How can I get my puppy to drink water instead of puppy milk?

edgeman_221: How can I get my puppy to drink water instead of puppy milk?
My pitbull puppy is 7 weeks and I can’t get him to drink water. I feed him his puppy chow and give him some water and he wont touch it. Now if I put puppy milk instead; he will drink it up. How can I get him to drink the water instead?

Answers and Views:

Answer by G♥ldenp♥ny
Quit giving him milk…just that simple. Look at it this way….if given the choice of cake or plain bread…it’s how your pup see’s things. If you give it stuff he likes even if it’s not good for him (which by the way, milk isn’t)..then he will pick the milk over the water.

Answer by Dan
Slowly transition him from the milk to the water by adding water to the milk little by little. Start off with mostly milk and little water then gradually build up until it is all water. It will help the puppy get used to the taste.

Answer by Indigo Jones
stop giving him milk he will get thirsty enough and drink water but why is he 7 weeks old he should be sold at 8?

Answer by JillieBean
I’d say your best bet is to do it very gradually:

Start with the full milk, then every day add a little water. As every day passes use more and more water and less and less milk. He will still be getting the milk flavour, which he obviously loves, but will slowly be weaned off it (as well as getting the fluids he needs).

And then, one day, voila! He will be drinking only water and won’t have noticed the gradual changes.

Answer by Ish
I would think your best bet would be to tire him out with exercise, to the point where he is really thirsty. Well, I’m not sure about your area, but I know here in nyc your dog needs to have a rabies vaccine to go outside, and they usually get this at three month. Maybe you could just make him run around your house? and once hes done running around make sure that you have fresh water put out for him. If he still doesnt drink it, you can try to maybe mix some of the puppy milk in with the water, and every time you put more in, add more water, and less puppy milk than last time. For example, if the first day you add 3/4 milk and 1/4 water, the second day add 1/2 milk and 1/2 water, and then on the third day add 1/4 milk and 3/4 water until you’re just giving him water and no milk. If he decides that there is too much water, you can just go back a little higher on the milk concentration, but keep the amount of water the same. For example, if, when you add 1/2 milk and 1/2 water, you puppy doesnt drink it, try adding a little more milk to the same bowl, just a bit, and see if he’ll drink it then. From there just keep reducing

Answer by JRJ4297
First you do understand that he is too young to be taken away from his mother right?
If he were still with his mother he would be drinking very little water and still nursing. He needs his puppy milk right now and it’s normal that he would not be interested in water. Over the next week just dilute the milk more and more with water. Always offer him fresh water but if he doesn’t drink it that is ok.
Ignore the post about tiring him out with exercise. That should not be a concern right now – he is a baby!!!!
You’ll want to google “hand raising puppies” this will give you more info. This puppy needs special care at his age.

Answer by Maggie mae Madison
some puppies nurse 8 weeks. however, id stop the milk the pup will drink as soon as it is thirsty. trust me i have raised puppies a long time.i know you have a heart and feel sorry for him/her the pup will be fine. also, one starts selling them at 8 weeks. i personally would not ween your pup id completely switch as water is now better for him/her. especially for bowel functioning. as well as for their other systems. if it eats food buy some soft tiny treats and reward your pup after it drinks. ice cubes make wonderful treats as well. i knew a lady that gave her dog McDonald’s as she spoiled it. the dog is still eating McDonald’s. another one feeds her dog cheese and lunch meat that dog is 8yrs old. measure it’s water. and ask your vet if you are really worried. ~thank you~maggie mae~

Answer by Korah
give him a little less and less milk every day, when he gets thirsty enough he’ll drink the water