Cage - Do I have to put water in the cage for my dog every night?

Do I have to put water in the cage for my dog every night?

I have a 7 month year old Shih Tzu and his cage is rather small. Do I have to put water in his cage for him every night? I'm afraid it'll obstruct his sleeping position or he'll overturn it because his cage is rather small.

Public Comments

yes get a bigger cage
Yes, you have to provide water for your dog AT ALL TIMES. And try to make it so he doesn't need to be in a cage at night forever.
NO! You can go all night with a a drink he can too. I never put water or food in crates.
yes. Get a smaller dish. Dogs need water.
You could try a water bottle (that way it attached to the crate and cant be spilled).
You shouldn't deprive your dog of water for hours, so yes, you hae to put water in the cage every night. Get a bigger cage or one of those little water dishes that clip on the front door of the cage.
bigger cage and water he'll dehydrate if u don't
SO you want to crate him with no water? I don't think that is humane. Either crate him with a small bowl of water or allow him access to water.
No because then he will just drink it out of bordem and pee.... He'll be fine just make sure he gets water first thing in the morning.
Get a big cage and yes water must be put in there all the time to prevent dehydration.
No it's not necessary to put water in a dog's cage with them. They can survive over night without water the same way that we do. If you do you might wake up to more of a mess than it's worth, not only could he spill it but he may drink it all and then urinate in his cage as well. Let him have a little b4 bedtime and take him out so he has an empty bladder for the night. He will be fine.
You should be able to place the dog inside the kennel with enough room to turn around, stand up straight, supply the dog with water, and lay down a soft blanket. If you can not accomplish this with the size of kennel you have consider getting a new one.
Yes, he needs water available at all times. Either buy a weighted bowl or a bigger crate. Sounds like he needs one.
Yes you have to provide water for your dog regularly, you ever wake up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth you want something to drink right. and if the size of the cage is the issue get a better cage.
get a much bigger cage and that should really be obvious and the answer is yes no question about it.
According to most crate training magazines and puppy traning magazines, you should never give a dog food or water at night, because this may lead to their having to go to the bathroom, and messing in their crate which they aren't suppose to do. I never leave water for my pup while she's in the crate she can drink before she goes in and when she comes out but never while in the crate. Hope it helped
No, if you keep him in a crate every night, you don't need to put water in. That might make him have to go potty during the night in his crate, plus it takes up space, as you said. As long as he gets fresh water when he wakes up in the morning, he will be fine.
no, unless you want to have him peeing in his cage or you letting him out every half hour!!!
Yes please
I agree with "no" answer. If dog's in just at night for sleeping purposes, then no, he should be sleeping and if he does drink, can he "hold his pee" for rest of it?
It's a bad idea to put water in his cage. It increases the chances of him having a accident. Increasing the size of his cage will just incourage him to urinate in the corner, which will harm his training.
Get a bigger cage because your dog needs water available to him at all times. Really, you should train him so that he doesn't have to be crated frequently. I just really hate the idea of a dog being crated like that.
Jeez, you buy a dog and then cage him up every night? Seems the least you could do is give him some water. Yeah, you can go all night without any water, but I bet if you wake up and you are thirsty you will have a drink. Why deprive your dog of the same? Poor doggy.
it depends..wot eva u think.if it drinks alot yes u do and may b get a bigga cage but if it dnt drink thet often dnt pt 1 in
As long as dogs have access to water when they are out of their crates, there is no reason to put it in their crate. Just like people, dogs can go for several hours during the day and all night without water. Just make sure they have the opportunity to drink before and after but they do NOT need water IN their crates.
The perfect cage for a puppy alows him to spin in a tight circle and lay down. you shouldn't give your puppy water after seven .. they don't need it and you dont want them peeing in the middle of the night! trust me this works, i did it for my dog when he was a pup
NO!! You do not need to provide water for this dog while he is sleeping at night!
no but its better to put water i have a 5 mo. old palmerian and hes fine with out the water!
NO! Dogs do not need access to water through the night. They are sleeping. In fact, restricting water before bedtime and through the night will help your pup with housebreaking and be able to hold it through the night (not saying you have that problem, but some people might). I have never left water in my dog's crate during the night (or at any other time). She is healthy and happy.
i have three dogs the last time they get water at night is 10 pm and that's even pushing it any later than that my oldest dog has to potty in the middle of the night as long as the dog has water during the day he should be fine the only time the dog needs water all day if hes outside and your dog should be able to stand up in his cage and lay comfortable in it if he cant do that you need to get a bigger cage best of luck with your new baby
I have never given my dog water a night-it would have been impossible to house train him if he were to be drinking all night!
Yes you should, Also get a bigger cage. I always made sure my dog had a full bowl of water at night when she went to bed. Some times it would be almost gone in the morning.
If there isn't room for a tiny dog and a water bowl, then the cage is too small. How small is the cage? How about if I put you in the closet w/o water overnight?