New furry family member

[Rollercoastr]

I actually have pool-related questions, but to be honest I really just want to show off my new pup. Here's Jade as we drive away from the rescue shelter last Friday, which was her 10-month birthday. She looks sad in the pic, but IRL her personality is goofy, charming and happy.

This one captures her better:

She doesn't know what to do with the pool. She's taken a few sips from it, and dipped her paw in once (what I'd pay to have a video of that...!)

This wkd I'm going to take her to a beach to see how she does with swimming. Assuming she likes it and can do it, I want to try her in the pool. Any advice or concerns? I haven't added borates to the water. It's plaster and her nails are rounded anyway. My sand filter is generally oversized for the pool so I think hair won't be a problem.

Any other considerations, aside of course from how beautiful my crazy girl is?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

oh what a sweet girl!! I'm jealous!

Teach her where to get in and out of the pool. Avoid the borates if she's gonna be drinking it. Skimmer sock if you feel hair is becoming an issue.

And have FUN!! My dog won't go near the pool... she's entirely leery of it.

Maddie

 

[kimkats]

DOGGY!!! Oh sweet, cute puppy ears! I knew she was still a pup when I say those ears!

Doggy+pool=fun IF started right! Here comes some ideas:
-PLACE/BED-she needs to be taught to go to her place/bed when told to when she it outside. It could be a real bed or any thing you want to allow her on. The idea is for her to go there when told to. There will be times you don't want her in the pool so if she has a place/bed out there she will be content to settle on it.

-hair nets to the max-she IS going to shed a LOT. The hair nets will catch most of it. Amazon sells food worker hair nets 100 to a box for under $10!!

-a harness for when she is going to be allowed in the pool. She is only allowed in the pool if it is on. This will allow you to grab her and lift her out of the pool if needed. It is also a physical sign to her she can get in the water.

-nails-a drimal tool with a sand paper barrel on it is wonderful for smoothing her nails.

-go slow and easy getting her used to getting into the pool and enjoying it. Small steps if that is what she needs. My 'shep jumps right in so.........it was harder to keep him out!

If you need any tips on how to teach any of the above stuff I can walk you through each one step by step.

Kim

 

[Wobblerlorri]

What a gorgeous GSD!! I love her silver coat!

 

[TwentyYears]

What a great looking dog!

I think most dogs enjoy swimming once they've got it figured out.

Like others have said, you've got to teach them how to get in/out but once they've figured that out, it's hard to keep them out of the pool.

I've got four dogs of various shapes/sizes. All of them can swim and three of them love the pool. The fourth (and smallest) is a Shiba Inu - I took him into the pool with me one time, he swam to the steps, got out, shook off, and gave me the look "Don't you ever do that again!!!" He enjoys playing in water spray so we set him up with a hose/sprayer and he's happy.

After their daily walks they'll go for a swim to cool off and if we're in the pool, they're in the pool. Throw in a few tennis balls and we're good for a Sunday afternoon. Even Shibby (the Shiba Inu) runs around the edge barking and chasing tennis balls. When we're playing fetch in the pool they will jump in from the sides but when they're just going in for a swim they go down the stairs.

The youngest of the four (a Plott hound, about 1 1/2 years old now) will amuse himself by playing in the pool with a tennis ball for hours. He drops it in, goes down the steps, lunges at it, stands on the ledge seat in the shallow end and repeats over and over. The others are quite a bit older and just go in for the random swim every now and then.

The hardest part is keeping them outside the house until they've drip dried or we've toweled them off. We have a dog door so they can come and go into the back yard as they please and every now and then one will go for a swim and come back in dripping wet. We just keep a mop handy. It's like anything else with dogs, they just need training on pool etiquette - like don't swim into/over the other swimmers...

 

[RMcGirr83]

Our JRT (Jack Russell Terrorist) plays "drop the tennis ball in the pool and go get it" dog is constantly in the pool. The doberman on the other hand wants absolutely nothing to do with it. He'd rather run around barking at buzzards that 120 feet in the air.

 

[Rollercoastr]

DOGGY!!! Oh sweet, cute puppy ears! I knew she was still a pup when I say those ears!

The tips of her ears bounce as she walks. That whole thing about dog owners living longer? They must've studied people who watched the tips of a GSD's ears bounce as they walk!

-hair nets to the max-she IS going to shed a LOT. The hair nets will catch most of it. Amazon sells food worker hair nets 100 to a box for under $10!!

How is this used? Do I wrap the skimmer basket with a hair net?

-a harness for when she is going to be allowed in the pool. She is only allowed in the pool if it is on. This will allow you to grab her and lift her out of the pool if needed. It is also a physical sign to her she can get in the water.

-nails-a dremel tool with a sand paper barrel on it is wonderful for smoothing her nails.

Her life preserver came yesterday. We got it for our wkd at the boat/marina that will be starting this afternoon. It has a big handle though, so I'm sure it will come in handy in the pool - at least until we figure things out.

The vet had the same advice about her nails. Those clippers give me the chills, so I'm down with that.

Two other big challenges are:

- the lack of steps in the pool. She'll have to jump in and be lifted out, unless I can find some sort of ramp or steps.

- the shake. I might hang some towels from the cabinet doors next to the pool and just let her do her thing there. In its 47 years, the surfaces of pool room have been wet before!

 

[Rollercoastr]

The hardest part is keeping them outside the house until they've drip dried or we've toweled them off. We have a dog door so they can come and go into the back yard as they please and every now and then one will go for a swim and come back in dripping wet.

Oh boy. My pool is in my living room! Over the winter, a visiting Malamute stepped onto the cover and took a ride across the middle of the pool with a very confused look on her face. "Why are Uncle Rollercoastr's floors so squishy?" By the time she stepped out on the other side, her coat was holding I dunno... 177 gallons of water? I was ready with a towel and it wasn't too bad. We'll just need a solid routine - no running through the house wet!

 

[kimkats]

Hair net in skimmer-you will "line" the basket with the hair net. Some people put a rock or something inside it to keep it from floating up when the pump is off. Just make sure it is too big to go down the pipe in the off chance someone dumps the rock out inside the skimmer.

Dog out of the pool-how do YOU get out of the pool? I have a couple of ideas but need some background on what you have already in the pool.

LOL I can just see the look on the Mal's face!!

Kim

 

[Rollercoastr]

Ah, ok - the hair net sounds simple enough!

I climb up the ladder from the deep end because it's near a scupper and the towel rack. Many if not most of my guests just hoist themselves out at the shallow end.

 

[kimkats]

Got it! So here is some ideas I found: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=diy+dog+pool+ramp

I see some that would be easy to make and use!! Which one do you like?

Kim

 

[Arizonarob]

I’m throwing a flag on the play! After careful review of the play, player has been discovered “juicing” during the game, resulting in an immediate suspension.


Also, only officially licensed plastic drink devices allowed on field, 10 yard penalty, first down!!

 

[Texas Splash]

Gorgeous! We have 6 rescues. Each with their own quirky personality, but we love them all.

Here is our big boy Jerry Lee....

 

[Casey]

Rescues are the best! Here is my rescue from last year. His name is Kujo. He just turned 7 and is amazing with my granddaughter. He was very upset and grief stricken when I got him due to his last owner's death. I gave him a lot of space and 2 1/2 months later, he came around.

 

[Rollercoastr]

Also, only officially licensed plastic drink devices allowed on field, 10 yard penalty, first down!!

It’s a GoVino! Officially authorized plastic drink ware for swimming/drinking enthusiasts.

 

[AndyTN]

Also make sure you have a plan for bathroom breaks for the dogs. My Lab gets so excited when she gets to swim in the pool that she has had poop accidents on the pool deck. Our rule now is that she gets to jump in three times and then is sent outside the fence to go to her designated bathroom area. We also usually don't let her swim after she has pooped unless we are done swimming for the day just in case she steps in anything.