Fresh water or Puddle water - what does yours prefer?

Does your furbaby(ies) prefer fresh drinking water or dirty puddle water?

I can tell you, my little bundle of joy definitely prefers yucky puddle water.

She has been out at least five times this evening and has come back in with dirt on her bottom lip (dead give away cos it's white and the dirt shows up!) and the ends of her ears are soaking wet. I now have a wet leg again cos she's now snuggled up next to me.

She has plenty of fresh drinking water but has hardly touched it!

Is there any way I can encourage her to drink nice clean water instead of puddles? It wouldn't be so bad, but she wants to go out several times every evening just to drink the puddles.

I suppose I can only hope that the good weather starts soon - wishful thinking I know!

Just assuming this means you let her out so that she is going into the back garden and finding puddles, and isn't being let out to wander unwatched on a street to drink puddles.

If in the back garden, unless you have sprayed chemicals or whatever, I don't see that drinking from fresh puddles is a big problem. Mine do all the time with no ill effects and as long as the water is fresh it doesn't concern me. If it concerns you or the puddles are dirty, the easiest preventative is: don't let her out unaccompanied -- go with her when there are puddles and keep an eye on her. Take her on a lead in the garden if necessary and she won't be able to get into areas you don't want her to.

If she is out wandering around on her own loose, then the easiest way to prevent it is also not to let her out to wander which would be very risky anyway in so many ways! Again, always go with her and keep her on a lead. Letting her off to roam about anywhere risks traffic accidents, getting into rodent bait, drinking from a puddle that may have antifreeze or car oil or other dangerous substances mixed in, being attacked by other dogs, theft (one of the top breeds stolen in the UK, N Ireland and Republic of Ireland), etc.

Also make sure she has fresh water daily. A lot of dogs and cats actually don't like stale water as chemicals like chlorine filter to the surface and they dislike the taste and scent (this happens within a few hours of filling the bowl!). So that may be why she doesn't care for the bowl. Also she may not be drinking puddles anyway if you haven't seen her do it -- just snuffling about. But again -- it it looks like she is ingesting anything, it would be a good idea to be outside watching her.

This happens in the back garden - don't let her out of the garden without a lead otherwise she'll do a runner.

She's definitely going out just to drink the puddles. I have a bit of concrete just outside the back door which has a dip in it and the water collects there. I haven't swept out the back for a while and I know there's a bit of a build up of dirt on the concrete.

Thinking about the fresh drinking water - a couple of months ago, the water board did something with our supply and I have found it does smell a bit more 'chemically' and looks at bit cloudy. I suppose this could be a reason why she prefers the puddles! She's always lapped up the puddles, but the last few nights she's been in and out like a yo-yo.

The worst thing is her soaking wet ears that she so lovingly rests against me when she comes back in Just like she's doing now - head resting against my leg and looking at me with those big pitiful brown eyes and tail wagging for attention.

But aren't wet soggy ears just part of the joy of being a cavvie owner!!! My dogs prefer puddles too. It is probably the chemicals in the water that we can't detect but dogs can! Is she drinking more than normal or just prefering the puddles??

She's hardly touched her own water today - prefering the puddles instead!

At least having soggy ears makes them look a bit tidier. As soon as I brush them, she shakes her head and they look no different from before

have you tried boiling your tap water? This should get rid of any chemically tastes

Haven't thought of that - will try it and see.

Since I orignally posted, I bought a bottle of water (Ballygowan) and she drank that so it must be something to do with the change in water.

Mind you, she still likes her puddles - came in last night with soaking wet ears and then tried to give me a cuddle.

I don't know if it's possible, but I'd try to find a way to stop the puddle drinking. I am a reall worrier and there are at least 2 parasites, giardia and coccidia, that live in the ground/water and can live for years, or be carried by birds.

Phoebe would rather drink puddle water and will completely ignore her water dish in favour of popping out into the back garden to lap up puddles.
I assumed that she didn't like the chemical taste of tap water, I tried her with bottled water....not interested, out of curiosity I put a dish of tap water out on the patio....she drinks that without any problem at all !!!
It seems that it's not the taste of the water coming out of the tap that's the problem, but rather it's location !!! I frequently change the water outside and her dish being out there has reduced her puddle guzzling, but it is a bit if a pain ! She still has fresh water put down for her in the kitchen every day and sometimes she will do me the huge favour of drinking a bit of it.
The other day, someone suggested that I indulge her rather too much....
I can't think what they mean
Nobody warned me that Cavalier fur babies can completely wrap you around their little paws so easily :luv:

Puddle water is a favourite beverage in our household too. None of ours has ever gotten sick from it, but we are out in the country so don't have to worry about other people's nasty run-off.