# Extremely Messy Drinker



## asherkain (Jan 13, 2013)

My 12 week old puppy is amazing and I could brag that she perfect in almost every way. Except for her odd drinking habits. She has always been a messy drinker, but just this last week she started taking a few drinks of water (which to her means bitting at the water), followed by putting her paws in the water and digging out all the water onto the floor. It get's so bad that I have to remove her water bowl because my kitchen floor looks like a swimming pool. 

I don't want to restrict her water consumption, especially while eating, but she has started doing this water trick each and every time she drinks. Does anyone have any ideas on how to train her not to empty her water bowl out onto the floor?

I should mention the water is fresh and clean. I change it frequently and she does this even if I just filled it up with fresh water.


----------



## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

Mine used to do that for a few days. 
You can offer her water every half hour or so by holding the bowl yourself and letting her get a drink until she behaves. I also would fill up the bowl just so the water barely covered the bottom, enough for her to drink but not really to spill, and I'd fill it every time she had any. I tried to just ignore it and silently remove the bowl without even acknowledging her every time she did it, she quickly learned that it meant 1) fun was removed, 2) she gets ignored


----------



## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

Fiona was a master at this. I bought one of those things for elevated eating and drinking.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

tipping the bowl and putting their paws in the bowl
is something a young dog does. when my dog was doing that
i use to let him have a drink and then take the water bowl away.
i keep a dish towel on the floor near his bowls. he drips and
i put my foot on the towel and follow the trail. i taught my last
dog to lick his mouth before moving away from the bowl.


----------



## lily's master (Jul 16, 2012)

doggiedad said:


> tipping the bowl and putting their paws in the bowl
> is something a young dog does. when my dog was doing that
> i use to let him have a drink and then take the water bowl away.
> i keep a dish towel on the floor near his bowls. he drips and
> ...


Wow that would be a great thing to teach, not sure how to go about it. Lily isnt a puppy anymore and doesnt do the paws in the water bowl thing, but she leaves a trail from her water bowl all the way to her chair, I am not sure how she manages that.


----------



## asherkain (Jan 13, 2013)

Thank you for all the advice. This morning I held her water bowl for her and removed it when she started to get crazy. So far so good. I almost think she has already figured out it's not a good idea to paw at her water bowl, at least while I'm there. lol

I think I will also go get an elevated dish holder from the pet store tonight. Thanks again for the advice. Now if I could train her to actually finish drinking the water at her bowl. She is such a messy drinker that a towel and mat just don't do the job. It sounds like she drinks just like Lily. A trail of water from her bowl to her bed.


----------



## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

They are like blenders with the lid off.  Scarlett is still a messy drinker/eater and she is six years old. She's just messy.


----------



## POWERSCOL (Jan 3, 2013)

Not sure this will help, but with Emma I have a bowl, inside a larger bowl.

I have an old tip proof outside heated water dish (heating element removed) Inside that I use a flat bottomed cool whip container. What she slops out is mostly caught by the old water dish.

Hope this helps


----------



## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

I put a rug and place holder under Fiona's elevated bowls. She still drips it every where. She even got pumpkin on the wall this morning from breakfast.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Sophiamve (Aug 5, 2012)

I think that's pretty common in young puppies. When mine was that age she did that too, but now she's 10 months and doesn't do it at all 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

I'm glad to see I am not the only one. My Newlie is messy anyway and has always dripped water as he walks away from the water bowl. I put a large bathmat (with rubber backing) under his bowl and that helped some. But then he started dropping his ball in the water and when he would get it out, water would go everywhere! I finally had to take his ball away for a little bit every time he dropped it in the bowl and really, in very short order, he stopped doing that.


----------

