Tanka has never had a problem with being in his kennel. it is a nice size, maybe 6x8, and is inside. One of us is usually here so he doens't spend a whole lot of time in it except for us going off together to run errands, etc. Sometimes we allow him to be free in the house too if we aren't going to be gone a long long time, and he has had plenty of exercise. I noticed something a long long time ago, that he doesn't drink anything when he is kenneled.(He is just a little over 2 yo)

I tried getting him an exact replica of his regular water bowl and that didn't matter. it is usually no big deal, except when he has that unusual experience of being in it all day. He is not one to drink in the morning either unless we go hiking, and he drinks from the stream, so you can see why I am concerned if I have to kennel him before he drinks in the morning.

What he does is wants a drink as soon as he gets out. The other day we came home and he had been free in the house. First thing he did when we got home was get a drink. He also had left his treat in his kong. Although he didn't go right for that. As long as we have been leaving him, he has never been distressed. He wants in his kennel when we leave, especially if he thinks we may make him go along. That is a whole other post. And he never whines or cries, and if you come back in he is laying quietly on his bed and doesn't even get up like he knows you aren't really back yet.

Most of the time we leave him in the house, he knows we are leaving, but he doesn't seem distressed about that either. I give him a kong and he gets working in it. But apparently he doesn't keep at it.

Any ideas here? I am perplexed.
I have been wroking on trying to get him to drink when I say to, but so far he won't do anything but look at me, or put his nose in the bowl and then up at me, but no drink.

Hi Julie
Sorry i cant help but my dog has the same problem,i used to kennel him outside and he wouldnt drink until i came home.I now have him inside the house as he was being teased by children in his kennel.He drinks some water on his own now but not much,if i am there he is fine and drinks normally.I put it down to him being teased and not feeling safe in his kennel but that doesnt seem to be the case with you.Sorry i couldnt help am sure someone on the board can.

As long as he's healthy and getting adequate water and has access in his kennel when you'll be gone all day, I wouldn't worry about it. If he's thirsty enough, he'll drink. Otherwise he's fine waiting until you get home.

Personally I've never left water in any of my dogs' crates even when working all day. They've gotten water in the morning before I left and again when I returned home.

All my lot have full water bowls when I go to work, and all 4 bowls are still full when I get home, usually they don't bother going to them until they have been out for a pee and poo when I first let them out; even after walks, and marathon cross country off lead runs, they don't head for water straight away, and as far as the Boerboels are concerned, I wouldn't let them drink loads anyway because of the risk of bloat connected to vigorous exercise and large water consumption.

I wouldn't worry too much, as has already been said, so long as he is otherwise healthy, and water is always available, I don't think it's a problem.

Thanks everyone. That's makes me feel better about it. He has a large enough kennel with a draining horse stall mat in it designed so a pee n there wouldn't be a big deal, but he won't do it anyway.

When we are hiking, he drinks often since we are continually running through a spring, but it is cold when we hike and he is not hot, and he only drinks little bits at a time. I did learn on this board, though, about the dangers of allowing him to drink too much when he is hot. SO now the water does not stay out when it is hot. I am never gone while he is out anyway, so I just periodically give them a drink when they are playing together in the heat.I used to just let water out all the time. I was lucky. He is a big dog.