new to crating....some articles tell you to feed and water inside crate, others advise against it....for soiling reasons....
dog will be crated for upto ?3 hours a day....dont like to see an animal without access to water what do you do???
before anyone gets upset..the dog will be gently introduced to crate and taken from there....if ok to leave loose in kitchen with access to crate then he wont be shut in anyway....but rescue dog and limited history....other then he is used to being left for short periods...

Your dog should have access to water at all times :) So yes there should be a water bowl if he is crated.

yes - your pooch should always have water available to it. :-)

That makes me a very evil mummy then as I always used to give water which they would promptly empty out and make thier beds soaked and then end up laying on wet beds.
Because I always came home to this mess the next few times I peeped back through the window when i left and there they were swishing it out with thier paws within 10 seconds of me leaving.  They thought it was a fantastic game and more fun than thier frozen chicken and rice kongs or other toys.  So in essecence they were waterless even though I had left some for the 1- 4 hours I was out plus they were on wet beds.
So now I don't and they don't rush to the water bowl when i let them out either so mine seem fine as they are, and now get down to the buisness of enjoying thier kongs.

Bev

...Nothing but positives to sensible crating! ;-) I have never put water in crates if they are only to be crated for 3 hours at a time. Obviously one makes sure the crate is positioned in a cool room not in sunlight (even when the sun travels round, and not next to a radiator, but, although the general rule is constant access to water, there is absolutely no harm in them not having a bowl in their crate. As long as they come out and have access immediately, 3 hours is fine.

A water bowl in a crate with a young bored puppy only leads to them chewing it, flipping it over and so on ;-)
Some obviously do reading the thread, no problems, but its perfectly possible and acceptable not to.

Di

great thanks for all the replies...makes interesting reading on differing views....just been out for approx 1 hour at shops....put dog in crate with 2 bonios....came back made no fuss intially though buddy was talking to us from the crate....he then settled and once we had unpacked the shopping...we let him out.....interestingly he hadnt eaten the bonios whilst we were out ...but ate them on our return???
Is that the right thing to do when returning as that is what i have read...hard though when they are calling from the crate!!!

I don't give water in the crate, unless it's an excessively hot day.

Here is an article on crate training you might like: http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/crate-train.pdf

thanks onetwothree i had found that website thanks again...

rather than putting a bowl in, I used a large rabbit water bottle which was introduced when she was a pup and that worked well as there was no way she could spill it.  i also sometimes use a parrot water bowl which sits in a holder that clips onto the side of the cage so she can't tip it out but can still get a drink if she is thirsty.

I put a bowl with about half an inch of water inside the cage on a rubber mat which has a lip all round it. There is enough to drink if he gets thirsty but not so much that it makes a mess if spilt. The mat prevents it spreading to bedding more often than not.

For short periods I don't put water in the crate. 

I didnt put water in my dogs crate but I was told by lots of people I was wrong.  She has a bowl attached to her crate which I bought off ebay, very cheap.  She never spills it and often doesnt drink it, but its there non the less

I've always given my dogs access to water whilst they are crated.  If they don't need it, they don't drink it.

I too used to crate without water for the same reasons as you but she was never crated for more than an hour. I do now however as I found a bolt on to the crate one that is raised from the floor. No spilt water and I feel less guilty leaving her alone.

I take the water away from my boy an hour before he goes in the ring at show, or he just dunks his ear in it! And as he hardly drinks anything when he's out (have to dribble it into his mouth to be sure he gets some liquid if a hot day) I don't think I'm being cruel! They are hardly ever crated at home, but if it's for any length of time I have clip on raised bowls. :-)