dog's water dish is ruining floor

15 years ago

Our dog is a very sloppy drinker. She splashes water everywhere. We are all gone during the day so we have one of those auto-watering dishes. I put a folded up plastic table cloth under it to keep the splashes contained and the floor dry. It appeared to be working. Today I picked it up and it was soaked with water as well as wet underneath and smelly! Only the top part I could see dried! Gross! How do you keep your floor dry around the dog's water dish?

Featured Answer

gabro14

15 years ago

How about those placemats they make for dog dishes? They are made of a very thick/hard plastic. The water might go over the edge and go to the floor, but I'd check daily and wipe up any water that leaks. I doubt it will leak though...I've never had a problem.

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Comments (12)

cat_mom
15 years ago
When we reno'd our kitchen and installed HW floors, we knew we had to protect the floor from one our cats (she used to love to play "Will it Float?"--from a Letterman skit) in her water dish. We got one of those black plastic boot trays at BB&B to keep under their water and food dishes. We hadn't planned on using anything under their dishes (had an extra coat of poly applied there), but this works well for us.

We've since replaced their water bowl with a SS pet bowl with rubber on the bottom to cut down on movement (helped even more).
petaloid
15 years ago
I put a low, flat plastic container from restaurant supply under our cat dishes to catch whatever spills, but I like the looks of that boot tray in cat mom's photo.
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joepyeweed
15 years ago
I use one of those boot trays too!
pamghatten
15 years ago
When I remodeled, I made a place for the water bowl ...

And yes, both the cats and the dogs drink out of it ... LOL!
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}
Gina_W
15 years ago
The plastic tablecloth is a good idea - I use one to feed raw on. But you need to clean it and clean under it every day. Maybe put an old towel underneath it just in case.
cindyb_va
15 years ago
The boot tray is a very smart idea!

I got one of those "waterhog" entry mats, the kind that have a rubber backing and fibers that are designed to get soaked. It's 2ftx3ft. I think I got it at Target, but you can probably buy from any big box store.
jerzeegirl
15 years ago
I use a cookie sheet. It works pretty well.
annzgw
15 years ago
There may have been moisture within the flooring when you placed the plastic cover over it, so be sure it's thoroughly dry before putting anything on top of the floor.

I think I'd try a large mat as cindy suggested and also switch to a larger, deeper bowl. Your dog may still drip water as he walks away from the bowl, but if it's deeper and wider it's less likely he'll slosh water everywhere!
kim_okla
15 years ago
The boot tray also. (And here I thought I was so smart. LOL)

They still drip all the way out of the kitchen but the tray does catch the splashing.
cat_mom
15 years ago
What I like about the boot tray is the fact that it has a a rim (raised edge) to contain most spills/splashes. Only on very rare occasions do I find that water has gotten underneath the tray.
baerbaer
15 years ago
I have seen those disposable indoor pads for "doggy-can't-wait" that look like a big flat diaper ... absorbent facing up, water-proof plastic on the floor. Maybe something like that??

B