Do you have a dog that is scared of your pool? A dog that won’t play with your kids when they are in the pool area. You may ask should dogs be allowed in swimming pools? Have you considered that with the right training your dog could have fun in the pool with the whole family?
Dogs are a great family pet and there is no reason why your dog can’t be allowed in the pool with the kids for a quick swim. Swimming pool water is virtually neutral and far less salty and alkaline than seawater so it won’t harm you dog. With a properly sanitized pool and a dog that is clean and vaccinated there is no health risk to your family. It’s only a matter of training your dog with the right training methods to teach it how to behave in the pool area.
Table of Contents
Should Dogs be Allowed in Swimming Pools?
As a swimming pool is a sanitized environment it is generally accepted that dogs should be allowed in the swimming pool. A dog can join the kids and go for a swim in the pool. As long as your filter and chlorinator are working normally the dog cannot do any harm to the pool water.
However, there are a few things to consider:
- Provide a bowl of fresh water for your dog to drink and discourage your dog from drinking the pool water. Pool water contains salt, chlorine, stabilizer and maybe algaecide which is not good for an animal or human to drink. However, pool water will not harm your dog if only a small amount is ingested.
- Wash your dog with fresh water after swimming to remove pool water from its fur.
- If you have put any kind of parasite control on your dog swimming may dilute its effect so you will need to reapply the control.
- Don’t let your dog swim if it has any sort of skin condition as it may become worse.
- If your dog swims in the pool regularly you may want to shock the pool more frequently to protect your family with extra sanitization.
- You may find you are getting dog fur in the skimmer basket and filter which needs to be removed.
Most pool owners do not report any problems with allowing their dog into the pool.
Can Pool Water Hurt My Dog?
No, pool water cannot harm your dog. Water that is correctly balanced and sanitized with chlorine is safe for pets. The pH is almost neutral and the salinity of pool water is slightly less than the tears in the human eye. Also, pool water is more neutral pH and lower salinity than seawater and many people let their dog swim in the beach. In fact dogs should enter a swimming pool because the salt water has health benefits for your dog.
I recommend to wash your dog with fresh water after swimming in the pool to remove any chlorine or salt from your pet’s fur.
Can Puppies go in Swimming Pools?
Yes, puppies can swim in your pool. However, they don’t know how to swim and you will need to treat them like a small child. Never let a puppy swim unsupervised and never make it enter a pool if it doesn’t want to go in the water.
Can Dogs Drown in a Pool?
Yes, dogs that have not been taught to swim or are very young can drown in a pool. Don’t assume that your dog will just swim to the steps and walk out of the pool. If your dog has never been in the pool it may panic and exhaust itself trying to get out.
If you have pets you really need a proper pool fence to prevent them entering the pool without you being present.
Why is my Dog afraid of Water?
Most dogs are not naturally good swimmers and are afraid of water. It depends on the breed of dog but many small dogs do not like water. Larger dogs tend to be less afraid but still need to learn how to swim and exit the pool.
If a dog has not been in the water before or has only been in water because it fell in or was introduced to water by its owner the dog will be hesitant to jump in.
Never try to make a dog do something that it’s not comfortable doing. Never throw the dog in water and make it swim. Even though dogs should be allowed in the swimming pool they require the right sort of training to introduce them to water.
You may want to buy a dog life jacket for your dog to make swimming safer.
Pet Safety Around Pools
Most jurisdictions now require pool owners to fully fence a swimming pool to prevent children from entering the pool area and drowning. This fencing requirement will also protect your dog or puppy from drowning. However, your cat can easily jump a pool fence so will still be able to access the pool area. However, I have never heard of a cat drowning in a pool as most cats don’t like water and stay away from pools.
You will need to ensure your dog cannot dig a hole under the pool fence or squeeze between any gap between the fence and ground. It’s also a good idea to not leave tables, chairs or other outdoor furniture next to a pool fence as children and dogs can use them to climb or jump the fence.
Don’t leave any floating pool toys in the pool as this will tempt a child or dog to try to jump in and play or retrieve them.
The best defense against children or dogs trying to enter the pool is to install a child-proof pool cover. These covers are flexible but strong enough to take the load of a person and prevent them entering the water.
Pool Alarms
There are alarms on dog collars that activate when the dog jumps in the pool and the collar gets wet. This can be useful when you are at home but it is far better to restrict access to the pool.
Please read our article on The Best Swimming Pool Alarms to Save Lives
Splash alarms
Pets and children can scale pool fences and drown in a pool. It’s less common but you still hear about it in the news.
There are splash alarms that activate when the pool surface is disturbed by someone or something entering the pool water. These alarms can be useful as they complement pool fencing to provide total safety and security to accessing your pool.
Again this is really only useful when you are at home and can hear the alarm.
Train Your Dog to Like the Pool
If you have decided to allow your dog in the pool you will want to introduce your dog to the pool so that it will not be afraid of the water. You need to train the dog. Take the training slowly at your dog’s pace. Each step of the training may take several attempts to get it right.
Try these training steps:
- Bring your dog into the pool area and get it comfortable with the surroundings. You may want to do this over several days to make the dog comfortable being near the pool.
- Show your dog there is water in the pool by splashing the water and dipping the dogs paw into the water. Get into the pool yourself and show the dog you are wet and the water is deep. Get in and out of the pool, using the steps, making sure the dog is watching you. Again, you may have to repeat this process several times until the dog is comfortable with you in the pool area.
- Show you dog where the steps are located. Entice your dog onto the first step in the water. Repeat this several times.
- Get in the pool and entice your dog to enter the pool using the steps. This may be difficult but keep encouraging your dog.
- Once your dog has entered the water lead it to the shallow end and keep holding the dog up so it doesn’t sink. Repeat this several times.
As you can imagine it’s a process of gradual introduction to the pool. Gradually encourage your pet to try the water but never force it into the pool. Your dog must learn to use the steps to exit the water. Don’t let your dog claw its way out of the side of the pool in a panic.
Should Dogs be Allowed in Swimming Pools Without Training?
No. I strongly believe if you want to allow dogs in the swimming pool you should train the dogs first.
Teach your dog to like swimming by gradually introducing your pet to the pool and letting your pet become comfortable around the pool.
Once you have reached the point where your dog enters the water you will want to assist your dog. Hold up the dog and move him through the water.
Put a dog life jacket on your dog to provide unassisted floatation while he learns to paddle about in the pool.
Later when your dog is confident with swimming try it without the doggy life jacket.
Use a floating toy to teach your dog to fetch and return to you.
Final Thoughts
The decision was simple as to whether should dogs be allowed in swimming pools. Your dog is part of the family so why wouldn’t you take it into the pool area and enjoy some summer fun with the kids. The dog doesn’t have to enter the water to have fun with the family. However, the pool water is neutral, sanitized and filtered so it’s safe for everyone including your pets.
However, like small children never force a dog into the pool if it doesn’t want to go there. And when in the pool keep an eye on your dog for safety reasons.
