How Does a Dog Drink Water?

Making a Mess

When dogs drink water, they tend to spread it around. Water ends up outside of the dish, on the wall, floor and sometimes on whoever is standing near the dog. This is because when a dog's tongue enters the water, it does not enter it cleanly. Instead, a dog's tongue enters the water bluntly; in effect, it smacks the water.

Making a Spoon

When a dog drinks, he curls his tongue backwards, towards his body. Now only does he curl it backwards, but he makes a little scoop, or spoon, with the tip of it. The bottom of the "spoon" is what hits the water, making a splashy mess.

Scooping Up the Water

When the dog puts his "spoon" tongue into the water, it immediately fills up with water, and quick as a wink, the dog pulls it into his mouth. Dogs drink so quickly that it is very hard to see this process with the naked eye. We can only see the telltale, wet evidence. If you want to see it slowed down, however, there is a link to a video of a dog drinking water in Resources below.

Resources

• Video of dog drinking water in slow motion.