Why are Some Dogs Messy Drinkers? – A question asked by so many dog lovers.
Dogs as we know them, are domesticated of the Wolf family. They have their scientific name to be Canis familiaris which is known as domestic dog, a separate species, or Canis lupus familiaris also known as domestic wolf-dog as a subspecies of the Wolf. Dogs belong to the family Canidae, the dog-like carnivores or canids, while the genus Canis means “dog” and includes wolves, dogs, coyotes, jackals.
Having a subfamily known as the Caninae, or canines, while their tribe is the dog-like or “true dog” tribe Canini and their sub-tribe is the wolf-like canids of Canina. Dogs are said to be one of the first animals to be domesticated by prehistoric men.
Dogs are known to have a greater difference in behavioural and physical variation than any other land animal, including wolves. According to a scientific survey, digs are known to have starch gel electrophoresis of red blood cell acid phosphatase.
From scientific research, dogs also have smaller, compressed and crumpled tympanic bullae. They are known to have a more domed forehead and stop between the nose and forehead. Wolves have a more prominent temporalis muscle, these are the muscles that close the jaws and do not have dewclaws on their back legs.
Dogs lack a pre-caudal gland and go into estrus twice instead of once a year. Whereas dogs usually have brown eyes, wolves have amber or pale-coloured eyes. Their skin is thicker and their paws are half the size of those of a wolf.
Why are Some Dogs messy drinkers?
It is true to say that the dog’s reputation of being messy drinkers precedes them any way they go, it is known every way that dogs tend to mess up their drinking environment in the process of drinking. They always end up splashing more water on the floor around their drinking bowl than they manage to get in their mouths. According to a scientific study, splashing water around is actually a good process for the dog, the dog actually uses a highly precise and optimised method when drinking, messing up the place is a very important part of getting liquid in their mouths.
By slapping their tongues into the water at high speed, they are able to utilise the surface tension of water to draw more back into their mouths than they could if they tried to scoop it with their tongues. During the course of study by scientists, using high-speed photography, scientists found out that this action creates a column of water that is pulled upwards by the tongue before the dogs clamp their mouth around it.
Unfortunately, the action of slamming their tongue into the water at high speed, done by these animals, tends to create splashes, which messes up the environment, while the animals also create a tiny ladle with their tongue that scoops up some water with it.
This water tends to spill out around the tongue and ends up feeding the water column below, this process helps to increase the amount of water in the column and the time it stays in place.
This process also ends up spilling some of the water carried on the floor leaving a mess while the dog is drinking. The researchers, based at Virginia Tech and Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, also found significant differences compared to how cats drink. While both have large jaws and incomplete cheeks like most predators, this means cats and dogs cannot create the suction needed to drink like other mammals.
According to previous research, cats lightly touch the surface of the water with their tongues and the liquid adheres to the upper side of their tongue. However, the researchers found dogs drink in a very different way, accelerating their tongues into the water at far higher speeds, curling the underside of the tongues.
The research work carried out by this scientist indicates that the mess carried out by dogs when drinking is very pertinent as it helps them get enough water into their mouth to help quench their thirst. It is proven that dogs will always be messy drinkers because, without the mess, they will find it hard to get much amount of liquid in their mouths.
Problems Caused By Messing Drinking
There are several environmental and health hazards caused by messy drinking of dogs, these are;
• Messy drinking results in smashing of water all over the place and if you have carpets or any wide material nearby, this can result in the damaging of the wooden material or carpet (in this case if rugs).
• Messy drinking can result in environmental hazards, especially if the floor is tiled and the dog engages in messy drinking thereby splashing water all over the place, someone who is oblivious of the water on the floor may slip and fall and this can be damaging 9r result in the person being taken to the hospital.
How to Prevent Messy Drinking
You can possibly reduce the level of messy drinking by taking into consideration, the following suggestions that I have listed.
There are some special drinking bowls you can get for your dog that can reduce the mess caused by their drinking. There are some anti-spill bowls that are capable of reducing the amount of water that is spilled by your dogs.
These bowls restrict the dog’s access to water, limiting it to only small water intakes and also prevents it from vomiting and splashing water on the floor and wet dig beards.
Depending on the level of familiarity between you and your dog, you can schedule the dog’s drinking routine knowing when it is thirsty so as to be able to monitor its drinking.
Types of dogs
There are so many types of dogs all around the world, we have dogs that are used for different types of stuff. Below is a list of some types of dogs we have.
Sporting dogs
These are types of dogs bred for sports, they are trained to help their hunters capture and retrieve game birds. Retrievers swim and focus on waterfowl, while setters, spaniels and pointers hunt game birds. Their coats are often thick and water-repellant to protect against the elements. Some examples of sporting dog breeds are Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, the Nova Scotia Dock Tolling Retriever, Cocker Spaniel and German Shorthaired Pointer.
Hound dogs
This is another type of dog which were bred to chase after warm-blooded, terrestrial prey. They are generally divided into sighthounds, who use speed and vision to chase jackrabbits and antelopes, while scent hounds can use their noses to trail raccoons and people. All have strong prey drives. Some examples of hound dog breeds are Bloodhound, Greyhound and Dachshund.
Working dogs
This is types of dogs were bred to perform tasks such as guarding families or pulling sledges and carts. The Boxer, Great Dane and Rottweiler and a few examples of working dog breeds.
Herding dogs
Herding dogs are a type of working dog along with service dogs. While herding dogs help herd livestock, service dogs help people with disabilities. However, they differ in that they were bred specifically to herd livestock, such as sheep, cattle and reindeer. Some are excellent for police and military work. A few examples of herding dog breeds are Border Collie, German Shepherd and Icelandic Sheepdog.
Conclusion
In conclusion, dogs are known worldwide to mess up their drinking environments, but this is not just a bad habit, but it is meant to enhance their drinking and help them get enough fluids in their system, the process of drinking ends up spilling water on the ground, but also helps them take in enough amount of liquid at a time.
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