UScribble is still very young. I’m not surprised. It wasn’t that long ago that he was introduced to drinking water from a bowl. Before that he was nursing. If you ever see young puppies when they are first introduced to food and water, they walk through the bowls, they play in them, they make one heck of a mess. Puppies haven’t learned to separate “playing “ from “eating and drinking “. They haven’t learned to eat like a mature dog from a bowl/plate/container.
My puppy Theo when I got home was into walking through the water bowl and using a paw to splash the water. He made a mess too. Like Peggy’s mom I had to figure out a way to deliver water in a way that he couldn’t play. I found a water bowl on Amazon that had a lid that attached over the bowl leaving a small area to drink from so he couldn’t get his paws into the bowl. It took a week with this bowl before I switched back to a regular bowl. He quickly learned to drink like a gentleman.
I got rid of the bowl because it had a problem, it was so shiny that the dogs and humans couldn’t see if there was water in the bowl… that’s why I used it such a short time. When pets can’t see where the water level is in a bowl they tap or dip their feet into determine the level. I didn’t want to encourage this behavior so i went back to my regular bowl which didn’t have this problem.
If that bowl didn’t do the trick, my next plan was to use a pail shape water bowl that I use when going to dog competitions. The pail has a handle that I use a carabiner to clip it onto a grate in the crate so my dogs have access to water, but they can’t tip the pail. Pails come in different sizes, mine fits minipoos. If you use pail, look for one with one flat side so it lays nicely against a crate or pen when attached.
Link as an example of a pail with one flat side. Attach a carabiner to the pail handle and snap on a crate or pen side. You need to pick the best size for you dog. Small enough that he’s not going to put his feet in placed high enough he can easily get his head into drink.
Amazon.com : Bonka Bird Toys 800107 2 Quart Stainless Steel Flat Sided Hook Pail Feed Food Water Liquid Parrot : Pet Supplies
Amazon.com : Bonka Bird Toys 800107 2 Quart Stainless Steel Flat Sided Hook Pail Feed Food Water Liquid Parrot : Pet Supplieswww.amazon.com
The good news is you can help Scribble stop this behavior. it doesn’t take long to develop a mature drinking behavior with no pawing.
Yes—the shiney bowls!!! I think my puppies saw their reflection in the bowl!!! They prefer tea cups now—go figure!!!
