8 week old not drinking much water

[Ssams]

We picked Truman up this week. Took him to the vet on Monday and he checked out fine. The breeder gave us feeding instructions that are as follows.
Give him water 15-30 minutes before feeding
Feed per dog food instructions with water for soft food.

After the second day he seemed to have little to no interest in drinking the water. He seems completely fine and does not seem dehydrated. When he sees the bowl he seems to know food is coming and snubs the water. We use significant water in the food so I think he is getting decent hydration but we are a bit concerned on the water. I plan on calling the vet to see what he thinks but I just though I would see if anyone else has experienced this.
Thanks.


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[BAMCB]

Congrats on the puppy! We need some pics
Are you concerned just because he is not drinking the water when offered or because the puppy is lethargic or acting out of sorts? If the pup is acting normal, peeing and pooping, lapping up all the water served with the meal and overall happy with energy I'd say probably fine. Do they have free access to water all day?


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[Ssams]

Thanks. He is completely normal. He sleeps a lot but I am quite sure that is just Pup growing. Right now we only give him access during feeding times.


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[Ssams]

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[EverythingEnglishMastiff]

Controlled access for now might be ok until he gets potty training down. It's honestly healthier for dogs to drink lil bits of water throughout the day instead of taking in what they need 2x a day. It def makes for a mess though. I've had to not EVER walk in the kitchen or the bathroom (where water buckets are located) with only socks on because 90% I will tep in drool/water slopped from the jowls lol.

 

[maryl]

Pups should have free access to water during the day, or they could wind up with kidney problems as adults.

 

[sjdavenport]

I really agree that it's best to allow pups free access to water, at least during the day.

 

[Smokeycat]

When Kryten was a puppy I had to serve him kibble soup (1 part food:4 parts water) in order to slow down how fast he ate. Despite having water down 24/7 he didn't drink much. Once he no longer needed the soup the amount of water he drank went up. Personally I don't agree with withholding water although I know people who do.

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[BAMCB]

What a darling I also believe free access to water is necessary. If you are potty training it will take diligence to watch when he drinks and get him outside but the health benefits override any inconvenience.

 

[Hiraeth]

Add me to the list of people who think that puppies should have free access to water. Is there a reason you're restricting?

If it's for potty training purposes, potty training can be done just as effectively by giving free access to water and taking the puppy outside every 30 minutes until you know her approximate "bladder schedule" and how long you can wait between bathroom breaks.

I'm pretty anti potty training shortcuts like puppy pads and water restriction. There are no two ways about it, potty training sucks. But doing it right by making frequent trips outside to reinforce that's where urinating should happen is preferable (in my book) to restricting water to make it 'easier' on the humans. The way I look at it, the more often Titan drinks, the more often he eliminates outdoors and the more often I get to treat and praise and reinforce that behavior.

If it's not for potty training purposes and you are restricting for some other reason, please ignore paragraphs #2 and #3 above

 

[tmricciuto]

My water is kept in the backyard, but the pups tell me when they want a drink and we get up and go. I just don't have it in the house for the mass factor. But I'm diligent that when they signal we go and get them water.


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[DennasMom]

Denna has water in the house, but she RARELY drinks from it. She likes water from the hose, or the big bucket outside.... but even then, she doesn't drink much. She's raw fed, so most of the water she needs to stay hydrated is in her food. If you're also wetting down the food a lot, he probably doesn't need a lot of other water.

Is he snubbing the water that's on the food? The "Gravy" so to speak?? That's Denna's favorite part of the meal...

As long as he's playing, peeing, pooping and drooling regularly, I wouldn't worry.
You can also check for dehydration by pulling the neck skin... it should be very loose, soft, and resilient.