Are you worried that your puppy isn’t drinking enough water and might be getting dehydrated?
In this post, we will tell you everything you need to know. Let’s get straight to it…
With all dog and puppy health problems, if you are worried something might be wrong with them you should consult a veterinarian immediately and get them some professional medical attention.
Most medical problems are not life-threatening, but if your puppy shows signs of being sick, it is always better to be safe than sorry and take them to see a veterinarian.
9 Tricks to Make Your Puppy Drink More Water
- Give Them Ice Cubes.
- Feed the Puppy Extra Wet Food.
- Try Giving Them Low Salt Broth.
- See if They Will Drink Some Milk Instead of Water.
- Keep Their Water Bowl Full of Water at All Times.
- Put Treats Into a Deep Water Bowl.
- Put Water into a Tasty Container, Such as an Empty Peanut Butter Jar.
- Try Adding Flavored Vitamin Powder into Their Bowl.
- Try Warm or Ice Cold Water
Give Them Ice Cubes
This is a really nice little trick, lots of dogs that don’t like drinking water love munching on ice (if your puppy is tiny, you can give them chips instead of cubes).
NOTE – This tip is also handy to help your dog cool down and manage their body temperature in scorching weather.
Feed the Puppy Extra Wet Food
When you mix up your puppy’s meals, put in some extra water with the dry food. As they eat the moist food, you get them to drink water without them even realizing it.
Even if you already give them wet dog food such as canned food, mixing a little bit of water is a good idea.
Try Giving Them Low Salt Broth
If your puppy really hates to drink water (for some reason, some dogs hate it), another great tip to try is to feed them low sodium chicken broth or something similar (low sodium beef broth is also great).
You can give it to them lukewarm or cold and even drop a few lumps of ice in there to get a bit more water into their system (you can also mix the broth in with their dry kibble).
See if They Will Drink Some Milk Instead of Water
Too much cow’s milk can upset a puppy’s stomach, but a small amount will be fine and can be a tasty way of keeping them hydrated and healthy.
Keep Their Water Bowl Full of Water at All Times
Some pet dogs really don’t care, but others are really fussy about how clean and fresh their drinking water is.
So try putting really fresh water in their water dish and seeing if they are more inclined to drink water this way.
Put Treats Into a Deep Water Bowl
This one can be a bit messy, but it really works for stubborn dogs that refuse to drink water normally.
Get a nice deep water bowl, fill it right up, wave their favorite treat in front of their face, and then drop it in the bowl.
With most puppies and adult dogs, their usual reaction is to dive right in and grab the treat.
Of course, as this happens, they will drink water without even thinking about it!
Put Water into a Tasty Container Such as an Empty Peanut Butter Jar
We can’t lie. We actually got this tip from a YouTube comment, but we liked it so much we had to put it in the post.
Instead of using water bowls to make your dog drink water, try putting the water in something with a nice taste and smell.
An empty peanut butter jar is a great example. Ensure there is enough left in it to flavor the water, hold it in your hand and let the dog drink water from it.
Try Adding Flavored Vitamin Powder into Their Bowl.
There are lots of different flavored vitamin powders you can buy that are packed with nutrients and taste great to your puppy.
Just mix some into your dog’s water bowl and see if they will drink it.
NOTE – Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions as it is possible to overdo it with some vitamins.
Try Warm or Ice Cold Water
As we said before, some dogs are fussy. Some might prefer ice-cold water, and some might only drink warm water.
So try both with your puppy and see if they have a preference.
It could be that it just doesn’t know how because it is too young still. Adding a few drops to your fingers and touching the pup’s mouth with the water might help.
NOTE – Too much water intake can also be bad for the puppy and make them sick!
So please don’t overdo it with any of these tips. Little and often is better than a lot of water in one go.
How to Tell if Your Puppy is Dehydrated
How can a dog owner tell if their puppy is dehydrated?
If they are not drinking regularly and you are worried about them, these three techniques are a treating starting point:
- Pinch the skin on the back of the dog’s neck. If it falls back into its natural position, that’s a good sign they are not dehydrated.
- Hold open the dog’s mouth and gently press with your finger onto the dog’s gums. The skin will go pale but should become pink again quickly if they are not too thirsty.
- Also, keep an eye out for lethargy/fatigue, less urine or darker, smellier urine. These are all signs potential signs of dehydration.
NOTE – It is always worth repeating if you are worried about your puppy. If they show signs of dehydration, please do not hesitate and take them to see a veterinarian for a checkup, as it could be related to health conditions such as kidney disease or urinary tract infections.
Roughly How Much Should They Drink Each Day?
As a good rule of thumb, you should expect your puppy to drink around one ounce of water per pound of body weight, but if the weather conditions are hot and humid or the puppy’s activity level is high, they might need more than this.
Video With More Useful Advice
How you interact with your dog when it is new to your home and family will affect the rest of both your lives so getting in sync in the beginning is a great thing.
Some dog owners prefer to learn by watching videos rather than reading, so where we can, we like to share great advice from experts on YouTube.
In this video, Samantha (and her chocolate lab Cindy, who is a very good girl) shares some great tips to help your puppy drink water and keep the young dog hydrated.
That’s all we have for this post. We hope that it helps you to get your puppy to drink water more often.
Dog ownership is an amazing journey, and young puppies are such good fun.
Happy, healthy puppies grow up into happy and healthy dogs, so getting the right systems in place as early as possible is a great idea.
As you learn how to be a better puppy parent, you can spend more time enjoying them and less time worrying you are doing a good job of looking after them!
