Once you replace an existing drinking dog bowl, you have altered the familiarity and the smell that comes with the old bowl. Naturally, dogs tend to become withdrawn from drinking water out of a new bowl, which can lead to dehydration. So the only solution would be to get a dog to drink out a new bowl you just bought.
Asides from not being familiar with the new bowl, there might be other reasons that could create a compound effect of your dog not drinking enough water. Maybe it isn’t just a new bowl causing the dog not to drink enough water. But if you just got a new bowl and it seems that it might be the cause, then you should consider some of the reasons why that is so.
What’s Making Your Dog Drink Less Water from a New Bowl?
A Chihuahua Dog close to a Water Bowl
Your dog may not be drinking as much water as he needs for several reasons. Some of them are unimportant, but he could also have a significant medical condition if others are. Let’s examine the options:
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Insufficient physical exercise
If your dog isn’t getting enough activity, he may not be drinking as much water. Maybe you’re staying inside more now that it’s colder outside.
If that’s the case and the quantity of water he typically drinks has just slightly decreased, there’s no need to be alarmed. But if he persists in refusing water, it’s necessary to contact the vet since it might be a sign of a more severe medical issue.
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Change of Location
Your dog will be aware that he is not in his usual environment if you have moved or taken him on vacation. Even the fragrance of the water in a foreign location might be off-putting to him.
If you’re relocating or planning a trip, there are a few things you can do. To give your dog something that smells familiar, you might first bring his water bowl from home. Since he will be familiar with the flavour, bring water from home in a water bottle. Of course, you should always make sure he has access to plenty of clean water.
Then, keep an eye out for any more signs in your dog’s behaviour that could point to a different cause for his refusal to drink water.
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Your Dog Is Ageing
Your dog’s age is a typical explanation for why he may not be drinking water. With age, your dog often doesn’t get as much activity and doesn’t need as much water.
It’s also true that as your dog ages, his hunger decreases and he experiences less thirst. However, you should get him examined by your veterinarian if he seems to be dehydrated or has other signs that might point to an illness.
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Illness
Your dog can stop drinking water if they are unwell. Your dog may have a low or absent thirst due to certain illnesses including renal disease and diabetes. If that occurs, it will be crucial to be aware of a few strategies for getting him to drink a lot of water.
Your dog may be suffering from a urinary tract infection, which lessens his thirst. Naturally, you want to take your best buddy to the vet for treatment if they have any of these issues. Overall, maintaining his water will be crucial to keeping him healthy.
After checking all these compound reasons and all are negative, then you can try out a few of these hacks that can get a dog to drink from a new bowl.
Tips to Get your Dog to Drink from a New Bowl
Perhaps, you just got a new bowl over your dog’s inability to drink water from old bowls. If your dog isn’t drinking enough water due to sickness, fooling him into drinking more can help stop the disease from becoming worse. You want to avoid the types of health issues that might arise from not being adequately hydrated.
Here’s how to get your dog to drink from a new bowl:
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Try a Water Fountain
When you use a water fountain, you can discover that your dog is much more inclined to drink water since many dogs prefer rushing water to stand water. Then slowly you can get them to feel comfortable with just any water source than from their preferred water bowl.
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Include Wet Food in Their Diet
Kibble or dry food doesn’t provide your dog with any moisture, but adding some wet food to his diet might increase his level of hydration.
If your dog has any health issues, be sure to see your veterinarian before doing this. Another thought is to moisten his kibble with water. In this manner, you are only adding water to his diet rather than altering it. To assist your dog keep hydrated, you may also feed him water-rich fruits and vegetables like watermelon or strawberries. A dog toy with a hollow inside that you can fill with your dog’s preferred treats is called a kong. You can freeze the chicken broth, bone broth, or peanut butter in a kong. That exercises his brain and encourages him to drink water.
Give your dog ice cubes to lick as a last dog food trick. He may even get “popsicles” from you. That may keep him occupied and increase his hydration.
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Change up the flavours in the dog’s New Water Bowl
While trying to make your dog drink from a new bowl, another useful tip is to add something flavorful to your dog’s water, such as bone broth or lactose-free milk. An additional option is to use a supplement like green-lipped mussel powder, which has a pleasing aroma for dogs.
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Ensure the new water bowl is larger than your dog’s food bowl
This is a quick repair that often works perfectly. Along with keeping the water bowl spotless at all times, you should also be sure to provide him with enough clean, fresh water. If your dog is big, then you should use a big bowl to make the dog feel comfortable.
If you have a French Bulldog, make sure the new dog bowl is suitable for your French Bulldog because this breed of dog is highly selective.
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Reward the Dog for Trying the New Bowl
Another way how to get a dog to drink out of a new bowl is to praise him when they try. Try complimenting your dog or rewarding him with a treat each time he drinks some water if you believe he isn’t getting enough. This may encourage positive behaviours. If you have an English Bulldog, then you can reward your dog with a specialized treat.
How much water does your dog need to drink each day?
Several factors will determine how much water your dog requires each day, but most dogs need at least one ounce of water for every pound of body weight. Therefore, a dog weighing eight pounds requires one cup of water daily. However, many factors might influence how much water your dog requires.
Very active dogs can require extra water. The same holds true for female dogs that are nursing, and pups also consume more water regularly than adult dogs.
It’s crucial to take the surrounding temperature into account. It’s simple for him to get dehydrated if he’s outdoors running about on a hot day.
FAQ
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My dog drinks little water, what should I do?
Yes, it can happen often.
Dogs get water via food throughout the day in addition to drinking it from the bowl that is provided for them. However, the sort of food they eat affects how much liquid they consume directly. In contrast to canned food, which often has 75% or more moisture, dry dog food typically has 8 to 10% moisture.
A dog consumes roughly 636ml of water per day from a can of about 212 grams, which may be enough to meet its minimal daily water needs when combined with the fluids produced by regular metabolism. So a dog who eats largely cans but doesn’t drink might be perfectly normal.
However, a dog would only get 21ml of water from the same quantity of dry food, which is not enough to cover their minimum daily requirements. For this reason, it is generally accepted that a dog given a diet of exclusively dry food requires three times as much water as a dog on a diet of canned food.
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Why does physical exercise make my dog thirsty?
This is due to the increased losses of liquids due to processes like evaporation and respiration. As a result, a dog that is very sedentary drinks little, especially if the outside temperature is not too high.
Final Words
Knowing how to get a dog to drink out of a new bowl is a challenging experience if you are just moving to a new location, or having to replace a broken bowl or something of that sort. Dogs need to drink enough water to keep healthy, just as people do, and most of the time dogs do just that. Most dogs will seek out a water source on their own, particularly after a long or strenuous walk, and drinking water is typical for them.
However, it happens often for dogs to turn down water, which, regrettably, might result in dehydration. Call a vet if you are concerned. After all, it’s a serious issue if your dog refuses to drink water or water from a new bowl.
