Drinking Water

[Spangksb]

Hello!

Out of curiosity...

I have read that a number of Newf owners allow their dogs to drink from the toilet. I have always been a little "hesitant" about that, but I wondered what sources of water others use. Our Ozzy stands at the bathtub all the time waiting for someone to turn on the faucet. Of course, he always has fresh water in his bowl, but the tub faucet must taste better!

He is also tall enough to drink from the sink in the bathroom (which amazes me!)

Just curious...

Sara
with OZZY (the water in the tub is fresh and cold... Mmmmmmmmm Good)
& ZOE (I can't reach the faucet yet, but I can catch much of the "run-off" from Ozzy after he is done!!)

 

[Greg L]

Fezzik hasn't discovered the toilet yet (or he's grumpy that we are peeing in his water dish

) but our other two constantly used them as alternate dishes. Of course they also used anything else that had a tiny bit of liquid in it too....

Greg

 

[GAD]

Personally I find this practice disgusting. I would not let me Newfs eat or drink out of anything I would not eat or drink out of.

We keep a 5 quart water bowl contantly filled with fresh clean water downstairs, and a 3 quart bowl upstairs. In the summer we keep one outside too, but that's harder to maintain since stuff gets in the water rather quickly. They tend not to stay outside much, but its there if they want it.

We taught them to only drink from "approved" sources since they were first here. Sometimes they "think outside the box", but that's usually outside n the kiddy pool, and we have to constantly keep an eye on them.

GAD

 

[Jeannie]

Like GAD I will not let my girls drink from anything I would not drink or eat from myself. When we got Panda, our third rescue, she was always trying to get in the toilet. She even lifted the lid herself. After talking to her previous owner she said that the toilet was Panda's water dish and that Panda's favorite thing was to wait until it was flushed to get cold water. How disgusting!! It took about a week but I scolded Panda each time she got in the toilet and I took her to the water dish but she learned not to use the toilet.

------------------
Jeannie and the rescues
Sara, Samantha and Panda

 

[Annie Milliron]

We don't allow our girls to drink from the toilet, and Russell worries about the chemicals used in common toilet bowl cleaners so we diligently keep the lids closed. In fact, for the most part, I usually use vinegar to clean the toilet. However, I do use actual toilet bowl cleaners from time to time, but don't tell Russell I said so. I just want to get them really good and clean!!!

 

[Juli]

Oh I just couldn't resist this gross topic. I think it's a very good idea to discourage drinking from the toilet bowl. In my vast experience(6 months now..I wish I had a scanner so you could see how unbelieveably adorable he is) but I digress, We have found that even though he knows he shouldn't, the second someone leaves the lid up he is all over it. Note the 4 year old who thinks it's really cool to show Daddy how big he has pooped...so, the pup showed us how terrific it was one day as well....eeewww
Juli

 

[shawn]

I, also, would never let any of my kids (1 newf, 1 cocker, 1 border collie, and 2 cats) drink from the toilet! The toilet lid is ALWAYS closed and, actually, the cocker (Dakota, 13y old) was the only one I've ever had any problems with. I have CLEAN water bowls all over the house and a few in the yard.

When Newman (my newf, 8 month old)
hears the tub turn on, he is all in that! On ocassion, he has tried to take a shower with me or my son. He just loves any kind of water.

That reminds me, we did take him to a fireworks diplay on the 4th of July. While we were there, someone dumped alot of ice out of their cooler. Newmie immediately ran over and laid on top of all the ice. It was so funny, but being the middle of the summer in the South, I can't blame him!

shawn

 

[Sunny]

add another to the list of toilet bowl drinkers. I have to keep the lid down and anytime I forget or a quest forgets she is right there. She has fresh water in the house and two large dishwashing pans of fresh water outside as well as her own kiddie pool. her second choice is the kiddie pool and her last choice is the dish in the house. I wonder if they like the height of the toilet bowl? going to get one of those elevated dishes see if it works any better.

 

[AmyPC]

I always wondered how come we always hear about American dogs drinking out of the toilet bowl, it just seemed weird to me.

Then I found out in the US the toilet bowl water is of a MUCH higher level than in Australia - our water level is not at drinking height for dogs - they would have to stick their head 3 quarters of the way down the toilet bowl! Heehee.

Rory has a big bowl outside and our back door is almost always open for her to go in and out as she pleases. If it's not open she definitely makes it known that she wants to go out!

She also likes to drink from the hose.

 

[bridge2itnf@aol.com]

well i guess everyone else has pretty much said what i was going to say . no dont let em drink out of the toliet eeuhhhhhhh !

although if the lid has been left up mine will sneak a drink.yuk!
Bridget

 

[Diane]

I also think this water source is gross- however, our Newfs think it's the best H2O out there. We have an extra challenge in that both dogs know how to open a closed lid - so, in addition to keeping the toilet lid closed, we keep the bathroom door closed.

 

[Lynne]

With my crew of 9 Newfs, I've given up trying to keep them from drinking out of the toilet. I keep a clean bucket in the yard, another in the bathtub (to catch those drips) and either 2 or 3 huge waterbowls downstairs. They STILL insist that the porcelain water bowl is best! I closed the lid. My old Letty figured out how to open it, and the others watched her and learned too. Each generation taught the next. OY!!
I don't close the door, because they love to sleep on the nice cool tile. So I keep it well-brushed and when I use chemical cleaners, I close the door until I've flushed it at least 4 or 5 times.

Never underestimate a determined Newf!
Lynne