Water is an essential facet of any living thing’s life, including our lovely pets. It forms more than 50% of the blood, helps in digestion and egestion and it also helps cushion the joints and spinal cord. However, if your dog doesn’t take in enough water as it should you would be visiting the vet frequently even for minor issues. Here are the various ways you can trick your dog into drinking water.
1. Get them moving
Making sure that your dog is always on the move. A walk or playing with them is actually quite healthy for both of you and it also increases the rate at which they drink water. Just make sure to carry a bottle with you that you can use to give water to your dog.
2. Offer treats when each time they drink water
This can work very well when training your dog from a young age teaching them the benefits of taking water. By providing treats they will relate the drinking of water with getting rewards later.
3. Don’t change the watering points for your dog
It is quite important not to change the normal places where you place your dog’s trough or drinking bottles. Doing so may alter their normal drinking habits. Also, try placing these points in places where they enjoy rest such as around their sleeping places and outside where they play.
4. Use fruits and treats
Fruits such as watermelons can be frozen and given to your dog to keep them hydrated. Also, you can cut such fruits and place them in their bowls and they will enjoy them. You can also place their favorite treats inside the water and let them fish them out.
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5. Don’t leave their food lying around
Make sure to take away their food as soon as they finish eating. This is because dogs would rather eat in surplus than take in water due to their instinctive nature which tends to tell them that they don’t know when their next meal will be so they fill themselves up.
6. Add flavors
You can add flavors such as peanut butter powder as long as you check what you are adding as a flavor to be sugar-free to ensure you’re not putting your dog’s health at risk.
7. Ice cubes
Some types of dogs such as Husky really enjoy dry ice as a refreshment. This can be introduced to your dog. Just make sure that your dog sees you taking them so that they can be interested and let them chew them to their fill.
8. Use fresh water
As much as you want your dog to take in enough water, making sure that you use clean freshwater is paramount. Make sure to clean its bowl and water bottle from rust and weeds and add fresh water every 24 hours to keep your dog healthy.
9. Alternate between the types of foods
There are the main types of foods for dogs which are dry food, wet food, and fresh food. If you notice that dog is taking in an insufficient amount of water, you can add water to their dry food but make sure not to overdo it, just enough to make it wet. You can also increase the consumption of wet food for your dog to give it enough water their body needs.
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10. Type of water
Dogs also have their own preference for the different types of water available. Some love tap water, others love refrigerated water while others love distilled water. It is up to you to experiment with what your dog likes so that they can be able to take in enough water.
These are just a few of the ways to trick your dog into drinking water. However, any of these tricks can work. Just be consistent and within no time your dog will be doing just what you want them to.
