Water Dish Issues & Playing in it.....

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Hello! I need HELP HELP HELP! LOL Hunter loves water, any water, puddles, bathtubs, lakes, car washes, etc. My issue is she plays in her water dish constantly! She has a very large, heavy ceramic bowl. I started only filling it partway to make it less "fun", Its still fun. She can even knock the bowl over and rolls it around - I have no idea how it is really heavy! My big issue is she is doing it so much its damaging my linolium tile in my kitchen (which is only 3 years old!). Does anyone else have this problem or a SOLUTION? I would be forever grateful! THANK YOU!!! Denise

Ps. The photo is when she was a baby just to show you how big and heavy the bowls are!

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

LOL That is funny!! They have such quirky little habits - Hunter takes a bite walks to the doorway, chews and goes back for more!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I like this one because the bowls are stainless steel. I've read that plastic bowls can contribute to the discoloration & staining of the fur around the mouth.

[F, Calla & Luca]

How would that work. Do you think the plastic harbors that red fungus?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

They say that it scratches and bacteria and/or mold collects in the scratches. Also, that chemicals from the plastic can leech into the water if it becomes scratched. But I haven't seen any fact-based info on that.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's the type of info I've seen on pet health websites:
"A water bowl should be either stainless steel, glass, or ceramic. Scratches in plastic water bowls can be a breeding ground for bacteria. An exception would be if you were using a bowl made of antimicrobial plastic, because it repels germs and bacteria. Even still, some dogs have skin sensitivities to plastic food bowls. It's possible for a dog's nose and mouth get red, irritated or crusty from a plastic bowl. Dogs with skin sensitivities shouldn't have plastic food or water bowls.
Pet bowls made of glass, ceramic, stoneware, porcelain, and stainless steel, are less porous than plastic, so they harbor less bacteria and are easier to keep clean."

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks Karen. I'll need to think about that. Unfortunately the bowl I'm using downstairs now is plastic, because the water dripping is bad on the laminate floor seams. I wonder if a mild bleach rinse periodically would be OK.

[Adina P]

Our buddy bowls are plastic...one kinda scratched. Get kinda yucky and do need more frequent cleaning, but I can't test the dirty beard thing as none of mine are cream colored or white. So far no problems though. I have a hard time worrying about general bacteria for the dogs because dogs, in general, will put their noses and tongues on ALL SORTS of bacteria-laden items. It would be nice to see BPA-free doggy plastic things available though!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are a few doodles here on DK who have trouble with chronic yeast infections around their mouths, and the stainless bowls are recommended for them; JD is allergic to cephalosporium acremonium, which is a common water mold, and his specialist recommends stainless bowls for him as well. I like them because I have to wash them often, and stainless is just so easy to scrub, it doesn't seem to get scummy like plastic does. Just something to be aware of, for those whose dogs have issues with the red staining or facial yeasts.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We actually had a discussion here about plastic bowls causing dogs' noses to change color; there's info about that on the internet, too!
Here's the discussion:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/do-doodle-noses-change-col...

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Try one of those bowls suggested here. But I will tell you - Peri did this for about 3 weeks. From age 16 weeks until just before 19 weeks, she drove me NUTS. She completely grew out of it and doesn't do it anymore.
Good luck!

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

She is a total water freak - has been since the day we brought her home. She will splash, lay, roll in anything that has water in it!! She does swim alot since we do a lot of boating and live by a beach so I doubt she will grow out of that part. UGH!!!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We got the buddy bowl Adina recommended. We have used it in our RV and in the house. It holds lots of water and my dogs don't "dance" in the bowl. I will come home to a floor full of water from the metal water bowl, but if the buddy bowl tips it doesn't spill. They can still dribble water out of their mouthes all across the room but they can't dance.
PS we have caught both Ned and the Springer dancing - or maybe vigorously washing their paws, cleanliness is next to.... and all that stuff.
PS Gordie is 6 and Ned is 1 1/2 and they HAVEN'T grown out of water boogie.