Why Our Dog Only Drinks Filtered Water!

Meet Huli, chief expert in heavy metals and chlorine detection!

Before we installed our Bright Water Filter, our pet dog would much prefer to drink rainwater in the garden instead of tap water, and wherever it may have pooled. For example, inside drain covers and plant pots. I don’t know how many of you also have had this problem, but it made us start to wonder what the issue with the water from our taps might be.

Moreover, dogs have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell and taste, which allows them to detect chemicals like chlorine and heavy metals in water. Here’s how:

🐶 1. Superpowered Sense of Smell

• Dogs have up to 300 million olfactory receptors (compared to about 5-6 million in humans).
• Chlorine and heavy metals release trace odors that dogs can pick up, even at extremely low concentrations.
• If water smells “off” due to chlorine, lead, or copper, dogs may instinctively avoid drinking it.

💧 2. Unique Taste Sensitivity

• While dogs have fewer taste buds than humans (about 1,700 vs. our 9,000), they are more sensitive to bitter and metallic flavours.
• Heavy metals like lead, copper, and mercury can give water a slightly bitter or metallic taste that dogs dislike.
• Chlorine, commonly used in tap water, has a strong chemical taste that some dogs find unappealing.

⚠️ 3. Instinct for Survival

• In the wild, animals rely on their senses to avoid contaminated water that could make them sick.
• If a dog refuses tap water but prefers filtered or spring water, it might be detecting subtle chemical differences that humans can’t perceive.

✅ What Can You Do?

Observe their behavior—if your dog avoids tap water but drinks filtered water, they might be onto something!

Use a water filter to remove chlorine and heavy metals.