Why Does My Dog Dribble Water?

Why Does My Dog Dribble Water Everywhere When Drinking!? 

Some dogs are more elegant, delicate drinkers. Others, however, manage to slop huge, ‘drooly’ puddles of water all over the floor. If you’ve often wondered why does my dog dribble his water everywhere? – Read our Holidays4Dogs article to find out why.

Some messy pooches have the habit of gurgling in their water bowls so loudly you could be forgiven for thinking they’re swimming in it. Never mind the overflow that occurs with enthusiastic thirst quenchers, it’s not uncommon for dogs to then let the last mouthful to dribble out of their mouth – in copious quantities – all over the floor.

Take our advice and don’t leave your shoes near water bowls if your dog makes this much mess! 

Table manners?

There is a reason why some dogs are sloppier drinkers than cats, for instance.

This is because, dogs need to move water against the gravity in their bodies and they have to do it by way of something other than suction.

Because a dog’s tongue acts rather like a soup ladle – when it’s full – he has to open his mouth much wider to pull all the liquid in. This invariably ends up in a great deal of dribbly spillage.

Gravity counts.

When dogs lap from their water bowls they curl their tongues backwards, plunging them into the water and then withdrawing quickly to drop the water back into their mouths. In larger dogs, this energy needs to be eight times the force of gravity. 

Unlike the more delicate action of cats and some smaller breeds of dogs, larger dogs tend to plunge their tongues dramatically through the surface of the water, which creates quite a lot of splashing.

In addition, because larger dogs drink with a larger surface area of tongue proportional to their body mass, the volume of water the dog can move, increases relative to the size of their body. In other words, the bigger the dog – the more of a puddle they create! 

What can you do to prevent Fido from making so much mess, while drinking from the water bowl?

One thing you must never do, is limit your dog’s access to water. Mats are useful to place underneath water bowls – especially if they are super absorbent.

Alternatively, you can purchase slow feeder water bowls. These specially designed bowls prevent the dog from gulping down water too fast and it also stops overspill.

Final thought.

One interesting thing to remember, perhaps, –  as you mop up yet another dribbly puddle –  while your dog is quenching his thirst, he is also working hard to defy gravity. Some pooches, therefore, may find this more challenging than others.