# Crazy thirsty pup.!



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Ok my dilemna is this: I am watering and feeding on a schedule of twice per day. At these times, I give Bailey all the water he wants, but do break it up in two to three helpings because he'll gulp too much and I'm scared of bloat. 

I am limiting his water due to housebreaking work. We will often have several/many! days of no accidents and then voila, we have an accident. He always chooses the linoleum, thank God, but still, I know every accident is making us that much farther away from full housebreaking.

Not to be an ass, but the accidents do occur mostly when my bf is in charge. He doesn't watch Bailey like I do (HAWK) and doesn't take him out as often as I do. Yes, Bailey has had some accidents under my watch, but not many. I've lately decided that I will crate Bailey even if the bf claims he will watch him because I know better... 

So the issue I'm running into is Bailey is water-crazy. He's climbing in the tub, he's licking anything outside that has water, he goes for the other dogs' bowls if he gets access to that room.... this is just not right. He really is water-nuts. 

He is NOT dehydrated, I promise!  I give him all the water he wants for his dinner feeding but that gets pulled up by 6 or 7Pm at the latest. I've learned if I give water later than that, he will be waking me at some ungodly hour. If I pull it up by then, I'm good until 5AM-ish, which I can deal with. 

Feel like I'm creating some kind of water obsession thing here. Haven't dealt with this issue; any advice?


----------



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

I would allow free access to water during the day so he does not get so thirsty and think he has to "stock up" when he finally gets water. He should level out his intake after awhile when he realizes it will be there all day.


----------



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

cassadee7 said:


> I would allow free access to water during the day so he does not get so thirsty and think he has to "stock up" when he finally gets water. He should level out his intake after awhile when he realizes it will be there all day.


I don't have this option.  I leave at 7AM, (M thru F), come home on lunch hour at just after noon, let him out to potty, give him a small drink and I'm back for the night at 5PM. At 5 PM or so, he gets all the water he wants but then I pull it for the night. All weekend or any days off, he gets all the water he wants. 

So would it be wise to put water in with him in the morning or lunchtime, even tho he may well go overboard and not be able to hold it and pee in the crate? I'm paranoid about him thinking it's "ok" to pee in the crate. Lesser of two evils, I guess I'm wondering about.

He's about 17 weeks now. He doesn't have many accidents. He's never had an accident in the bedroom, where he sleeps on the floor each night. He's not shy about saying HEY MOM. He will ring the bell on teh door, but only when he has to poop. No clue why he associates the bell with poop and not the other.


----------



## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

My brother's dog drinks a lot also. 

His vet tested his blood. I know they were thinking at the time it was Diabetes. It turned out to be a UTI.


----------



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

jetscarbie said:


> My brother's dog drinks a lot also.
> 
> His vet tested his blood. I know they were thinking at the time it was Diabetes. It turned out to be a UTI.


No kidding, a UTI... ok, well maybe a vet visit is in order. Thank you, never thought of that.


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I don't think you should be limiting water. I don't remember ever not having water available for my dog when he was that young. He would also drink a lot...seemed like way too much, but it might just be a puppy thing to do that. I also never left my dog in his kennel that long, but when he was in the kennel he didn't have water. When he gets water at 5PM when does the "pulling for the night" occur. We generally let him drink up to 30 minutes before bed time, took him out before bed time, and waited for him to go pee. He never soiled his kennel and would wait until the morning. He easily held it over night while sleeping for 6-7 hours, especially at 4 months.


----------



## tjzick (Sep 5, 2011)

chelle said:


> Ok my dilemna is this: I am watering and feeding on a schedule of twice per day. At these times, I give Bailey all the water he wants, but do break it up in two to three helpings because he'll gulp too much and I'm scared of bloat.
> 
> Not to be an ass, but the accidents do occur mostly when my bf is in charge. He doesn't watch Bailey like I do (HAWK) and doesn't take him out as often as I do. Yes, Bailey has had some accidents under my watch, but not many. I've lately decided that I will crate Bailey even if the bf claims he will watch him because I know better...
> 
> So the issue I'm running into is Bailey is water-crazy. He's climbing in the tub, he's licking anything outside that has water, he goes for the other dogs' bowls if he gets access to that room.... this is just not right. He really is water-nuts.


sound exactly like my pup. he too only chose tile for accidents and most of them were on others watches cuz hed let only me know he needed out for some reason. hes about 4-5 months now and still drinks a lot of water always has. hes been completely house broken for a while now no accident and not a peeing machine. i cant tell u where all that water goes because i really dont know but it does not seem to make him pee more.... part camel?


----------



## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I have never with held water. And I have never had a problem getting then housebroken. He is trying to tell you he is THIRSTY. Do you only drink twice a day?


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

your dog is thristy because he doesn't 
have access to water. my pup had access to
water all day. we took the water bowl away
between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. we never denied
our dog of being taken out over night. when he was
9 weeks/10 weeks old he was out every 2 hours over night.

allow your pup to have water. tell your BF to take
better care of the pup. make sure your BF takes the pup out
often.


----------



## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Or put a bunch of newspaper and pee pads down. 
Don't restrict his access. Puppies have incredibly high metabolisms and need to drink a lot of water. I'd say about a gallon a day for a 6-7mo. old puppy. At least it seems like it!
Can you gate him in an area with lino and put down potty pads?


----------



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

msvette2u said:


> Or put a bunch of newspaper and pee pads down. Don't restrict his access. Puppies have incredibly high metabolisms and need to drink a lot of water. I'd say about a gallon a day for a 6-7mo. old puppy. At least it seems like it! Can you gate him in an area with lino and put down potty pads?


I did up his water intake a lot after this post but not free access. He will spill it in the crate. I'm not going to go the route of puppy pads and newspaper, though. That seems to just be creating another problem. 



BlackGSD said:


> He is trying to tell you he is THIRSTY. Do you only drink twice a day?


Snarky responses are not necessary. Do you only get snotty twice per day?


----------



## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

chelle said:


> I did up his water intake a lot after this post but not free access. He will spill it in the crate. I'm not going to go the route of puppy pads and newspaper, though. That seems to just be creating another problem.
> 
> 
> 
> Snarky responses are not necessary. Do you only get snotty twice per day?


That wasn't "snarky", that was honest. He IS thirsty. Imagine how thirsty you would be if YOU only got access to a beverage twice a day!


----------



## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Please, let's keep this discussion civil. 

Thank you,

ADMIN Lisa 

********


----------



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

BlackGSD said:


> That wasn't "snarky", that was honest. He IS thirsty. Imagine how thirsty you would be if YOU only got access to a beverage twice a day!


Well considering I am sure you know that I have more than two big drinks per day, it is a rather snotty way to say it.

However, I do get the point. He was getting small amounts here and there as well, but only twice a day was he getting as much as he wanted. I still don't think I'm going free access as of yet, since I do have one dog in the house that I believe might guard it and cause issues.. but Mr Bailey will be waterlogged from all the water he will be having access to.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

you upped his water but he doesn't have access to it.
how is he getting more water? 



chelle said:


> I did up his water intake a lot after this post but not free access. He will spill it in the crate.


----------



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

doggiedad said:


> you upped his water but he doesn't have access to it.
> how is he getting more water?


He tells me he wants a drink. And I give it to him. I offer it regularly, too. Don't worry, I am not going to dehydrate my dog!!!!!!


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

chelle, this is what I would do, (I will say, I do not restrict water intake any age and haven't had any crate/potty break problems because of it).

allow him access in the morning, you come home for lunch I think you said? I'd allow him access then and actually I'd put it in his crate for the afternoon, you don't have to fill up whatever your using but I'd allow him some, and then free access from 5 on until bedtime. 

I have found my puppies DO drink alot of water, whether it's they overplay, just tend to get 'hot' as puppies, 

What would worry me, is say, feeding him dinner and having him gulp ALOT of water at that time, 

He may drink more because your restricting it? Can't answer only you can

Has he had crate accidents because of water access? If not, I wouldn't worry about giving him access to it in his crate, or heck try it and see what happens..like I said you don't need to leave him with a gallon of water,,just 'some'..

and if he is peeing ALOT, the uti is something maybe you should check out, but again, drinking water & pupppies = alotta peeing..

Think you just have to kind of experiment barring any uti


----------



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

JakodaCD OA said:


> chelle, this is what I would do, (I will say, I do not restrict water intake any age and haven't had any crate/potty break problems because of it).
> 
> allow him access in the morning, you come home for lunch I think you said? I'd allow him access then and actually I'd put it in his crate for the afternoon, you don't have to fill up whatever your using but I'd allow him some, and then free access from 5 on until bedtime.
> 
> ...


Yes when I first did start giving more water, he was gulping like crazy.. so I knew I was doing things wrong for sure there. I filled a 1/4 bowl, let him drink and kept refilling 'til he was leaving water in it. Since then I've noticed he is not gulping like that. I think now he sees mom will keep refilling.

Unfortunately, yes there were crate problems and bad history. When the pups were getting older, my son and his ex-gf were getting really tired and fed up and were LAZY AND JERKS and put the pups in crates and did NOT take proper care of them and the pups were forced to eliminate in them and stay in it. I was beyond furious and did what I could -- I'd come over and clean it up over and over again. The ex gf was free-feeding all the pups and just didn't care. It was AWFUL. I'd scold them (the kids, not the pups!) about how it was JUST NOT SAFE, HEALTHY, SANITARY OR IN ANY WAY PROPER to do as they were doing. They got a little better after my last tirade, but not good enough. (Sorry for rant, still pissed)

Sooo Bailey came from that mess. 

So now, he will pee in his crate only if I leave something soft in it. (Although there was once or twice he peed in it without a soft item in with him.) I hate him having to sleep on an uncomfortable bottom of the crate, but I have no choice - he WILL pee on a towel, dog bed, mat, etc if in the crate for more than a few hours. So I no longer put those things in there and hasn't been a crate pee incident in a couple of weeks. He has never pooped in the crate, but I believe due to what he did live with as a young pup, the whole resistence to eliminating in the crate is handicapped.

Sorry for the long rant, just want to provide all pertinent info!


----------



## uclaman (Jun 21, 2011)

but if your pup is crated do you guys leave the water bowl in the crate all day during the times he is crated?


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Did anyone suggest a drip bottle in his crate? (haven't read the whole thread) That way he'd have water all day if he's thirsty.

Otto guzzled water as a pup. He still does, the dog is just a thristy dog. Only difference is now he can hold it! When he was little, I used to regulate the water. Gallon jug per day (for him and Moon but she's not a big drinker) and I'd pick it up after 8pm. 

After 8, I'd give him ice cubes. He still loves icecubes.


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

good idea jenn re: the drip bottle


----------



## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

I use a water bottle attached to their crate doors for when I go to work. Works very well and I've never had one have an accident. I also do not limit water ever. They have access to water 24/7. 

Limiting water to make housetraining easier, isn't really housetraining IMHO.


----------

