How to Protect a Dog from a Swimming Pool

Swimming lessons can save a dog's life.

Every year, thousands of dogs die from drowning in swimming pools in the USA. There is a common misconception that all dogs can swim, but the truth is that a little swimming training can benefit dogs. Although dogs can get into the water on their own and stay afloat for a while, many of them don't know how to get out. They eventually become too tired to swim and drown. Supervision and a safety fence can also save a dog's life.

Things You'll Need

• Dog life jacket
• Fence or pool cover

Instructions

1. Teach your dog to swim. Gently place it in the water and have someone with a treat stand by the stairs of the swimming pool. The dog will swim toward the stairs and learn how to leave the pool. You can also jump in the water with the dog and guide it toward the stairs. Repeat the lesson at least every week until the dog can get out of the swimming pool by itself. Review the lesson at least twice a year.

2. Supervise the dog at all times when you let it out in the yard. Even if your dog can swim, it can panic if it falls into the pool. It will flop around in the water without being able to find the stairs and eventually drown if nobody comes to its rescue.

3. Put a special pet life jacket on the dog if you have to leave it to play alone in the yard. It will keep the dog afloat until you can pull it out of the water. It will also allow the dog to swim longer in case it goes into panic mode, giving it time to calm down and find the stairs.

4. Put up a fence around the swimming pool to prevent your dog from straying too near the pool and falling in. Otherwise, install a tight-fitting pool cover so your dog can't access the water without your supervision.

Tips & Warnings

• Rinse your dog with fresh water after a session in the swimming pool because pool chemicals can cause skin irritation.

• If your dog seems tired during swimming training, take it out of the water to rest before you continue the lesson.

• If your swimming pool does not have any stairs the dog can use, get special pet ramps or stairs and train your dog to use them.

• Learn the technique of mouth-to-snout resuscitation; it could save your dog's life if you find it unconscious in the swimming pool.

• Dogs can suffer from hypothermia if they stay too long in unheated swimming pools. Hypothermia symptoms include dilated pupils, pale or blue gums, decreased heart and respiratory rate, shivering, stupor or coma. If this happens, wrap your dog in a blanket, lay hot water bottles next to it and bring it to an emergency clinic immediately.

• Don't let young puppies and old dogs play near the swimming pool because they might not have the strength or the skill to swim out of the water if they fall in.

• Dogs with short legs, such as Dachshunds and Chihuahuas, often have difficulties climbing out of swimming pools.

• Dogs with long, heavy coats can't swim as well as dogs with short coats.

References

• WTSP: Preventing Dogs from Drowning
• City of Phoenix: Pet Safety
• San Bernardino County: Keep Your Pets Safe Around Water