Messy mutts drink differently from fastidious felines, says study

As dogs don't have very effective cheek muscles, they cannot suck. So how do they drink? A video study has captured exactly how - and why it's so sloppy

US engineers have worked out what puts the lap into lap dog. The mechanics of a mouthful of water for a mastiff - complete with that telltale slurping noise - have been explained at last.

Whether foxhound or French poodle, it's all a matter of fluid dynamics at high speed.