Ready access to water is as essential for keeping dogs hydrated as it is for people. But crating your dog complicates things. A water bowl inside a crate can spill and leave your dog uncomfortable—in what should be her cozy, inviting den. During housetraining, the ramifications are even worse.
So, how can you crate your dog and keep her hydrated?
Your priority is always giving your dog easy access to fresh water. Keeping that goal top of mind, you can wisely determine whether to crate her without water, how long you can leave her crated without water, and the instances where water in the dog crate is a good idea.
Do Adult Dogs Need Water in Their Crate?
In general, healthy adult dogs do not need water when crated for an hour or two, if they have access to fresh water before and after their crate time.
If your adult dog spends more than three or four hours in a crate during the day, and the crate is large enough, you can leave her with water, provided she is healthy and housetrained. In this instance, your dog will drink when she is thirsty and won’t likely have an accident.
Crate your destructive chewer with a stainless steel water bowl rather than a plastic bowl, which she may gnaw to pieces out of boredom. Swallowing hard bits of chewed water bowl is dangerous for dogs, as the pieces can cause gastrointestinal damage.
With or without water, crate time during the day should include at least one scheduled break. Your dog needs an opportunity to stretch her legs, go for a walk, relieve herself in the yard, and play. Enlist the help of a family member, friend, or professional dog walker, if you are out of the house all day and your dog spends hours in her crate.
Do Puppies Need Water in Their Crate?
Your growing puppy needs access to plenty of fresh water, but keeping water in her crate is never recommended because it can undermine housetraining. Crate training is a helpful tool in the process because dogs instinctively resist relieving themselves in their den. But if you provide water, your puppy will drink when she is thirsty and won’t be able to hold her small bladder. Beyond causing frustration and distress for you and your puppy, repeated accidents will slow the housetraining process significantly. Though water in the crate isn’t advisable, never limit your puppy’s access to water as a housetraining tool. Give her ready access to water, and then make sure she has the opportunity to relieve herself before crating her.
In general, your puppy should never spend more than two hours in a crate without an opportunity to drink, visit the back yard, go for a walk, and play with her people. Overnight, take your puppy out of her crate and go outside with her every few hours—slowly extending the time between breaks as she grows, until she is sleeping most of the night in her crate without an accident.
When Does My Dog Need Water in Her Crate?
In specific circumstances, making water available inside your dog’s crate is advised. Extreme heat warrants a water bowl in your dog’s crate for any duration, as well as the crate’s relocation to a cool spot in the house. Never leave your dog alone in her crate for long in hot weather—she could run out of water, become dehydrated, and suffer from a heat-related illness.
As mentioned above, you may also opt to put water in the crate if you’re leaving your healthy, housetrained adult dog crated for more than three or four hours. But pay attention to the time, and don’t ask her to stay crated much beyond that without a walk break and some playtime.
If your dog has Cushing’s disease, diabetes, or another illness that makes her excessively thirsty, avoid leaving her with water in the crate. Her increased water intake will correspond with increased urine output, and she’ll be prone to accidents, which can be upsetting and uncomfortable for her. In general, dogs suffering from serious or chronic illnesses should have a family member with them most of the time anyway, so this shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Does My Dog Need Water in Her Crate Overnight?
No. Healthy, adult dogs don’t need water in their crate overnight. Hydration isn’t an issue so long as your dog has plenty of water available throughout the day. Also, your dog should associate the ritual of going into her crate at night solely with sleep, comfort, and security, and not with drinking water. As for puppies, water in the crate at night will only impede housetraining progress.
If you’ve got a furry bundle of joy at home or one on the way, we have a detailed rundown of what to put in your puppy’s crate at night to keep her content through the wee hours.
How to Give Your Dog Water in Her Crate
If your dog requires water inside her crate, use a bowl that won’t turn the bottom of the crate into a lagoon. Lying on a wet crate bottom is uncomfortable and cold, and if a soft dog pad lines her crate, it could become soggy even if it’s water-resistant. Either way, a prompt cleanup is necessary after water spills to prevent unsanitary conditions inside her crate.
Choose a dog bowl that attaches to the side of the crate, or use a no-splash travel water bowl tucked into the corner. Most travel dog bowls are soft—a welcome feature in close quarters—and resist slipping, so they won’t shift around.
Finally, talk with your veterinarian about how long your dog is crated and whether she needs water. Your vet understands any health or breed-specific issues your dog may have, and can give you guidance and strategies.
As a rule of thumb, keep crate time to a minimum and water available in abundance—outside of the crate. But know there are times when water inside your dog’s crate is the right choice. Base your decision on what’s best for your dog’s needs, and you won’t go wrong.
I am getting a 7-8 week old puppy Nov2. I have a 5 yr old gentle dog and a Calico cat. I work. Can my puppy be kept in a crate while I work? I live alone.
Dogs learn to be alone all day quite happily and many dogs are home alone and get more attention before and after work than dogs with people at home. Don’t judge other people when you don’t know the facts.
I have the same small pup would like to leave in her crate for the day time what should I do?
YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE A DOG!
Dogs learn to be alone all day quite happily and many dogs are home alone and get more attention before and after work than dogs with people at home. Don’t judge other people when you don’t know the facts.
Totally agree…why do people get dogs and cage them up alone all day…beyond cruel
Rude Person!
I used a water bottle attached to the crate wire for my pup crated during the workday. This way he didn’t go without water, didn’t have a soggy crate, and didn’t drink more than he needed, as it took a lot of licking to get a little out of the tube. Since he’s crated all day, I don’t crate at night, he sleeps with me.
I always find these leak and drip .
Me too. And the wire holder that holds it on the outside gets warped and doesn’t hold it sturdy. A waste of money. I bought a stainless-steel pail with a flat side that I secure to the crate. It is deep enough, and you can put in the amount of water your dog needs. I have a 6-month-old newfie, but once I return to work, she will be in the crate for 4 to no more than 5 hours four days a week. I have done this with all our newfies, and they wound up loving the crate. Even now, my 6-year-old will just go and lie down in it. They feel safe as it is their den. There are too many items a puppy will get into, which can be a real safety hazard.
I also never put water in the crate when I was housetraining. They had water before and when I got home. I read a dog can hold their bladder according to their age. EG, 2 months, 2 hours, 4 months 4hours, 6 months, 6 hours.
add one hour to the age during puppy months….so 2 month, 3 hours, 4 months, 5 hours, etc
If your dog has diabetes or any disease where they have more trouble staying hydrated, then leaving them without water is a bad idea. With diabetes, your dog isn’t having more accidents because they’re drinking more, they’re having more accidents because their kidneys are trying to get rid of all the excess sugar in the body. This then leads to your body pulling more water from your intestines to compensate. So in a way, the accidents are actually causing the increased drinking. It might be better for articles such as this to do more research before suggesting people take away something so vital from an already ill pet…
They didn’t tell you to leave a diabetic dog in a crate without water.
Absolutely no one in the article or otherwise was referencing an “ill pet”.
The recommendation to not have a water source in the crate is not correct. Not having water can create anxiety and may make housetraining (& other training) more challenging. The puppy may drink more water when it is available, thus overfilling the bladder & causing more urgency to urinate, etc… I recommend to all of my clients to always have water in the crate to avert this issue. I also do not recommend using a crate divider or so small of a crate that the puppy can only stand, turn around and lay down; too small of a crate can create anxiety if the puppy needs to eliminate and then cannot rest away from the elimination. Anxiety can result and make housetraining more difficult.
I agree never leave dog or puppy without access to water a basic doggy right.
Never had an issue before but have extremely small breed dog crates for her safety while she adapts to other dogs who simply walks through her water drenching her crate making it cold and wet . About to try a parrot screw on cage but fear she will push it out from underneath . Lol over 40 years experience with large dogs defeated by a dog so small my larger dog could swallow in one mouthful .
This is the baddest advice to remove access to water it will not help “ house” training but just risk dehydration & permanent kidney damage & risk an unstable bladder/ infection etc. How go you know your dog is too hot central heating etc or worse ill.
Always access water it should never be removed for convenience.
I have had water in my dogs crate from the day I brought him home at 8’weeks and it has never been a problem. He has the Torus bowl for messy drinkers and they are great! Heavy, don’t turn over. I have a great danoodle – 81 lbs – these were a game changer for making sure my boy had water at will.
I also never put water in the crate when I was housetraining. They had water before and when I got home. I read a dog can hold their bladder according to their age. EG, 2 months, 2 hours, 4 months 4hours, 6 months, 6 hours.