My dog is afraid of her new water fountain. How do I get her to drink?

Water fountains are a great item to have available for your cats! You are right! They may just need a little time to get used to the sounds of the fountain and the movement of the water. Let them explore I️t on their own and at their own pace for a few days. You can also give them positive reinforcement associated with the fountain- eg feed them their favorite treats when they are near the fountain or feed them their food close to the fountain. I️ hope they come around the fountain encourages them to drink often :).

You may try to create a positive association. First you will need a very high value treat that she gets at no other time except with the squirt bottle. At first, every time she looks at the bottle, mark the behavior with a word/sound ("yes" or a clicker) and reward her. Gradually move the bottle closer or encourage her to walk toward the bottle. Gradually build up to having her touch the bottle or the bottle touch her. Reward her very frequently. Never spray her with the bottle or make it negative toward her. The key is to be slow and patient. I hope this helps.

I highly recommend purchasing a water fountain! I have one for my dogs and cats, and they love it. They are easy to clean, and have filters to help keep the water clean. Plus they hold lots of water, so you don't have to fill it up daily. There are many differing types of water fountains, and I will put a link below to a number of different ones. I have the DogIt drinking fountain for my pets, and it's listed in the website below as one of the best of 2015. I hope this helps :-) https://www.ezvid.com/top-ten-dog-water-fountains

Poor Rocky! I have a dog who was deathly afraid of water when she was young too! Whilst she still won't actually go swimming voluntarily she has no problem with creeks and rivers, and will go in the lake up to her middle! I would continue what you have been doing, with treats and encouragement. Also try having only a very small amount of water in the bottom of the pool and see if that helps. If you have any bodies of water nearby, such as a creek, then taking Rocky for walks nearby and through the water can be very helpful.

You can try getting Moka a dog water fountain. It’s provides a continual source of fresh water, and it encourages dogs to drink. I have one, and my dogs love it. You can find them online or at a pet store.

Poor little thing. It can take some time for dogs that are scared and poorly socialized to adjust. I find that it can be a big help and confidence booster for them to see you interact with another dog. Sometimes they can also relate better to having another dog around. That being said, this should be a calm, easy going and non threatening dog to her. Perhaps an adult sweet friendly dog that is a similar size. It is important for her to eat and drink, so you may have to put those things in her kennel where she feels safe for now. Continue to be patient, talk in a calm and gentle voice and she will eventually learn to trust you. She lacks confidence right now and that does not come overnight, I would consider having her interact with you and another dog if it is the right dog.

A healthy dog will generally drink as much body as it's body needs as long as it has access to clean fresh water at all times. Since you are giving water with the food, it's possible this is meeting all her body's water needs. Certainly continuing to put water in her food is fine and is encouraged if she is not a good drinker on her own. You may also see if she will drink more readily out of a pet water fountain. You may also try different water bowels or change the location of the bowels. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.