Not understanding

[user1471453601]

We (Me, my DD and her partner) have always had dogs.

Just over a year ago we adopted a fantastic staffie (our dog of choice) of seven years old. She's just fabulous. Only accident inside which DD said was her fault as DD hadn't understood dogs body language.

She's very much loved here, but as always with a rescue, we have very little idea what her "back story" is.

What we do know is that she drinks a lot. The rescue centre told us this, but had that checked and she was fine.

So, all good. Except, DD and her partner refuse to refill her water bowl when it's empty. Only twice a day. And they will not feed dog until DD comes home from work (anywhere between 4:00 and 5:30).

Dog starts begging for food at 4:00.

This is really upsetting me. I think, if dog "asks" for water, they should have it. If a dog is used to being fed at 4:00, then it should be fed at 4:00

I admit, I'm totally soppy and besoted by this little girl, so maybe I'm being unreasonable to be distressed by this.

And yes, she's v greedy. Despite the fact that when she was in kennels they said she was not motivated by food. She totally is.

I'm prepared to argue with my family on her behalf, but if I'm being over emotional about dogs needs, I will accept that and shut up.

Id appreciate views, thanks

[BiteyShark]

I don't follow any rigid pattern of feeding with my dog.

Breakfast can be any time from 6am to 8am and dinner for him is any time around 5 but can be +- 1 hour. I think it's better that there isn't a strict time to feed.

As for water have they had their own vet check out why she drinks so much unless the water bowl you are referring to is tiny. Yes I would refil my dogs water bowl but I would be concerned as to why you say she is drinking excessively in case their is a medical issue.

[Floralnomad]

Dogs should have access to water 24/7 , as for feeding we feed ours twice a day breakfast is between 7:30 /9:30 and dinner is 4:30/ 6 ish . He also has snacks in between .

[BlackSwan]

It's terrible to leave a dog thirsty. Shouldn't have to ask for water. And it should be kept fresh.

[missbattenburg]

IMO dog get fed when I'm ready to feed them but water is available in copious amounts at all times.

[Hobbes39]

I would ensure fresh water is always available, but with food - we have a spaniel and if we fed him every time he begged for food, he'd eat himself to death..! So some days our dog begs for food a good hour before he's due to be fed, but we ignore him... he stops after a while. He will also beg for food about 10mins after he's been fed sometimes ....!

[stucknoue]

Water should always be available, the dog needs a larger bowl if it's emptying it in a few hours, but the food is simply begging tactics. We free feed our dog but not all breeds are suitable for this, if you have a glutton the food needs to be restricted to the correct amount

[joystir59]

Our dog has fresh water available 24/7. He has a second water bowl next to his bed at night as he sleeps on our room which is a long way from the kitchen. He eats twice a day after walks but not at rigidly fixed times. He is greedy for treats, and has to be limited a bit.

[OpheliaTodd]

Someone who withholds water is weird and shouldn’t have animals.

[Hoppinggreen]

Why won’t they refill the water? Water should always be available

[user1471453601]

Thanks for your responses, I'll stand my ground against the with holding of water (though I will insist that our vet takes a look at this too) and try (though I'm a bit/lot of a softy) to not to get upset about her feeding times.

[FenellaMaxwell]

It’s not normal for a dog to be drinking 2 whole bowls of water a day - I would be taking the dog to the vet.

[Floralnomad]

Apparently dogs drink 30-50ml of water per kg of weight per day . Our dog has 2 water bowls and I’m constantly filling and changing them , he drinks a lot and also spills loads .

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

Dogs should always have water available.

One of mine drinks a lot, 3 to 4 bowls a days, the other one considerably less. They are both healthy and happy, just have different needs.
I would never dream of not having water for them.

They get their food after the walk, sometimes later of the day is hot.

[missbattenburg]

3 dogs here and have six bowls of water scattered about and often find them almost empty by the end of the day. Battendog alone could drink about a litre a day I think. Especially on hot or active days.

[tabulahrasa]

Food I do to suit me, it’s a similarish time... but not exact and if they ask before that it’s tough tbh. Dogs are chancers, if they think there’s a chance of early food or extra food, they’ll ask.

Water should always be there... whether it’s a lot of water she’s actually drinking will depend on the size of bowl, how much makes it in the dog (some spill a lot) and things like weather, if it’s hot they drink more.

[RandomMess]

In this recent hot weather they will need to drink more

Good thing, yeah many are buggars and beg for their meals before and after they've been fed

[cheeseislife8]

Dogs should have access to water at all times! This is so important

[adaline]

It’s not normal for a dog to be drinking 2 whole bowls of water a day

Eh? Where did you get that from?

Surely the amount a dog drinks is hugely dependent on a whole host of things - exercise, weather, heating/air conditioning being used, what they're fed (wet or dry), breed, size, age....

If mine has a good run in the morning he can easily come home and drink an entire bowl of water in one sitting. One size doesn't fit all when it comes to dogs!

[PixieLumos]

That’s awful, a dog should always have fresh water every day available all day. As for food, dogs differ - mine will just eat whenever and leave some in his bowl so we’re not very strict with timings, others will gobble it all straight up in which case it’s nice for them to have a routine I think.

[FenellaMaxwell]

@adaline the average dog should drink somewhere between 20-70mls per kilo per day. And the OP already said the dog is a staffie, so the average weight for a female is 12-16kgs. Which would average out at just under a litre a day. Unless it’s a teeny tiny water bowl, this would suggest that the dog has an above average water intake, which should always be checked in case it’s an indication of kidney issues.

[pigsDOfly]

My dog sometimes asks for her food early, other times she'll still be sleeping even though I'm running late with her food.

I feed her more or less at the same times each day but it can be up to an hour late.

She doesn't drink much but she's fed on wet food, a dry fed dog will drink quite a bit I imagine.

Withholding water is nasty. Why would anyone do that?

I want to be able to drink when I'm thirsty and so does my dog, but then I've been known to take her water bowl out to her when she's been lying in the shade in the garden on a hot day, just in case she's forgetting to go into the house to drink.

[Parrakeet]

IMHO withholding water from the dog is cruel (apart from when late at night and trying to toilet train). Having scheduled feeding times with recommended daily amounts on the other hand necessary, especially when dealing with a "greedy" dog.

[raspberryk]

Suggest a water dispenser bowl.

[adaline]

@FenellaMaxwell but surely that's still dependent on a load of other things too?

A dog that goes running twice a day or who does a lot of scent work will need more water than one who gets twenty minutes round the block in the evening.

Like humans - my DH works in a physical outdoors job and certainly needs to drink a lot more water than people who sit in one spot at a desk for eight hours a day.

Mine probably gets through two or three bowls a day but they're never full to the brim else most of it ends up on the floor! The mat underneath is always soaking as he can't seem to drink nicely at all 😂