A poodle hearing mice in the walls, hmmm? I've had cats who I swear saw spirits . . .

I've got two who I think may have been kidnapped by aliens and replaced with loud, cat-shaped body snatchers. Does that count?

I think it was Thoreau who wrote about watching his wolfhounds sleep with his granddaughter in front of the fire while he could see outside the carnage from their successful deer hunt not an hour before. No matter what else they are, they're still hunters. They've still got something that people--at least people like me--have completely lost. Such amazing animals! I just have such a huge crush on all things doggy, including that glorious predator just below the kisses and eye boogers.

Why do you think I chose the two quotes I did for my signature? I do believe it.

By the way, didn't you know cats have the ability to warp time and space and to travel in parallel space/time continuums? They ARE alien . . .

Well, Puzzle is warped, if that's close. And he travels in parallel realities full of dragons and purple weasels and has dreams that the boloney-spiders are coming for him. (Boloney-spiders are what cause the 20 minute kitty freakouts in our house. They are dreaded and formidable imaginary foes.)

Not that we've drifted off-topic at all...

I love that! That is so right on! People who have dogs who forget this and try to humanize them too much (other than the joking that we do for fun) lose out, I think. They don't get the full meal deal when they only look at dogs from a human's perspective or by interjecting our values or our ways onto them. There is so much more to them.

Oh....the water bowl. Yes, she, hopefully will grow out of it. My Dobe is a slob when he drinks. He doesn't do all that foot work, but he seems to hold the last drink inside his mouth and when he walks away from the bowl, slurp, lick, slop and it goes all over the floor. I hate that feeling of wet socks. LOL.

I think all dogs should watch how a horse drinks and maybe they should think about evolving a little.

I dunno...the drinking itself is neat and tidy, sucking it up like a kid with a straw, but Buster the Wonder Horse (lives with my mother) pulls his head up and blups a mouthful of green water down the shirt of anyone standing too close! He thinks it's a riot to watch the girls holler.... I'd rather my dogs never learn that trick!

LOL! That's true. I had forgotten about that moment right after they raise their head up from trough...slurp, lick, just when they come and do the kissy face thing on you. LOL!