Water consumption?
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I didnt catch where you were from but here in AZ, Panda goes through 2 bowls of water in the winter a day and 4-5 in the summer.....I think she is a water hog, but she doesnt seem to pee any more than any other dog...Id guess you'd just better get used to filling the bowl...or take the bowl away at night, around 8 or so....and put it back down in the morning..it really depends on the dog.....sorry if this isnt too helpful  |
Welcome to the forum 
I would definitely restrict his water a bit more or else housetraining may become very difficult. Too much water is almost as bad as not enough, so until he learns to regulate himself more, I would keep an eye on it. He may be drinking a lot because he is not full? How much and how often is he fed? If that is not the problem, perhaps a higher quality food? It might be too salty, or just not enough energy for him. |
| Has he been to the Vet? Thirst can be a sign of diabetes, unlikely I'm sure but you might want to have him Vet checked to r/o a physical cause. You did not say where he came from, if he came from a home where he was abuses or where water was severely restricted he may be just adjusting to his new found wealth. Also, how old is he?
Ginny Tasker's Mom |
| Diabetes was my first thought too. Rosco drinks more than my other 3 combined and other than hypothyroidism is very healthy. Mmm, I think Jill had this with Clyde so she may be able to offer more. |
| He is thirteen weeks old and drinking lots so that means peeing lots. If he is healthy, and has had his urine tested for an infection, and you are in a hot area, then he needs to drink as much has he wants, in order to keep cool, as the water that goes in his mouth helps him to pant and cool down. I had a heck of a time house-training Bosley as a young puppy this past summer, for precisely that reason, as he was peeing every 1/2 hour or so. I was unbelieveable how much he drank. We had a little kiddie pool in the backyard for him. Now that it is winter, and very much cooler, he drinks a much more reasonable amount. |
| Thanks for the welcome! I'm going to try and answer everything. Sorry for the novel of a post.
I'm in Ogden, Utah. We generally have pretty cold winters. This one just happens to be in the forties. So, It isn't very warm, but it isn't very cold either. We've been feeding him Authority Large Breed. I want to put him on science diet, but we figured with all the other big life changes we should at least let him have the same food. My Vet also didn't make any weird faces when I told him the brand we were feeding him. He has his first round of shots, and deworming the day after we picked him up. The Vet also gave him a brief psychical, but nothing extensive. So, He hasn't been checked for everything. I'll have to ask about the outside chance of diabetes. Honestly, He hasn't had a ton of accidents in the house. He seems to have taken to house training fairly quick, but then he always wants to go out and he always goes. It isn't just an excuse to be taken for a walk. Mostly, I just don't know anyone else who has an OES so I was thrilled to find the forum to compare notes. Browsing the forums has convinced me that Walter isn't weird. It's just the breed. 
We found him on Puppyfind. Which, I'm now convinced is the devil, but apparently we got lucky on the people we got him from considering the nightmare stories I've seen. They've been really eager to answer questions and take calls at all manner of the day and night. I just didn't want to bug them with another "Hey... Has your dog ever...." question. |
| I would not hesitate to discuss this with the former owners, they may have some information that would be useful. Good luck, he is probably just a heavy drinker like Rosco. |
| Ah, yes, we definitely had this problem with Clyde. He'd drink until he threw up if we let him! The good news (at least for us) is he grew out of it but that doesn't help you now, does it? Here's part of a post that I posted during the prime of our problem:
Quote: Like your boy, Clyde is absolutely CRAZY for water. If I give him free reign over water, he'll drink until he throws up. (Several times on our poor other dog) Before we started limiting him, I saw him suck down 2 full 4 quart bowls (I have 2 dogs). It's ridiculous. After a thorough examination and testing by the vet, he has no physical problems-- the vet says he's just one of those dogs that loves water.
Our vet said that there's a range for water needs and most of it depends on weight. If I remember correctly, when he was at 35 pounds or so, the range was 2 cups on the low end to just over 5 on the high end. (Just found where I wrote it down: The actual formula is 90ml of water per kg of body weight.) Now at about 60 pounds, he gets about 8 cups a day. However, timing is everything! We give him 2 cups in the morning before we leave for work, 3 cups as soon as we come home between 4:30 and 5:30 most days, then we exercise, 1 cup at the dog park, and 2 more with dinner. Water absolutely stops by 9:30 p.m. If we stay up later, he gets ice cubes, which he loves as treats. Lame as it sounds, I literally measure EVERYTHING. It's just safer that way because I know what he's getting. We no longer have to measure anything and we have no accidents-- peeing or throwing up and he's just over a year old. Is Walter having accidents because of all the drinking? I do, however, agree with the others and have him checked for diabetes or JRD. Always better safe than sorry. The only reason I can think of otherwise not to share bowls is that sheepies can be serious slobs. Clyde's beard leaves all sort of nasties in the bowl that my other dog is pretty grossed out by and won't drink it until I change the water. I'm normally on top of such things but I don't always see it right away. |
| Is there a possibilty that he's competing with the cat? Maybe he thinks that if he doesn't drink it all, that evil cat will get some and that just can't happen. Watch to see if he rushes to drink when the cat comes around or he chases the cat away if it's near the bowl.
Stranger things have happened and you still probably want to rule out any associated medical problems. If his urine is dark or really foul smelling that could point to a problem. |
| My dog, Barney, was/is a water monster. We got him when he was 6 months old and we got one of those water cooler drip bowl filler things. And Barney would drink. And drink. And drink. And...well, you get the picture. He would drink until he threw up. We had him checked out at the vet and nothing physically was wrong with him. They said it could be a mental issue. We don't know what his home life was like before we got him (we rescued him--the lady who owned him before wouldn't even let us into the house to see him--she brought him out to the front porch...) so it could be from him not getting enough water when he was younger and so he hoarded it.
He's better now. He's the same age as Jill's Clyde...and he hasn't gotten over it for the most part. We've also switched to room temperature water (instead of just cold from the tap) because he seems to be able to hold this down better. We don't use the water cooler anymore. (Same bowl, just have removed the top bottle part) because he still has a tendency to drink forever. We just fill it up at breakfast middle day and dinner and he's fine with that... Good luck! |
scope wrote: Browsing the forums has convinced me that Walter isn't weird. It's just the breed.
Of course he's weird, he's a sheepdog! 
Glad you have found us on the forum! Any and all questions are welcome. Warning...you might become addicted! |
| LOL...I agree with Stacy...theyre all weird..thats what makes them so endearing....welcome to the site...again, I still think he's just a water hog...just watch his behavior. |
| Our water bill has doubled since Frank has been in the house. Not only that but we also have to follow him around the house with a towel because he leaves a path of water wherever he goes. He especially drinks more often when we have company as he likes to give everyone visiting a souvenier of a wet lap to go home with.
Drinking water also depends on the dog's activity level too. At 13 weeks I would think it's normal but I too would recommend just keeping an eye on him. Plus I think you might want to pick up his water bowl around 9pm every night until he's housebroken just in case you aren't getting a good night's sleep. You might want to ask the breeder if his littermates are also drinking a lot of water. Frank's littermate, Jake is nicknamed "Buckets". |
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