[Sarah H.]

Hi there! I have an issue going on with my 9 week old border collie, Daisy. She will not leave water in a dish! She kept dumping her little water dish, so I got her a big 5 gallon auto feeder that was too heavy to dump, only now she digs at the water spraying it everywhere. I read up on causes and no she is not too hot (I'm going through menopause, my house is freezing, or so I'm told lol). None of the dishes were reflective either. She isn't bored, I'm with her 24/7 and she has TONS of toy options. I think she just really loves playing in water. I was told about hanging dishes, but I am fairly positive she will figure out how to dump those as well. I also heard about hanging feeder bottles (like for rabbits, but designed for dogs). I went on Amazon to purchase one and read horror stories about dogs biting through the metal and seriously injuring themselves. Most reviewers blamed cheap metal as the problem. So my question is is there a non cheap brand that won't potentially hurt my pup that anyone can recommend? Or has anyone had success breaking this behavior?

 

[Canyx]

Yeah when my dog was a puppy around that age he was obsessed with digging in water dishes. The thing that stopped it was getting a bowl mounted on the crate. NOT the kind that just 'sits' on a metal rim but one that screws in or has some kind of locking mechanism. I put it at about chest height and the issue stopped that day.

 

[Lillith]

Yes, what Canyx said. It's not really fun anymore when they can't move it.

 

[LeoRose]

Welcome to puppyhood.... anything and everything is a toy.... Getting a dish like Canyx mentioned (sometimes called a coop cup) would probably help. An alternative is a pail that hooks onto the crate, and is further tied down with a bungee or something.

Also, you might want to rethink being with her 24/7. Dogs need to learn that it's okay to be alone.

 

[Tater33]

I hope you get it solved, you've gotten good advice here. Our dog loves those cheap plastic kiddie pools. She loves splashing around in there. If that is an option, maybe try one of those to let her have some fun. Probably won't solve the problem, but I'd bet she'd love it.