this will be our first summer in our new house that came with an inground swimming pool (woo-hoo!! ). we have a dog. i'm wondering if he'll want to drink the [chlorinated] pool water on a continual basis, and if so, will it hurt him?

does anyone else have a pool and a dog??? do they tend to drink out of them? seems like all those chemicals would hurt them, if they drank a lot...??

also, any harm in him swimming in it? i suppose the chlorine might dry his skin out & make him itchy?

P.S. he's a schnotty (1/2 schnauzer, 1/2 scottie).

thanks!

 

Has he been in a pool before? Maybe he'll be scared of the water. But, in any case...I don't have a dog but he should be safe swimming the pool water. It's clean right? Just rinse him off with fresh water afterwards.

Do you give your dog filtered water? If so I would suggest not encouraging your dog to drink the pool water though a little (by accident) I'm sure is safe. How much chemicals do you put in the pool? If you just put in chlorine make sure he's not around b/c the chlorine level will be way high. Keep his bowl of fresh water outside and he may learn to want to drink that better than the pool water.

My boyfriend had a pool and bull dogs and they would go in the pool all the time but they didn't "hang out" in the pool like us humans. They did drink the water here and there b/c they were thirsty but they're ok. I didn't like the idea b/c I personally wouldn't drink the water myself so...

Is your dog an outdoor dog?

Just had to put in my 2 cents.

Happy swimming!

 

he's never been in a pool.

of course i don't give him filtered water!? helloo???

don't know about all the different chemicals (first summer...first pool).

i'm sure the water is unsafe right after we "shock" it, but i'm really more concerned with just the everyday normal-chlorine-level water.

we bring him in at night, but he'll be outside all day long (alone, during the week).

 

the pool water will not hurt them, they drink from the toilet, for #^@$T& sake, I have 2 goldens and they drink a lot of pool water, especially when they swim with toys, balls in the mouths, I do notice they have to pee a lot more after swimming, dont go for a swim and then leave for most of the day where your little buddy cant get out to go pottie, I have heard plenty about the chloreen drying out their skins and all that jazz, nothing has happened to mine in 7 years, they only get to swim in the summer and I never notice a change from sum to winter, I let them swim as a treat and not every other day like I swim, they usually swim and then get a bath right after wards to keep smelling fresh

p.s. since he has never been in the pool, just dont toss em in, you get in and see if he will walk in from the steps, make sure you are in the water, just in case, its easier to let them figure it out on their own, most importantly is to show them where the steps are so the can get out, DO NOT help them by supporting them from the belly, if you are worried, buy a doggie flotation device. If you try to hold them up they will just turn around and cling to you and forget about swimming

 

i'm assuming the chlorine level in swimming pool water is far higher than in the public water system, right?? that's why i'm asking. thanks for the info though. if i have to rinse him off with fresh water after every dip, though, his swim sessions will be far & few between.

we're having the pool opened on the 26th and i'm just getting my pre-worrying out of the way. trying to predict any problems. like what if the dog gets in the pool. will he be able to get to the built in steps & get out? or will he just swim until he can't anymore and then..... he's already discovered he can walk out a few feet on our winter mesh cover & his body weight makes the cover drop just enough into the water that he can lick up some icky winter water now! so i know he's curious about it. sounds like he'll be fine though.

 

I would definitely limit the amount of the pool water he actually *drinks* as chlorine is a chemical, and can cause some stomache upset in sensitive animals. As for the swimming in it, just be sure to rinse him off well with the hose as suggested.

I have never had a dog who had trouble getting out of the pool if there are standard regular stair type steps, however, if there are not in your pool, you may want to rig up a way for him to get a good grip on the side to be able to pull himself out.

I also would suggest really discouraging him from walking out on the winter cover, as it can easily be damaged, and they are not cheap to replace.

HTH

 

Watch your dog with the first encounter with the pool to ensure that it knows how to swim.

 

yes, we have the regular built-in steps in the shallow end, and then the ladder thing in the deep end. i'm planning on showing him the steps, maybe sitting him down on the top one or something.

and believe me, whenever i've seen him on the cover, i've hollered at him & he knows he's in trouble. one time i caught him right as he was taking his first step. but then later, i could tell from the wet spots on the outer parts of the cover that he'd been back out there. he has perfectly fresh water in a bowl, so there's no reason he should be wanting to do that, other than he probably thinks it's fun to get his paws wet. dogs

thanks for the info!

 

Yup...if I was a dog, I'd be curious...and nosy and want to do things and have fun like you said. I mean there's only so much you can do outside (as a dog) right? You know dogs think like humans at times...they test you and see what they can get away with and when you're not looking...they try it anyway! Then, they hear a holler and think "whoops"...!

 

Well it never hurt my dog when I was growig up and lord knows, we both lived in the pool during the summertime.

I suppose it's different for every dog tho.