OCD with drinking water?

[tatertot]

Taser is obsessed with drinking water. He is now 9mnths old. We first noticed his water obsession at approx 14wks. He would blow out into his water bowl making bubbles then sit back and stare at the water. Of course we laughed! He would pick up a mouthful then drop it back into the bowl...generally just playing with the water. Then we began to notice he was drinking A LOT of water making potty training difficult as his bladder would overflow very quickly. He would leave a zigzagging line of pee drops on the way to the door. We talked to our vet and he said it is too early for a dog to typically develop diabetes or thyroid issues. He suggested we closely monitor his drinking, limit the water intake, and to never laugh when he plays with his water.

We warned our friend about this when she agreed to watch him for several days. She has one of the "never ending" water bowls...approx 4L. She forgot and he managed to drink all 4 liters in one sitting. Another time my husband's friend forgot the toilet seat up (typical man ;} )and Taser drank ALL the water in the toilet bowl. Many other examples.

A month after doling out cupfulls of water periodically throughout the day and we decided to attempt to train him out of this. We fill his water bowl and when his lapping changes from drinking to "playing" we tell him to "take a break." We are lucky enough (or maybe cursed) to be able to hear him drinking throughout the house and listen closely to remind him. He is finally starting to take breaks on his own. However, in a different environment he is just as obsessed.

I honestly don't believe he is thirsty as his lapping changes to a boring, playing lapping. His skin turgor is good and his coat is beautiful.

Has anyone ever had this problem or have suggestions?

[brunie's mom]

I would exercise him more. If he is tired from all of the exercise and training, he will not be so excited about water. He sounds like a bored dog.

How much exercise does he get per day? How much time training everyday?
How many walks, ball throwing, playing tug,swimming,etc.?

Is he in obedience classes?
A dog that is tired out from activity usually just wants to sleep and does not bother with OC behavior.

Gina

[tatertot]

I think you're right about him being bored. I wish I could tap into some of his energy! He is a very busy boy and always willing to do more :)

He gets a 50 min walk/day which also serves as training time. Otherwise he gets "bored" with just walking. He seems to need to be constantly mentally stimulated. Lots of praise and cookies.

We also spend at least 10 min/day on trick training. "Go find it" is a favorite of his. A treat is hidden anywhere in the home without him seeing then he uses his nose to retrieve it...lots of time spent doing that.

Frequent games with his toys such as fetch. He is too strong for me to play tug with. He makes up his own games as well such as hiding a toy (in a shoe, basket, between couch cushions) then coming back several minutes later to "find" it himself.

My husband and Taser are going to start learning to track from a buddy (who has trained police dogs in tracking). The freak snow storms have been hampering this.

He has been to show classes and is one point away from championship...the breeder and handler think he is bored in the ring and thus makes he up his own fun in the ring :( We are working on a subtle trick he can do that won't interfere with showing.

We had a personal trainer come to our home and have booked more sessions with her. She has given us a few busy boy activities to try.

He is bored and it is hard to keep up to his energy levels. I am going today to pick up more toys that hopefully will stimulate his mind while he plays by himself as well.

[brunie's mom]

It does sound like he is not getting enough stimulation.
Instead of a personal trainer...get him into a class situation...it will help him to learn to focus...where there are other dogs around, and strange people.

To me when a dog has to resort to playing alone and making up games to amuse himself...it means that he is really bored.

Tracking is fun...and you can start doing it on your own....snow or rain. I track with my dog in the snow all winter. Just cut up a hot dog into tiny slices....go outside (without the dog) and lay a simple track with the hot dog slices. To start, every 5 strides, or so...and kind of drag your feet so that the dog can follow your smell....keep it a straight track till he starts learning how to do it...then add some turns...with a leather glove at the end containing a piece of hot dog.

I don't count on my dogs to amuse and exercise themselves...I have to work with them and excite them to get playing.

I would have him out for two 30 minute walks....in between the walks...do 10 minutes of training. Play fetch or use the tug to your advantage....your pup should understand that he must "drop it" when you tell him to. He must understand that he has to settle if he is getting too rough and rowdy playing tug. It's a good training tool...to teach him to focus.

I would also be thinking of agility training or taking a class for Rally-O....something that keeps him learning and thinking.

Gina

[SABELLESMOM]

Have him checked for DIABETES. just in case. Polydypsia, polyphagia, polyuria (lots of drinking, eating urinating) are the 3 big clues.

I don't think that's his problem, but it's worth checking out. Most likely he simply likes water play! Get him a kiddie pool and fill it. HOURS of enjoyment: you watching and him playing! I freeze an empty milk carton of ice to add to the fun, when it's hot. They LOVE it!

[tatertot]

Gina, thanks for all the tips. We'll get started on tracking right away! Separating the walking time will be good too. Lots of great advice!
Sabellesmom, we did talk to the vet about diabetes. He thinks Taser is just playing. The kiddie pool is a great idea...providing he doesn't drink all the water LOL!

[Cherry Heart]

When Arwen was a puppy we had to spread water a couple of cups at a time. She would drink every drop in her bowl and then proceed to throw it all back up if we let her drink as much as she wanted at one time. We would give her a cup every hour to spread it out, then as she got bigger a couple of cups at a time. Even in her crate when she knew she would be in there for long stretches (while we were at work) she would get in her crate and drink her bowl dry before we left the house. Eventually it went away on it's own. We noticed that she would drink maybe half, then come back in a bit and have the rest so we started giving her more at a time and eventually we could just fill her bowl up and she was fine. I think she was close to a year old before we could give her a full bowl and she wouldnt rush to drink it all and throw up. My best guess for Arwen was that it took her that long to realize she was always going to get more and she didn't have to drink it all at once as if she was fighting her entire litter for it like she may have had to at the breeders house.

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by tatertot

Gina, thanks for all the tips. We'll get started on tracking right away! Separating the walking time will be good too. Lots of great advice!
Sabellesmom, we did talk to the vet about diabetes. He thinks Taser is just playing. The kiddie pool is a great idea...providing he doesn't drink all the water LOL!

Get the book "Enthusiastic Tracking - The Step-by-Step Training Handbook by William (Sil) Sanders. You can get it on-line from Chapters or Indigo.
I put a harness on Baxter....so that he knows when he is wearing that, he is allowed to pull. He pulls a sled in the winter, so I use the same harness.

Keep him busy, keep him stimulated mentally and he will be too tired to be OCD about the water, or needing to make up games for himself.

Gina