# Water Splashing & emptying the water bowl



## StSteele

My new GSD likes to splash ALL the water out of her water bowl!
I've thought about putting the bowl up on a stand, but that won't work b/c our other dog has short legs & wouldn't be able to reach it.
We can't come home from work to refill the water bowl every 2-3 hours.
Any suggestions on how to stop/curtail this behavior?


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## bmass01

Crate her when you are gone.
Do not leave the water down while you are gone.

Those would be my only 2 suggestions.


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## mspiker03

Leyna used to do this. We put a washing machine (plastic) pan underneath their water bowl until she grew out of that phase. It helped keep the mess down to a minimum.


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## StSteele

We keep our dogs outside while we're gone during the day, so crating is not an option.
I'll try putting a larger pan under the water bowl.
If anyone can think of anything else, please let me know!
Thanks!


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## sgtmom52

There are several threads on this forum on this subject. Here is one ~
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...rue#Post1141913

There are some people who use horse buckets that they strap to a sturdy surface to prevent spilling.


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## mspiker03

Oops, I was thinking this was for the inside. (it is Monday, brain is dead).

We used a horse bucket outside.


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## PipiK

We got one of those Le Bistro pet waterers and put it in the bottom half of a disassembled unused plastic doggy crate. Kind of hard to describe, but basically the whole contraption looks like a water cooler stuck in the bottom of a big square rowboat except that there's a "door" in one side. But the lip is tall enough to keep the water inside if they do end up splashing it around. It gets a little muddy/dirty because they actually have to stand inside the crate to get to the water thingy but it's been working great for three months. I just run a towel around on the "floor" of the thing to clean it.


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## Rafi's Dad

Elite K9 and others sell tip-proof bowls, used by psd's. They're great. We've used ours for Rafi's full 21/2 years since he began splashing and knocking his over.


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## norske

My GSD did it both indoors and outside for the first week or so after I picked her up. Now she only does it occasionally outside. On the inside I use a 5 gal water bottle that self fills the bowl with a towel underneath. When she would paw at the water I would redirect her to something else. When she drank without splashing I would give her a piece of chicken. Worked out well.

Outside I have a self waterer hooked to the faucet that automatically tops off. It was 109 degrees here today so she can splash outside all that she wants although she rarely goes outside when it is over 90 degrees. 

I use a dog door so the dogs come and go, in and out whenever they please. I really feel for the people who have to keep their dogs outside for part of the day.


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## DianaB

We used to put it under a chair so she could not paw at it. The other thing that worked was a travel bowl that had a lid. If she put her paw in it, it wouldn't work, and if she tipped it, it wouldn't fall out either. She eventually outgrew it (12 months or so)... good luck!


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## lovemybeast

We use those bowls that don't tip, in metal because he would chew up plastic in a minute. The first cute bowls got dragged all over. We initially got the stainless with the rubber around the bottom edge to keep from sliding. But outside he tore them off so all you could hear was the metal scraping on concrete. Whenever we would put him outside with a fresh bowl of water he would bark at it, splash at it and make a mess. Luckily he did not do that much inside. Before getting puppy, after our first buddy passed, we redid all our floors. We used to have to keep water in downstairs bath because when it was in kitchen/fam he would look all around while drinking and dribble water everywhere. But then he would get locked in the bath while turning around. So we put slate in the entryway that used to have carpet. Our new pup can get water, which initially we used one of those large feeding placemat things, and drool away. The slate is so much easier to clean and the dribble is usually gone before he gets to the next room. Plus he has no distractions in that area of the house while he drinks. A quick wipe of the floor if there is a lot of drool and I get my floor cleaned also.

It is funny how fast he outgrew barking at his waterbowl outside. Looking back it only lasted a few weeks. I think a day without water and a few firm Nos was all it took.


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## gmcenroe

I use a flatsided bucket on her kennel that is held in place with a clasp on the handle. Probably doesnt solve the mess problem though and inside she slobbers like crazy after lapping up huge amounts of water, so that leaves a mess that i towel up after she drinks when she is inside.


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## middleofnowhere

Buddy Bowl or Chum Bowl


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