# Dog Water (DD-551)

> Dogs can't seal their cheeks to suck, so they curl the tongue tip backward into a ladle, plunge it into the water and pull it out fast, drawing up a column of water by inertia. They close their jaws on the column before it falls, lapping several times per second. High-speed video studies, such as a 2015 PNAS paper, showed this. The footage, credited to eurekahnb, shows a dog drinking in slow motion.

- Department: Nature
- First published: 2025-04-22
- Last updated: 2025-04-22
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/dog-water/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## Quick facts

- **DD-551-F01**: Curled backward. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Tongue))_
- **DD-551-F02**: Inertia. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (Lift))_

## Write-up

Dogs curl their tongues backward to lap water. They bite the rising column before it falls.

1. **Tongue**: Curled backward.
2. **Lift**: Inertia.
3. **Catch**: Jaws snap shut.
4. **Rate**: Several laps per second.
5. **Evidence**: High-speed video.

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: None needed.

## Video: Dog Water: Dogs Curl Their Tongues Backward to Lap Water

- Duration: 27.6 s · Published: 2025-04-22
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DIwVoGhRggN.mp4

### Transcript

Did you know? Dogs drink water by curling their tongues backward to rapidly scoop liquid into their mouths. Unlike humans who use suction, dogs plunge their tongues into the water and quickly retract them, creating a column of water that rises due to inertia. They then snap their jaws shut around that column before gravity pulls it back down. This motion happens incredibly fast, up to four times per second, and relies on precise timing and coordination. High-speed video analysis has shown that the curved, ladle-like tongue shape is key to capturing enough water with each lap. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: Tongue curls?**  
A: Ladle. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Tongue) · PNAS: Dogs lap using acceleration-driven open pumping (2015))_

**Q: Column rises by?**  
A: Speed. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Lift) · PNAS: Dogs lap using acceleration-driven open pumping (2015))_

**Q: Then they?**  
A: Catch. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Catch) · PNAS: Dogs lap using acceleration-driven open pumping (2015))_

**Q: Laps per second?**  
A: Fast. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Rate) · PNAS: Dogs lap using acceleration-driven open pumping (2015))_

**Q: Studied with?**  
A: Slow motion. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Evidence) · PNAS: Dogs lap using acceleration-driven open pumping (2015))_

## Sources

- [PNAS: Dogs lap using acceleration-driven open pumping (2015)](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1514842112)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Dog Water." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-551, last updated Apr 22, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/dog-water/