New Puppy and Pool

[cdchris1]

We recently got a new pomsky puppy and this is our first time with a new puppy and a pool. We are planning on opening is a few weeks and I was just wondering if anyone has any tips or advice on training/keeping her safe around the pool. If puddles (and her water dish) are any indication, she will not be afraid of the water. We have an autocover and plan on being out there with her when it is open. We were thinking of a doggie life vest until we are comfortable with her being in the water and knowing how to get out. Any experience or suggestions? TIA!

 

[Texas Splash]

The two Ps! Puppy's and pools! It doesn't get much better than that. The good news - you have fiberglass so no worries about tears from sharp nails. That was one of our concerns with six dogs. Your pool has steps right? Each and every time you take that baby to the water, always use the stairs and train her to exit using those stairs. She should develop a memory to that area. Later you can all jump in together.

At the same time, dogs are like small children. Sometimes thy have accidents or forget. We have a fence around our pool do that our dogs can't get to it on their own when we're not around. You just never know if they will get carried-away playing or chasing something, hit the water, and panic. So only let her have access when you want her to.

So train her to use the stairs, but also have a way to separate her from the pool when you're not around. Congrats on the two Ps!

 

[Neemer]

Cute pupper! We have Shelties and Labs. I agree with Splash’s post above. I can tell you from experience you won’t have to teach the pup how to swim, so save your $$$ on a life vest. Just show her where and how to get out a few times.

We brought home two shelties last summer to keep for about a week until their new owner came to pick them up. They were somewhere around six months old and had never seen a pool or a body of water large enough to swim. They were chasing each other along the edge of the pool and then tried to extend the chase into the water having no idea what it was. They appeared startled by this sudden change in environment, but each began swimming towards me standing at the shallow end of the pool like they had been doing it their whole lives. Our labs entertain themselves in the pool like kids.

 

[markayash]

I have heard put a marker by the stairs so they can get out if they fall or jump in with nobody around

Our older chihuahua was 90% blind and I had to rescue her out of the pool a few times. One time she was going under and back up but luckily I saw her and grabbed her in time, I heard her making noise

 

[kimkats]

Don't count on him being able to swim...................my bull dog could barely keep his head out of the water. No matter how hard he doggy paddled he butt sunk down and he was like a cork bobbing up and down.

What you can do to teach him where the out is is for some one take him into the pool and point him towards the out while the person over there is calling him with a fav treat to get him heading that way. Once he swims over and gets out on his own with you pointing him at the out then you turn him around facing the other way and do it all over again. Then you get "mean" and throw him in as if he fell in so he knows how it feels and if he does freak out you will be right there to help him. Do that until he does not have a problem with getting to the out.

NOW if he is like my bull dog and can barely able to swim then find a way to keep him away from the pool to be on the safe side!

Kim

 

[Holydoc]

Kimkats basically followed the same technique we used with our Golden Retriever puppy. I took her into the pool with me and carried her to one side of the pool. I then let her start swimming while I moved to the exit stairs in the pool. She swam towards me until her feet hit the stairs and she came right out. I continued this until she knew to beeline it directly to the stairs when she wanted out no matter which way she was pointing when I let her go. Then finally I placed her in the deep in without me and watched as she easily swam to the stairs and out.

I did all of this with a long lead on her just in case things went wrong and I needed to pull her out in a hurry. Nothing ever did go wrong, but I wanted to make sure she was safe and confident. Now she comes and goes into the pool as she pleases and I never worry about her.

 

[mguzzy]

My two dogs, (Blue Heeler and a Chug) think the pool is their personal water bowls. They only venture on to the first step to cool their taters, but beyond that.. they prefer to bark at the bathers doing canon balls from the waterfall rocks.

On a practical note they were taught where the stairs are so if they fall in, and it happens occasionally they know where to go.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

We didn't want a fence. We currently watch them when they go out. In the spring, we are going to teach all of them to swim the same way we were taught as kids. We are going to toss them in and help them if they have issues. (We started last year but our pool was completed late in the season.)

I would recommend with a young, healthy pup, to teach them how to swim. If the dog doesn't like it (and some don't) they will learn to avoid the pool very fast too. My real only other concern is solar covers with the dogs, when you have one on, watch them when they go out. My wife's Springer Spaniel has earned a nickname in the household that could be offensive to certain religious Christians so I won't say it directly, but she's fallen in several times because she thinks she can walk on water. Luckily the Australian Shepard throws a fit and tried to pull her out, so we have the built in alarm system for that at present.

And yes, my dogs (or at least the younger two of the three) perfer the outdoor water bowl to the indoor bowls.. so that is why I have shied away from borates at this time, though I think the actual risk is low.

Your dog will probably love the pool and be perfectly fine.

 

[Casey]

I have a new pup too. He is an 8 1/2 month old German Shepherd named Cecil. We got him last October. I'll be introducing him to the pool if I ever get it open and teaching him how to use the steps to get out. I'm hoping he loves the watering hole to blow off some of his orneriness. He is a pistol!

 

[kimkats]

Casey, make him a ramp to get out with! When it is not in use you can flip it over onto the deck. There are several different ways to make it.

How much does he weigh now? He looks BIG!

 

[Casey]

I'm not messing around with a ramp. He can use the steps. He's probably 100lbs now. He likes to eat.

 

[lager1829]

Doggie life vest - RUFFWEAR we found to be the best. Here's our Golden Retriever tripod Kylee with her vest. Our oldest GR, Zeke wears one too as he gets tired after swimming a lot. They just love the pool. We put the nylon skimmer socks in the skimmer baskets to give the filter a break from the dog hair! We have three Goldens and found that six Goldens is the limit for a puppy pool party - after an hour or so it looks like you can walk across the pool on the dog hair

 

[jimim]

Don't count on him being able to swim...................my bull dog could barely keep his head out of the water. No matter how hard he doggy paddled he butt sunk down and he was like a cork bobbing up and down.

What you can do to teach him where the out is is for some one take him into the pool and point him towards the out while the person over there is calling him with a fav treat to get him heading that way. Once he swims over and gets out on his own with you pointing him at the out then you turn him around facing the other way and do it all over again. Then you get "mean" and throw him in as if he fell in so he knows how it feels and if he does freak out you will be right there to help him. Do that until he does not have a problem with getting to the out.

NOW if he is like my bull dog and can barely able to swim then find a way to keep him away from the pool to be on the safe side!

Kim

I love bull dogs. I just had a patient who has two females. Awesome dogs. She was telling me bull dogs can’t really swim cause of thier head size and shoulder size. She pretty much said their head and shoulders make them an anchor. They go down head first. Lol. Regardless they r the most awesome dogs I ever met. Man they shed! I wouldn’t think they would woth such short hair.