Keeping Dog out of Pool

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bigkevj

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Jul 21, 2016
54
Salina, KS
I just moved to a house with an inground pool/spa. Picture is below if it helps. We have a lab. I dont mind her getting in during the summertime, and I have been working with her a bit to train her to not get in unless we invite her. With that said, we are not there yet. My concern is when it freezes over in the wintertime...don't want her on the ice as that might be an issue if it cracks. I would like her to be able to stay outside...we are tired of taking her out on a leash when she needs to pee. What options do I have? I would prefer not to put a fence around the pool, as I dont like the look of that. I have looked at a mesh fence type of deal that can be removed and thought of putting that from our back door across to the wood fence....but I definitely don't want to drill a hole in the cool deck so that makes it tough. I know, Im asking a lot....


 
Having lost a dear sweet old Pekingese that fell in and got trapped under the solar cover, I will NEVER let my dogs or my children around the pool unattended. I have a picket fence that seperates our play yard from the pool and garden. It is about belt buckle height, neither my Border Collie nor my St Bernard can get over or under it.

The only way you could train your lab to not go into the pool is to teach the dog that bad things happen near the pool, which would then prevent him from wanting to go into it with you.
 
bigkevj said:
I just moved to a house with an inground pool/spa. Picture is below if it helps. We have a lab. I dont mind her getting in during the summertime, and I have been working with her a bit to train her to not get in unless we invite her. With that said, we are not there yet. My concern is when it freezes over in the wintertime...don't want her on the ice as that might be an issue if it cracks. I would like her to be able to stay outside...we are tired of taking her out on a leash when she needs to pee. What options do I have? I would prefer not to put a fence around the pool, as I dont like the look of that. I have looked at a mesh fence type of deal that can be removed and thought of putting that from our back door across to the wood fence....but I definitely don't want to drill a hole in the cool deck so that makes it tough. I know, Im asking a lot....
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We have two swimming dogs. We use welded wire fencing to block off pool access in the winter fastened (with zip ties) to temporary fence posts that we can pound into the lawn with a mallet. we run the fencing over our concrete deck and move planters there as an added barrier and zip-tie the end to the gutters (not for support, just to seal the gap).

HDX 5 ft. x 50 ft. 14-Gauge Galvanized Steel Welded Wire-308303HD - The Home Depot

Not the prettiest of solutions but gets the job done.
 
No matter what training you do unless you're standing there the dog will always be tempted to wander and it will always be a danger.
And I only say unless you're standing there because if your dog is anything like mine, even when you are standing they you'll still need to yell a correction once in a while ;)

You could do invisible fence with an electronic collar. Professional install or DIY. - - > Google
 
Safety cover is the answer. The pool is done when it is closed and nothing gets in. You're going to want to cover it anyway to keep leaves out.
 

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ITR said:
That certainly wouldn't do anything for the German Shepards I grew up with. They would jump right over it! :)

Btw, nice nighttime picture of Spaceship Earth as your avatar!

JB


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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lol yea, I meant as more of a training mechanism - god knows dogs will run right through invisible fences too

and thank you, I'm a pool addict and a Disney addict

A safety cover would be expensive for that style of pool, but what is your dog's life worth?
 
The warmer the weather, the more my Labrador swims on her own. This time of year, she plops in and sits on the sun shelf nearly every single day. In February, she won't get in unless one of the kids throws a tennis ball into the middle of the pool. Maybe you'll get lucky and find that your Lab won't want to get into the cold* weather like mine.

*I realize that Labrador Retrievers were originally bred to retrieve ducks from the icy waters off Nova Scotia, so "cold" is a relative term....especially when comparing northern Canada to Houston. Maybe my baby is too coddled...
 
How did the previous owner close for winter? Tarp? Guess I'm kinda surprised it was built that way without a custom winter cover since it was obviously a beautiful build, as its a liability for anyone in the yard under a heavy snow -- but maybe I'm just ignorant of your clime in your location. Do you get much snow?

The grommets for a safety cover aren't really that noticeable and just screw down into the recessed sleeve in the summer. In Michigan, they're just kinda a fact of life with an inground pool and worth the peace of mind for humans too ;) You might wish to reconsider.
 
Tough post. It is National Dog Day. My doggies are sad.
 
kellyfair said:
I have a greyhound rescue group, and we have unfortunately experienced a couple of dogs drowning while out by the pool unsupervised. I would fence the pool.

It's Swimming Season - Is Your Pool Safe for Summer? | DCS Pool Barriers
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That is incredibly sad. A friend of mine has rescued a couple of greyhounds over the years. I know they can be special dogs, not liking to walk on grass and things like that. I can imagine falling in a pool must scare the heck out of the poor animals.

Labs I would think would have no problem getting in and out of the pool, if there are steps available. But if you wanted to do a pool fence, I just installed a fence from diypoolfence.com and I'm happy with it for keeping out toddler out of the pool. If your concern is mostly during the winter with it freezing over, I'd get just cover it with a normal winter cover. It'll keep the dogs from getting in, and keep leaves out.
 
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