Restricting Water Intake: A Dangerous Housebreaking TrendAt Crossbones Dog Academy, nosotros work with a lot of puppies! Over 1 hundred puppies come to us each yr for Puppy Twenty-four hour period School and group classes. As a result, we become to talk to a lot of people about puppy raising.

Over the past few months, we have noticed a very concerning trend. Some of our clients were deliberately restricting their dog'due south h2o intake as a potty training strategy.

By and large speaking, most pet dogs take access to water whenever they are not confined to a crate. They naturally limit their intake of water. Unless trained to the contrary or ill, dogs drink simply as much water as they need.

Merely some puppies bring together our Twenty-four hours School plan and as soon every bit play group starts, they rush to the water bowl and drink every drib. Or, at drop off, little Fluffy is frantically pulling towards the water bowl nosotros proceed past the door.

When asked, owners tell united states something like, "He was having a lot of accidents, so nosotros stopped giving him so much water. Now we just give him a bowl every few hours."

What is normal water intake?

The brusk answer is, "It depends." WebMD reports i ounce per one pound of a dog's body weight, but notes that puppies and active dogs demand more.

According to this formula on DVM360, normal consumption of water in adult dogs, in layman's terms, works out to be about one.37 ounces of water per pound of body weight. But they besides mention, "Puppies and kittens are predisposed to rapid dehydration as a consequence of their higher h2o requirements."

Dr. Tracy Johnson, a veterinarian at Country Companions Veterinarian Services in Bethany, CT, notes, "You don't know how much water is appropriate for each individual puppy. Diet, weather, and exercise tin can too play a office in how much a puppy needs to drink. This can vary from day to mean solar day."

Abnormally frequent urination and increased thirst are both signs of medical problems. These include diabetes, Cushing's disease, urinary tract infections, and kidney disease. If y'all think your puppy is peeing "too much," talk to your veterinary earlier taking the water basin away.

Keeping a log will assistance. Notation every time your puppy drinks or urinates (indoors and out). The data may help you discover patterns, like an blow at a particular time of solar day. But, it's too helpful information to provide to your veterinarian. Information technology may help her make a diagnosis or help you lot determine what is normal.

Why is water brake dangerous?

Restricting Water Intake: A Dangerous Housebreaking TrendDr. Julie Mahaney, a veterinarian at Oaklawn Animal Hospital in Cranston, RI says, "Water restriction tin issue in aridity, urinary tract infections, float stones, and water obsessive behaviors."

There are a variety of medical and behavioral reasons why limiting a puppy's access to water is dangerous:

1. "Obsessive" behavior around water. If water is limited, you will condition your puppy to drink all of the water every time yous put the bowl downward. As a result, she will work very difficult to proceeds access to h2o.

"If water is severely restricted, and the puppy isn't given enough water and it's thirsty all the time, you could cause resource guarding because at present the h2o is a very valuable resource," adds Dr. Johnson. (In addition to beingness a veterinarian, she is also a professional person domestic dog trainer working with dog owners through her business Happy Homes Pet Beliefs Preparation.)

Thirsty dogs may jump up on the counter to try to reach the sink, drink from the toilet, or drinkable standing h2o exterior. Puddles may incorporate antifreeze, fertilizer, and abdominal parasites.

"Risks of drinking from puddles are primarily leptospirosis and giardiasis, but other fecal parasites like round, claw, and whipworms could exist ingested as well," Dr. Mahaney explained.

2. Health risks of drinking likewise much water at in one case. Dogs with restricted water intake ofttimes become conditioned to drinkable all of the water they see. If your puppy unexpectedly gains access to a large quantity of water and drinks all of information technology, this can atomic number 82 to trouble beyond urine accidents.

Wellness risks of drinking too much water in one sitting include airsickness, water intoxication, or even bloat (gastric torsion) which is life-threatening.

3. Urinary tract infections. Dehydration contributes to painful urinary tract infections. If you're non giving your puppy enough h2o, you're setting the phase for a UTI. If not treated early, UTIs tin can lead to bladder stones, permanent kidney harm, and sepsis.

Nosotros've kept statistics on this. Of puppies in our Day School programme experiencing restricted h2o intake, more than than half are diagnosed with a urinary tract infection within the get-go few days of starting our program. When we notice symptoms, nosotros refer the client back to their veterinary for input.

Is restricting water intake ever a good idea?

I suspect that this idea began with a piece of communication taken too far. Picking upwards your dog'south water bowl 30-60 minutes before bed time tin can assist set your canis familiaris for success. It prevents a last-infinitesimal "tank upwards" right before 6-8 hours in the crate overnight.

That'due south very different from just giving water at meal times, which some of my clients take tried. It'southward very unlike from crating your dog without water for 8 hours during the twenty-four hour period and eight hours overnight. If a professional suggests making a change to your dog's water intake, ask for specifics and write them down. That way, everyone in your household understands the recommendation.

If your puppy is having a lot of accidents in the firm, we can help! Contact us most setting up a long-distance consulting plan. (Programs for housebreaking get-go at $395.) We also offer in-person grooming in Providence, RI.