Why don't the boys drink water when i am not home?

[Chris]

This is a Got Food/Behavior/Medical Wellness Thing....

My boys will NOT drink water when we are not home.
Several water bowls are down and available for them when we leave the house so its not like they don't have access to it. And when we walk through the door, one of the first things they do is drink a gallon of water it seems. It doesn't matter if we are gone an hour or 5.

They will finish a dog treat when we are not home. I have given them something and they don't touch it but if i come back into the house unexpectedly, the treat will be gone.

Why do they do this? Should I be concerned??

I just worry that God forbid something happened and we weren't able to get home right away because of some cataclysmic/emergency circumstance,they would dehydrate with water in plain site. If something happened that wasn't good and we were under emergency circumstances not home until 5 hours later than planned, they would be inconvenienced, but they would be okay if their second meal of the day was delayed but i worry about water.

Btw, since i work from home, sometimes I am not gone for a "regular schedule" like 3 hours every day. I could go for a few days and not leave the house, and then have two days in a row where I am gone 5 hours . So maybe they don't know what to expect??

[Jen]

Tasha is the same way. She knows where her water dish is--but doesn't seem to drink when we're gone. Each day when we come home she drinks a ton of water. Weird.

[LexieLuvr]

My only thought is that they just lay around and sleep most of the day so they don't do much in the way of exertion to get thirsty - but it's weird that they drink a ton when you get home. I don't know!!

[oceangirls]

Mine don't drink while we're gone either. I don't think they do much. I don't know if it is because they are sleeping and kind of allowing their metabolism to rest, or if they feel that they are guarding the house and don't drink while in alert mode... who knows.

I think they would drink water in plain sight before allowing themselves to dehydrate, but not being a dachshund I am not sure how their minds work

[lizzieb38]

Maybe it's because they know if they drink a bunch of H2O they will have to go pee. And if they can't get out, they'll have to do it in the house. Well we all know the rest of the story.

[LexieLuvr]

Maybe it's because they know if they drink a bunch of H2O they will have to go pee. And if they can't get out, they'll have to do it in the house. Well we all know the rest of the story.

Good theory - but we have doggie doors and a run, so that won't fly at my house!

[Chris]

That theory might work - but i have pads. My boys go outside to go to the bathroom but when we leave the house we leave one out just in case. they don't always use it but just in case.

[Alex's Mom]

That's Alex too...she doesn't drink when I'm not home, but drinks a TON when I am, esp. after eating or major treats. Which, given her general leakiness, I am truly grateful for! I wouldn't worry though, Chris, I think as long as they have water available, they'd drink if they really needed to.