To encourage dogs to drink, several bowls, flavored water and drinking fountains can help. At the same time, it helps to reward drinking, to always keep the bowls clean and to cool the water. Switching to wet food can also help.
In general, you should never force your dog to drink. Because in almost all cases there is a reason why your four-legged friends go without water.
Between 60-80 ml of water per kilogram of body weight is recommended for dogs per day. For a dog weighing 20 kg, that's around 1.2-1.6 liters per day. [1]
The following 16 tips have been proven in practice to get dogs to drink.
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#1 Flavored water
You probably know the feeling when you have drunk a lot of lemonade and tea for a while and normal water suddenly tastes “too boring”.
Dogs also want to taste something new every now and then. So why not add the juice from a can of tuna or some milk to the water?
Bone broth is also very popular with dogs. Just make sure you prepare it without salt, onions and garlic. Because the latter can lead to poisoning.
#2 Multiple water bowls
You probably know the saying “opportunity makes thieves”. The same can also be transferred to the amount you drink. Because the more opportunities you have, the more you drink.
And completely automatically. The effect is comparable to always holding a full glass of water in your hand. And this principle can also be transferred to dogs.
To encourage your four-legged friend to drink, all you need to do is purchase several drinking bowls and position them where they spend most of their time. [2]
#3 Drinking fountain
We humans can hold up a glass and then use gravity to empty the water into our mouth. Compared to dogs, this drinking principle is extremely efficient.
However, such a drinking fountain for dogs also has a similar effect. Because of the slight pressure, the water gets into the four-legged friend's mouth much more easily.
If you like, a fountain like this automatically forces dogs to drink. Just in a gentle way, without it being uncomfortable.
#4 Bowl change
Over the years you have probably drunk your morning coffee from a cup made of ceramic, stainless steel, plastic or even glass. And what happened?
Suddenly the coffee tastes completely different. This is because the material of the vessel in almost all cases gives the water a certain taste of its own.
Dogs can even smell it with their noses. The solution? Test different bowls made of different materials to encourage your four-legged friend to drink. [3]
#5 Cold reward
Here's a trick I learned from my neighbor. His Labrador used to swallow all the treats without chewing and generally didn't drink enough.
The solution? He packed treats in ice cubes. This not only prevents swallowing, but also ensures that the dog consumes more water.
Instead of treats, you can simply make ice cubes out of bone broth, milk or liver sausage to encourage your dog to drink.
#6 Positive association
Dogs avoid behavior that is punished and repeats behavior that is rewarded. This is the basic rule of every upbringing – whether it is about dogs or children.
And you can specifically take advantage of this effect by rewarding drinking. A loving petting, extra attention or a treat are enough here.
With enough consistency, your dog will automatically associate drinking with something positive – a win-win. You make him drink and he's happy about it. [4]
Both dogs and people usually don't drink enough when they're out and about. This is primarily because we are creatures of habit and have fewer opportunities to drink outside.
For this reason, I am personally a big fan of this type of travel drinking bottle for dogs. Completely waterproof, BPA-free and even has a built-in activated carbon filter.
Alternatively, you can also use such a foldable travel bowl. This not only encourages dogs to drink, but can also be used for feeding on the go.
#8 Deep cleaning
While dogs drink dirty water without any problem in nature, many expect crystal clear and fresh water at home. A clean bowl is therefore a must for most people.
This is especially true for dogs that have longer beards. This is because it tends to collect dirt, hair and leftover food, which then ends up in the water when you drink.
For this reason, I am personally a fan of stainless steel bowls that you can put in the dishwasher. And yes, clean water alone is a great motivator to drink.
#9 Get a water filter
Depending on the breed, dogs' sense of smell is up to 100,000 times superior to that of humans. And yes, you read that right. A hundred thousand times better. [5]
In practice, this means that dogs can smell out even the smallest impurities in the water. For example, chlorine, lime, metals or even germs.
With an activated carbon filter, this smell can be minimized, encouraging dogs to drink. How strong the effect is depends largely on where you live.
#10 Wet food
With a normal diet, people consume around 25% of their daily water needs through food and the remaining 75% through drinking.
However, dry food only consists of around 5-10% water, so dogs have to drink more in everyday life. You can support this by switching to wet food.
The same thing helps with “biologically species-appropriate raw feeding” (BARF) or if you also mix some fruit and vegetables into your dog’s food.
#11 Raised bowls
If the drinking water is just below head height, then it can flow into the mouth much more easily compared to water on the floor. [6]
This not only encourages dogs to drink more, but also makes swallowing easier. You're especially doing old four-legged friends a favor here, as they don't have to bend down as much.
If you believe the manufacturers, raised bowls should also be able to prevent gastric torsion and reduce swallowing. However, I haven't found any studies on this.
#12 Build in the fun factor
When I was a child, I loved playing with my Labrador outside in the garden with the garden hose. Because on the one hand he never wanted to get wet.
On the other hand, he always instinctively had to grab the jet of water. Instead of a water hose, you can also buy a water fountain like this on Amazon.
This way you can encourage your dog to drink in a playful way and have a lot of laughs at the same time. Just take a look at the videos on Amazon.
#13 Separate bowls
Dogs always instinctively form hierarchies among themselves. They inherited this trait from their ancestors, the wolves. In practice, however, this can also lead to problems.
Especially if several dogs have to eat and drink from the same bowl. Because this triggers immediate territorial and territorial behavior in dogs.
The solution? Get all your four-legged friends to drink from separate bowls. This means that even the lowest ranking dog can drink as much as the alpha in the household.
#14 Keep your cool
In a study, dogs' drinking behavior was tested at 3 different water temperatures. And at 15°C, 25°C and 35°C.
Around 65% of the dogs preferred the coldest water at 15 °C, around 25% drank water at room temperature and only around 10% chose warm water.
Even when it was cold outside, most dogs preferred cold water. A few ice cubes every day can be enough. [7]
#15 Pipe change
If your home was built before 1973, it may have lead water pipes. The problem? Lead is harmful even in small amounts.
Dogs can even smell it thanks to their good nose and therefore tend to avoid drinking from it. Changing the pipe can encourage the dog to drink.
In practice, you can usually recognize lead pipes because they are not screwed together, but soldered. It is also non-magnetic, very soft and easily scratched.
#16 Dog smoothies
Smoothies are a great way to combine food and drink. Because of the high water content, dogs automatically consume more water. [8]
But be careful! Around 90% of the recipes online are absolutely useless and would never be willingly consumed by a dog. Your dog will love the following recipe.
To do this, throw around 200 g of beef, a medium-sized boiled potato and around 150 ml of salt-free beef broth into the blender. Et voilà, the culinary delight is ready.
Causes of low drinking amounts
In some cases, dogs don't drink enough due to illness. Here it is important to encourage the dog to drink by treating the cause:
- Urinary tract infection: Inflammation of the urinary tract causes dogs to experience pain when urinating. Drinking little is a preventive measure here.
- Toothache: Various injuries or diseases in the mouth can lead to an increased sensitivity to cold water.
- Nausea: When dogs feel unwell, their instinct is to fast. This includes not only food, but also water.
- Tumor disease: If a tumor forms in the throat or throat, it can massively restrict both eating and drinking. [9]
- Arthritis: In some dogs, the joints are so chronically inflamed that going to the water bowl is very painful. Medication can help here.
- Kidney disease: In the early stages, kidney problems cause a reduced feeling of thirst. Encouraging dogs to drink is particularly difficult here.
- Tonsillitis: If you have tonsillitis, swallowing often becomes so painful that dogs automatically avoid it.
- Rabies: Unvaccinated dogs can become infected with rabies. One of the typical symptoms of this is that the affected dog drinks too little.
- Jaw fracture: Injuries to the jaw can make swallowing and water intake difficult or even impossible.
- Laryngeal paralysis: As larynx paralysis increases, dogs constantly choke when drinking, which is why they tend to avoid it. [10]
- Existing trauma: If something traumatic has happened in the past while drinking, the dog will always experience negative emotions.
- Problems in the hypothalamus: The control center in the head is also responsible for the water balance. It also influences the amount you drink.
If your dog hasn't had anything to drink in the last 24 hours, I recommend seeing the vet immediately. Because that can quickly become life-threatening.
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