Does your dog have access to water during the night

[sonarbear]

My dog sleeps in DC1's room (son is aged 18). He sleeps very well in his crate, which we leave open. Occasionally he will come out for 5mins or so but always return to the crate to sleep. We used to have a water bowl in the room but he VERY rarely drinks from it- even if he is encouraged to do so. Does your dog have access to water at night?

[Nesssie]

My big dog (30kg) will have a last drink at about 10.30pm, then won't drink until the next morning roughly 8am.
Water bowl is downstairs, he sleeps upstairs.

[QOD]

So. Dear dog went to bed about 11 last night (her crate). I got her up at 7:15 and let her into the garden. She didn’t want a wee nor a drink from the freshly filled bowl.
She went upstairs and burrowed under my quilt until 8:45
Took her for a walk around 9:30 and she drank when she came home.
So no. No access at night (as I said before it seems to upset her somehow so she stuffs her blanket into the bowl and I was finding a blanket and an area of her basket wet in the morning )
She’s a 6lb chi though. Maybe big dogs are different

[fleshmarketclose]

Yes she has access to kitchen where her water bowl is (sleeps in living room) at all times.

[HomeOfMyOwn]

Whilst I don't want to encourage the odd crate attack going on, on a water thread, I do feel I should point out that they weren't called crates instead of cages by people trying to make them sound nicer.

The term crate comes from the usage of the word for being a wooden, plastic or metal container used to transport "goods". Dog crates were originally sold as crates because they were for transporting your dog safely. Hence people generally call them crates and so shops keep selling them at crates.

Personally I have used crates but call them both "the crate" and "the dog cage", when verbally speaking but crates when writing on forums because it's quicker to type and clear to all what is meant by it.

I don't see either word as better or worse than the other.

Nor do I see a crate as inherently cruel - I do however see how easy it is for a human to make them cruel but that is the human not the crate itself.

[IthinkIsawahairbrushbackthere]

We never used to have a water bowl in the bedroom overnight, just in the kitchen during the day. Then at the beginning of the summer my little terrier became seriously dehydrated. We don't know why but since then we have made sure to keep a water bowls in the living room and bedroom as well. Some nights they have a drink, some nights they don't bother but we like to be sure it is an option.

[ToothTrauma]

some classic MN mountain-making on this thread.

[Notmybuilderdotcom]

Water is in kitchen, they sleep in my room overnight with door shut. If they want a drink they wake me up and I let them downstairs for a drink and then they come back up to bed. Always take drinks on walks in the summer or if long walks aswell

[Whisky2014]

Yes. they are supposed to have access to water 24/7 really.

[CantankerousCamel]

No she drinks morning and evening and no other time. Her water bowl is out all day/night though

[thegirlsallgrowedupnow]

Agree with Tabulhahrasa, water should be a given overnight whether in a crate, kitchen/ utility or bedroom. Dogs will comply with what they know, so if water is withheld generally they will go with that even if on the odd occasion they may need it. My girl rarely drinks after 7 pm but in recent hot weather has drunk during the night.

[tabulahrasa]

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Well there’s no need to withhold water in either place, so given that’s what the thread is about, I’m wondering why one prompts a big debate on terminology and one is ignored?

[starcrossedseahorse]

I am not on any high horse. Just shocked and dismayed to hear that people treat their dogs this way, think it's ok and will actually defend it.

Glad to see more responsible owners posting in the latter part of the thread who can also see how cruel and unnecessary this is. As a pp stated, the RSPCA outline a dog's basic needs, one of which is water 24/7.

And I say dog cage because it is a cage and crate is one of those words used to obfuscate.

[dudsville]

Ps. I like hearing them drink in the night because I know they're getting their immediate needs and wishes meet.

[dudsville]

Mine always have access to water. I've noticed they're drinking now in the night. They sleep in the open door room with us.

[RiskIt4Biscuit]

My dog always has access to water - she has a bowl in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. She does get up at night to have a drink.

We always have a collapsible bowl for her in the car, and if I take her for a long walk, I usually bring a collapsible bowl and a bottle of water for her too.

As for crates, I never used them, but I would definitely make sure the dog had access to water at all times. I don't think it would be fair on my dog to leave her without water overnight.
I know some people also crate during the day, and I don't think it is right if the dog again doesn't have access to water then.

[thegirlsallgrowedupnow]

Our girl has access to water 24/7. It is in the kitchen where she sleeps at night, it is there all day. I take water in a little Tupperware out on walks.She doesn’t drink much after 7pm though,goes out for a wee at around 10pm and often isn’t desperate at 7am, however, I like that water is constantly available should she need it!

[alwaysiero]

Six dogs so two bowls in the kitchen and one in the boot room for our collie who pretends she doesn’t live with us. They are all free to go between rooms at night, anywhere but the bedrooms. When we have foster dogs that are crated overnight they still have a small water bowl in the crate, I’d never deny a dog access to water, they shouldn’t have to ‘ask’ for it and I wouldn’t want to be woken up because one needs a drink.

[Pompom42]

Yes always but we have a bungalow and I leave my bedroom door open so he can go in and out and is able to drink water during the night which was well needed in the recent hot weather

[Nooblynoo]

Yes. My dogs have access to water every time of the day or night.

[BeachyUmbrella]

We took our camping last week, after a few nights where the water bowl got tipped over in the tent, we left it outside....

I was woken up in the night with my spaniel scraping at the water bottle by my bed (she recognised it from walks out where she will drink from a plastic bottle and my hand), do I took her out for a drink....

I'm sure she drinks every night from her bowl in the kitchen, where she sleeps.

[tinstar]

A lot of people have also justified their dogs not having water because they’re in their bedroom... are bedrooms inherently cruel?

What on earth are you talking about?

[tinstar]

Would you like us to all agree that cages are cruel then or something?

As I originally said, I'd like to understand why people feel the need to cage dogs overnight. Especially without access to water.

[tabulahrasa]

“But a lot of people seem to be justifying their dogs not having access to water overnight because they're in a cage.”

A lot of people have also justified their dogs not having water because they’re in their bedroom... are bedrooms inherently cruel?

[BiteyShark]

Just trying to work out your boundaries of an 'inherently cruel' practice as you referred to it. But as PP pointed out this is just derailing the thread.

[Justanothermile]

Would you like us to all agree that cages are cruel then or something?