klmama Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 My dog is getting more and more finicky about her water. A year ago she started refusing to drink from her bowl, so we tried a different kind; that worked... for a while. Then she started refusing to drink from the newer one. She'd stare at it to tell us to fix it. When that didn't work, she'd bark at it and at us. The bowl was clean, and it wasn't the water. If we poured the same water from her dish into one of our cereal bowls, she'd drink it. That worked for a while. Now, she's refusing water from the cereal bowls. She'll drink water spilled onto the floor. She'll drink from a running bathtub faucet. But she won't drink from a bowl. She stares at it and kind of does a nervous dance, then barks at us to tell us there's a problem. She's obviously very, very thirsty. She seems genuinely miserable. But she won't drink unless it's spilled on the floor or from a running faucet. AAAAUUGGGHH! It's driving all of us crazy. Any suggestions for getting her to drink from a bowl again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) Does she have a tag on her collar that hits against the bowl as she drinks? You might try a shallow, non-reflective pan on a platform after taking off her collar and see if that makes any difference (approaches several possibilities at once). You can see if any of these discussions help... https://www.google.com/search?q=dog+refusing+to+drink+from+bowl+site:www.reddit.com&client=safari&rls=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj5z_nkmu3fAhWqsVQKHaqrAsgQrQIoBDAOegQIBRAM&biw=1440&bih=812&dpr=2 Edited January 14, 2019 by Kebo 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 If it's not due to her tags or collar hitting the bowl, I'd first consider trying a pet water fountain--one that has a "waterfall" area that's similar to drinking from a faucet. If that won't work or isn't feasible for you then I'd consider trying a water bottle. Many long coated show dogs never drink out of anything other than one of those bottles in order to keep their coats from getting/staying wet. There are lots of brands, and you can find directions online for making a homemade stand. Sometimes it's easier to figure a workaround than it is to figure out the "why" of the problem. If she'll drink out of a faucet then I have a feeling she'd drink from a fountain. If you have a Petsmart near you I've found they have a very good no questions asked return policy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Our pets will drink from our indoor water bowl but they all much prefer the outside bowl. I wonder if there is actually a mineral or something in your water that the dog doesn’t care for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 PetCo also has a good return policy. We are taking a puppy class there. The dog trainer sold us a harness and told us to hang onto the packaging and receipt so that if our dog outgrows it, we can return the harness. We verified with the store manager that we could indeed return the harness after using it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Agreeing that often it is the dog tag banging on the bowl that freaks them out. A pet fountain would be a good workaround. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 If it is a tag issue (I abhor dog tags for a host of reasons) the best (and highly affordable option) is to order engraved brass plates from Gun Dog Supply. These are very sturdy but have enough bend to conform to a collar shape. They attach with provided rivets. Very secure. They cost $1.99. One of the great values of the world. These are first class. https://www.gundogsupply.com/exidplatwitr.html Tips: Do not include pet's name. Only owner contacts. If one has a long email address (as I do) you can call in the info as the last line (of 4) has more room for characters than the online form allows. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Spy Car said: If it is a tag issue (I abhor dog tags for a host of reasons) the best (and highly affordable option) is to order engraved brass plates from Gun Dog Supply. These are very sturdy but have enough bend to conform to a collar shape. They attach with provided rivets. Very secure. They cost $1.99. One of the great values of the world. These are first class. https://www.gundogsupply.com/exidplatwitr.html Tips: Do not include pet's name. Only owner contacts. If one has a long email address (as I do) you can call in the info as the last line (of 4) has more room for characters than the online form allows. Bill Bill, thank you so much for linking this. I've looked all over locally but can't get plates like this anymore. I miss our old feed and seed store! Edited January 15, 2019 by Innisfree 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 3 minutes ago, Innisfree said: Bill, thank you so much for linking this. I've looked all over locally but can't get plates like this anymore. I miss our old feed and seed store! Gundog Supply does a great job with these. They have amazing customer service on all their products. At $1.99 these are a steal. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanin Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 My cat will only drink filtered water, and I have to change her water a couples times a day. Many pets don't like plastic dishes. (Maybe it smells weird to them?) You could try a ceramic bowl and see what happens. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 2 hours ago, Indigo Blue said: After my dog seemed to become afraid of drinking from his stainless steel bowl, I connected it up with the fact that I'd seen him startle each time his tag clanged against the bowl. If you think this might be the problem with your dog, you can order him a different type of tag from the link below. If you scroll down a bit, you will see the ones that attach to the collar itself. They don't hang from the collar at all. They are very nice stainless steel tags. I've ordered from the lots of time....really great quality. You would just need to make sure to get the correct width tag for the collar. They make all sizes. And the ones that slip on but have the small openings on the sides do NOT come off. They deeply engrave the words so they don't become unreadable over time. And they are thicker and feel more solid than other tags. https://www.boomerangtags.com/store/list.php?A=G&ID=4 This might be easier than trying to buy a dog fountain or something. You'd never have to worry about dog bowls at all. It might take him awhile to learn that he no longer needs to worry about clanging. Other than that, I can't imagine what else could be causing something like this. Hope you figure it out! Since we're opining on tags I'll throw my two cents in. Boomerang is beyond fantastic. I won't consider buying tags from any other company. Their tags are extremely high quality and reasonably priced. The tags are so durable I wonder sometimes how the company stays in business. Our dog is going on eight years old and the tags I bought him as a puppy still look brand new. And the same has been true for all our previous dogs' tags since I started ordering from Boomerang. Which IIRC was somewhere in the very early 2000's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
***** Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I think dogs and cats are smarter than we give them credit for. We had a plastic water bowl, but once I brought home one of those old crock types, (my parents were breaking up household), both my cat and dog refused to drink from the plastic one. Hmmmm, maybe they are trying to tell us something, like perhaps it's the nasty chemicals found in plastic? We really don't know what those dishes are made of! They will eat from a different kind of plastic dish, but not drink from the water bowl. I only wish I had changed water dishes years ago, health-wise for these 2. My dog especially likes to drink from water if it has been outside overnight. So maybe your dog has a preference of his own, whether it be running water or clean water (filtered if possible). I agree to try one of those fountains. That sounds more 'fresh' to me than a bowl sitting around all day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 OP here. I've been experimenting and watching carefully to see if I can figure this out. The dog has a long neck and her tags do not go anywhere near the bowl. Nor do her ears. She is willing to drink from a small dessert bowl, but not the Corelle cereal bowl or the ceramic dog bowl. I tried to get her to drink by treating her, but that required holding water in my hand first for her to drink (treat) and then lowering my hand into the dog bowl. She was really thirsty by that point and would lap several times before stopping (another treat), but only over my hand. As soon as I moved my hand away from the bowl, she refused to drink again. More ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Reflected light into her eyes? The hand would block the light. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 8 hours ago, ***** said: I think dogs and cats are smarter than we give them credit for. We had a plastic water bowl, but once I brought home one of those old crock types, (my parents were breaking up household), both my cat and dog refused to drink from the plastic one. Hmmmm, maybe they are trying to tell us something, like perhaps it's the nasty chemicals found in plastic? We really don't know what those dishes are made of! They will eat from a different kind of plastic dish, but not drink from the water bowl. I only wish I had changed water dishes years ago, health-wise for these 2. My dog especially likes to drink from water if it has been outside overnight. So maybe your dog has a preference of his own, whether it be running water or clean water (filtered if possible). I agree to try one of those fountains. That sounds more 'fresh' to me than a bowl sitting around all day! The common reason that's cited for not using plastic bowls (besides allergic reactions to the plastic, which seems to be more common in cats than dogs) is that over time they develop scratches, and those scratches make it impossible to thoroughly clean the bowls and bacteria builds up. Combine that with the fact that IME most people don't wash their pets' bowls anywhere near frequently enough and . . . yuck. 5 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said: Reflected light into her eyes? The hand would block the light. I think Jean could be on to something. Have you ever tried a dark colored bowl, or have they all been white/light colored or stainless steel? A dark color should reflect less light. FWIW, I think I had to try six or eight bowls before I found one my Shih Tzu would eat out of consistently. Apparently it had to be just the right depth and diameter to suit him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I haven't had as much of an issue with my dog, but my cat was a faucet-only drinker at all hours of the day and night... until we replaced our well pump and pressure tank and put our foot down to protect thousands of dollars in important equipment! Now he gets extra gravy food with additional water mixed in. As a cat, the vet swears that's plenty, and he's quit complaining of thirst. I think that would probably help a small dog like mine, though obviously not a large dog who needs much more water. I guess I'm just saying I can relate to the frustration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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