Although there is more and more research on the physiological and psychological characteristics of the dog, the truth is that there are very few studies that have been carried out on the mechanism they use to drink. Recently, a study carried out by Virginia State University (known as Virginia Tech) has delved into this subject, obtaining the most interesting conclusions.
For this project, the scientists analyzed the way of drinking 19 dogs of different sizes and breeds. Thirteen of which were filmed in their own homes in the Blacksburg (Virginia) area, while the remaining six were filmed on the university campus. Through the images obtained, the scientists carefully studied the movements that the dogs made when they brought the water to their mouths.
They saw how, after dipping their tongue in the water, they quickly retract it upwards, forming a small waterfall towards their mouth. Some of the liquid remains in the lower part of the tongue, with which they form a small "spoon". But to capture the escaping water, the dogs make a "bite" movement down, and then open the mouth again and repeat the process.
«First of all, the dogs perform a very accelerated movement of the tongue to create a waterfall; then, it bends inward to increase the inflow of water that falls; finally, the dogs bite just at the moment that this cascade occurs ”. This is how Sungwan Jung, associate professor of biomedical and mechanical engineering at Virgina Tech and coordinator of the project, describes it.
And it is that by not having the ability to suck through the cheeks like human beings, dogs have to use the tongue to absorb the liquid. The same happens with cats, although the latter manage to adhere the water to their tongues, which do not submerge completely. "Before doing this study, we believed that both drank in the same way," admits Jung.