Dog lovers tell me why...

she's doing it because she knows it bugs you.  not so sweet now, is it?

seriously though, when she does it, is it more convenient?  the only time my dog drinks out of the toilet is at night, when we are upstairs he doesn't want to go all the way back down for a drink unless he HAS to.

I'm not a pet owner, so I don't know if it'll help, but have you tried putting the seat down (now you'll know how most of us guys feel)?  I'm not sure if your dog can lift it or not enough to get in but if so, you could put something on top of it.  If you use harsh chemicals to clean your toilet, it may not be so good for your dog.

lid down = problem solved.  right? 

no way i'd want to find my pooch head down in a crapper.  i'd never be able to use it again. 

Not to hijack, but I have a dog question too:

I have a patch of road rash on my right calf that’s mostly scabbed over so I’ve had it uncovered. The other day, I stopped to talk with a friend on the street who had her dog with her. While we were talking, the dog sniffed me, and then took a big lick of my road rash. I was kinda grossed out, and hurried back home to a washcloth and a bunch of bacitracin.

WTF was that about? I’ve never owned a dog, so I don’t know—is that something that dogs generally do? Yuck.

I think they are trying to take care of you like they would a puppy?  We're babysitting a lab right now and he keeps trying to lick the huge cut I got on my knee last week.  It grosses me out, too!

My dog does it all the time.   Even lifts the lid with his giant Lab block head.   Also does the lick the sweat/blood thing all the time.    Doesn't sound as though this makes sense due to germs etc, but a few times I noticed they healed pretty qickly.  

Dogs lick their (and others') wounds in the wild. It's only natural for domesticated dogs to do the same. Here's something you may not know - they poop and pee wherever they want unless you make them go somewhere else!

Regarding the toilet thing - the rule at our house is the seat AND lid go down AT ALL TIMES (except when the toilet is in use by a human). Keeps the cats and the dogs from sticking their little mouths where they don't belong. Now the discharge from the water softener on the other hand...





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On the toilet thing - i assume its because the water is cooler than what is in its dish.

We currently have our toilet bowl covered as we are attempting to toilet train our kitty so this is not an issue with our pooch.

I am no vet but I remember with my childhood dog that we had to do our best to keep the scabs more open - must be something about how they heal with all that fur in the way.

And they love the salty/sweaty - grosses me out when I am lying on the floor stretching after a run and the dog starts licking me! Yech! Cat occassionally too - that's even grosser!

I agree, keep the toilet lid down, but that doesn't always happen in my house.  And I think maybe she does prefer the colder water this time of year, maybe I should add ice to her dish.  And, yes she also been known to lick my road rash.  Interesting little creature she is.

Thanks everyone, you made me laugh!

The toilet bowl might also have a certain taste that she likes. Maybe she doesn't like the filtered, cleaner tap water, but prefers the slightly dingy taste of toilet bowl water. I know my dog LOVES to drink from puddles, stagnant ponds, disgusting rivers- basically any body of water that has an extra 'flavor'.

This may not be an issue for your dog, since she sounds like she's on the smaller side... but for some bigger dogs, drinking from the toilet is more comfortable for them because they aren't forced to lower their mouth all the way down to the ground to drink.  I have a small table made for food/water bowls which raises the height of the bowls to my pup's level, so she doesn't have to be constantly reaching down to the floor to eat or drink.  Yes, I realize that dogs have been eating off the floor forever and this probably isn't a big deal, but it's obviously preferable for my dog and probably better for her in the long run.

Also, I do definitely agree about the water temperature.  This time of year I usually have to throw at least 5-6 ice cubes in the water bowl every time I refill it since our tap water isn't even cold- and after sitting for a few hours, you can bet that water is nice and toasty again in no time.

"you mean like water?  From the toilet?  But Brawndo has electrolytes - It's what plants want"

Porcelain keeps the water cooler than a plastic dish.  I was a porcelain potter for a number of years and we sold water dishes for that very reason.   Plus, the water is still fresher since the toilet is flushed more than once a day.  Dogs and cats also like running water better than stagnant water. there was a 'water fall pet dish' on the market that was supposed to help with this.

Stainless steel also keeps the water cooler than plastic too. 

I also think plastic after a few years gives the water a funny taste than animals notice more than humans - but think about your old water bottles and how that water tastes when it comes out.

We've always been a "lid down" family for just this reason.  But I have a similar observation about the dogs and water.  For ages, we kept a single (red) dog bowl in the kitchen for water for the animals.  Last summer, I got tired of constantly refilling the bowl 4-5 times a day, and wised up by adding a second (blue but otherwise identical) bowl.  The dogs will preferrentially drink from the red bowl, to the point that they make sad little slurping sounds to get the last drops from the sides, while the perfectly good, identical water sits untouched in the blue bowl 6 inches away.

I think once they get into a habit of getting water from their favored spot, that becomes their "go-to" for the water.  Kind of like how I have a favorite coffee mug.  There are other mugs in the cabinet, but that is always my "go-to" for a cup of joe.

Do you make sad slurping sounds when your mug is almost empty? 

I clicked this thread to add my dog wisdom to the collective pack.  But if you'll excuse me, now I have to go make some coffee instead.

mmm.... coffeee.....

You can teach a dog to drink through a straw.

OINK!

Oh wait sorry wrong thread.

Yanti!  

Wait... are you the piglet now?