Do you know how dogs drink?

Dogs can’t seal their cheeks, so they can’t suck the water in like humans do. That’s why carnivores, including dogs, developed the lapping mechanism using their tongues. They move their tongues in and out of their mouths into the water and curl their tongues backward while doing it.

Their tongues look like ladles, but they don’t scoop water into their mouths. It just allows more area on the front of the tongue to hit the water and the water adheres there. The water that hits the front of the tongue is what is swallowed, while the water in the ladle falls back into the bowl.

Interesting, isn’t it?

Watch it in the slo-mo video below.

HOW MUCH WATER IS ENOUGH?

Now that you know how your dog drinks water, the next question becomes how much water does a dog need to drink a day? It all depends on your dog’s size. A general recommendation is that a healthy dog drinks about 1/2 to 1 ounce of water per pound of bodyweight per day. So, if you have a 50-pound dog, you’re looking at 50 ounces a day, or a little over 6 cups.

Does that mean you need to measure out a certain amount of water a day? Not exactly. How much water your dog drinks also depends on his activity level, diet and even the weather. If your dog is active or it’s hot outside, expect him to drink more water. You should have a fresh water available for your dog at all times, refill it regularly and change it for a fresh one on daily basis.

HOW TO AVOID THE MESS?

Most of the dogs are messy when it comes to drinking a water. But do you know why? It’s simple. They sort of do it on purpose. But actually not because they want to make us angry. 

When dogs drink water, they smash their tongue into the water and create big water columns. The biggest ones they can. Then they bite down on those columns to drink it while rest of the water drops back down from their cheeks, which results in big messes.

If you’d like to avoid cleaning up the mess every time your dog drinks, look into HUNTER no-spill bowl or mats that catch water. It can’t stop your dog from spilling it around, but it will definitely help to keep the water under control and not all over your floor.

Have you been surprised by the way dogs drink? Or have you knew it before?