My dogs have been giving them selves bathes in the water bucket? They have been putting they're feet in the water bucket! As soon as I change the water they ruin it by stepping in the bucket(which I change 3 times a day). Is there something in the diet that i'm missing? I bought a kiddy pool so they can go cool off in and it hasn't slowed the dipping? Any input would be a great help!

This "dipping" in whatever vessel of water that they can find is just a Labrador trait. Call it a water mania - you probably have a dog that will love the water -- and this behavior certainly high lights their playful side! My dogs do this - I simply pour the dirty water on my flower containers and refill their buckets!!

Hang their buckets then they can't paddle in it

I actually do poor the spoiled water on our Flowers and it is funny that you mentioned that! I thought that I read somewhwere that my lovely dogs acting this way was a problem in the diet? I really hope for my wife's flowers sake they don't spoil the water as often as they are currently. I have almost killed the shady plants, due to over watering(LoL)!

I find with my lovely dogs *S* that the bigger the pail, the worse it is, and because I work full time, I worry that 5 minutes after I leave, their water will be un-drinkable and with this heat, that's not good. So if need be, I hang (as high as I can get away with, where they can still drink out of it) 2 or 3 of the very small pails full, (like you'd hang in a crate) rather than one large pail. They don't splash in it and at least that way I know they've got something to drink. I have a lady who comes in at noon and she'll refill them if they're low, but it really helps stop the splashing. Mine only do it in the heat, and I find they like to get their entire front of their body and the floor area wet, to cool off. I've found it passes down the genes, my girls here that do it are out of mothers that did it. My boy is spotless and would hate that, as was his father.

If I'm home and know I can keep re-filling it, I hang the large pail outside, where they splash to their hearts content.

We have the same scenario going on here. In the summer, I do fill a kiddy pool every day with fresh water which seems to curb the splashing in their water bucket. My young black girl likes to simply lie in it and soak after a few minutes of splash play.

No problem in the diet - they are water dogs. That's what they do. Take out your baby pool and fill it with water. That might distract them from the bucket. It works for me.

Sorry - just read that you already did the baby pool thing. The other thing I thought of is just taking the bucket away when they finish drinking. That's how I deal with the on dog of mine that likes to swim in the bucket when she's in a crate.

And if you change the water in the baby pool every day, it won't hurt for them to drink that also.

I've never heard of that theory! It would be interesting to find out who's theory it is and how they proved it (what did they change in the diet.) Or it might be an old wive's tale. I remember a hick neighbor telling me when I got my first Labrador that if I wanted to hunt him, I couldn't feed him any poultry based food or he would eat the birds instead of retrieving them.

I do the same, wash out and fill the buckets at least 3 times a day. The South is in the 85-95 degree range alot. Can't take a bucket away. Kiddie pool some want to chew on so can't leave that out. Do have some of the Rubbermaid horse troughs, they can't chew those. But out of 8 dogs there are 3 who really like to stand in the buckets. They are just cooling it !

They are water dogs. I have found when i hang my buckets higher. That just makes it even more fun.As then we are trying to get in the bucket or we will just wittle it down to where i can put my feet in there/. I just have one who is a paddler and one who will just put her feet in there and stand in there.And the others don't do it.The paddler sure has fun though. doesn't matter if it's outside or in the house.

My dogs chew on the kiddie pool too, but they can't do too much damage when it's full. And if it's too chewed up I just buy another one at KMart LOL!

Ah yes! I made the mistake of emptying the kiddie pool and leaving it out. My brat singleton boy took care of that quickly.

I purchased a large rubber feeding bucket from the farm store and filled it with water for the bucket diggers....worked and they get better range of motion.

Duck tape works well to patch tooth marks on the pool. Put on the under side. It lasts a loooong time.

My mentor has buried stock tanks that create "ponds" in her dog yard. It's gross as all heck but they love them, and have water all the time.

Aren't Labradors Fun !! The splashing in the water bowl and buckets seemt to be starting younger and younger in our dog family. My current litter of puppies started splashing in their water bowl when they were 4 weeks old. I can't really hang the smallest bucket because there is one little fella who wouldn't be able to reach in and drink. I keep on filling it up.

We have a 14 month old boy how refuses to stay out of the community water bucket which hangs on the fence. He sticks his big ol paws in it and splashes until there is 2 inches of water left in the bucket.

Another problem with this boy is when he barks and I spray him with the power hose to quiet him up, he stands there and opens his mouth up wide, takes in as much water as he can then he barks for more.

Water is not a good tool to use for discipline on a Labrador

HA!
no joke!
I had this great idea of how to clean my pups off after they get out of the kiddie pool and roll in the dirt....I got one of those Midwest kennels for my patio that I figured I would just throw them in and hose them off...problem is I cant get to their backsides as they are constantly coming at the hose mouths wide open.
I cant even water the plants around them....the minute they see me even HEADING towards the spigot they get all excited.

They play in their Buckets because they are
either hot or bored. If I have to leave a dog
in a Kennel in the summertime, I also have a
small kidding pool in the kennel.

When they are out, which is most of the time,
I have several Kiddie pools for them to cool
off in.

I had dogs like that even when we lived in
the Snow and they still emptied their buckets!

They love water!

Thanks for all the input!! I was worried about posting, but it turned out very nice. I think for Fathers day I'm gonna turn down the new underwear(LoL) and get a new hanging water bucket for here at the house. I have four runs at my moms farm and I have hanging buckets there but I guess I have them to low. I have taken all the dogs to the creek so they could swim and play(at the same time Mom was cleaning the buckets), as soon as we got back the first thing they did was spoil the water so I guess it might be in the genes as well? It is also kind of funny... the first dog pool got demolished one day I went to empty and clean it and then got a phone call. About 30 minutes later I went back outside to refilland clean it and the only thing it was good for was the recycle bin, there was no chance duct tape would have fixed it!!

What I have found that works well is to use two pools together. It is much stronger and they don't seem to like to chew two layers of plastic.
Jodi

I've always used 2 pools doubled up since they are so flimsy. When it's time to pick the pool up and tilt it so the water comes flooding out, the pool doesn't crumble up and crease when doubled up. I do the same when using the pools for whelping boxes.

Yes, I have been doubling the pools here for years and it works like a charm! I also got a Step 2 pool - very rigid and will hold up nicely - even with destructive Labradors!

Several of you talked about the water being "un-drinkable" because they had their feet in it. SERIOUSLY??? They will drink out of puddles and scummy ponds and toilets...what's a little foot dirt in a water bucket?

Yes, I check the water regularly and if it is really gunky, I will change it, but not three times a day.

I have had some who did that to cool themselves off after being out for a romp; have had some who just like to splash, some who stick their whole faces in the bucket until the water spills over; some who put their toys/bones in the water bucket.

Every once in a while, I will find a food bowl floating in a water bucket : )

MK

Yay MK! I was hoping I wasn't the only one who didn't clean buckets three times a day!!! LOL

I have one who will not drink if another dog's slobber is in the water bucket.
In the kitchen I have a large stainless steel pan like the kind they use in steam tables and in that goes the water bucket. It catches the drips and splashes nicely. We strategically place the water buckets in the basement close to the floor drain. Outdoors - it's a free for all.

Go to the LIXIT. You can find them on line or at your local pet/feed store. I use the one that attatches to the water spicket. Fresh, clean water 24/7.

Made a world of difference to me. No buckets to clean, no splashing or playing.

Ron

In early 1980, I started with Siberian Huskies as my First AKC registered Breed. I was living in Texas along the coast at the time, and with my first Husky I noticed this behavior of her trying to put all 4 paws in whatever little bowl of water or other standing puddle of water. I didn't understand why that was, and during a visit to my vet for vaccinations, the vet informed me that dogs do not have sweat glands to utilize in cooling their body temperature down like humans do.

I was told that dogs will use "panting" in their attempt to cool down, but if they can, they will put all four of their feet in water - that it helps them cool off even faster, and to an even greater degree then panting.

This behavior seems to be evident in every other breed of dog that I have own over the last 27 years. In addition to Labrador Retrievers, we have two Parson Russell Terriers, and even with a kiddie pool available -they take turns placing all 4 feet in their oval galvanized water dish. It is quite a sight!

Our labs like to play water hockey with whatever tub they can tip over (that is why we utilize the facet licks so fresh clean, cool water is always available) - they will even splash as much water around in their kiddie pool until enough water has splashed out and they can tip that kiddie over and drag it around, We tried heavier hard plastic pool, even the sandbox one - our labs chew them up no matter how thick the plastic is. So we have just been buying a new cheap kiddie pool every season. I like the suggestion about the horse trough - I'm going to look into that (a oval galvanized one!) for the labs!