Dogs in the pool

jesstat · 05-19-2011, 02:46 PM

Quick question for any pool owners: Do you find that your doodle is ok with chlorine in the pool? Our breeder recommended a salt generator because it is more gentle, but I don't think we can afford one right now, maybe next summer. This will be Diego's first summer with us and we definitely want to let him swim, I just want to make sure he is safe. I guess if it's ok for us, it should be ok for them, right? As long as he's not spending hours in there.

Another related question: Has anyone had luck with training your dog to "ask" to go in the pool? I just don't want him jumping in all the time and risking him tearing the liner or hurting himself if we're not out there with him. I also don't want a soaking wet dog in my bedroom at night.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

**lindamarie** · 05-21-2011, 12:48 PM

Sorry, I can't help much here. I had a pool years ago that was fenced within a fenced in yard.
We had a Bouvier at the time, but he always hung out in the main yard, not in the pool.
I have seen dogs in pools, I believe, right here at this forum!
Not sure what the chlorine could do beside maybe give the doodle red eyes and most likely lighten the color of his coat.

It's an absolute MUST that Diego be trained to only go into the pool when asked.
Do you have a trainer? Since this hasn't been something we've had to deal with, I don't have an absolute answer.
My guess is it may be difficult because I don't know how you'd do an immediate correction if he decides to just jump in.
Perhaps you could have someone in the pool ready to say NO and lift him out immediately.

Then, use a new command such as POOL to allow him in. But, he must know when he can and can't.
I look forward to how you handle this. It really would be a neat thing to do and have under control for when he can and can't.

Labralover · 07-05-2011, 06:39 PM

The Chlorine has minimal affects on the dog much like it does humans. It may dry their coat out a little, but other than that I wouldn't expect much irritation. We have more experience with above ground pools, and Ace gets in all the time (but only when asked as mentioned above). I would say that dogs are just as susceptible to injury from a pool as young children. I would take the same kind of precautions!

daking · 07-06-2011, 05:19 PM

Winston was in it, not on purpose. The Kreepy came to the surface when he was smelling the water (not drinking). The kreepy bubbled up and Winston did a bunny hop right in to the middle. He swam directly to the stairs. I would be more concerned with scratching the liner. My issue that I found was his legs are so long I thought he would hit the bottom of the shallow end and tear it up. Thankfully He was about 5 inchs above. There have been times where I put him in for 10 seconds to cool him off. So far no issues, but I only use minimal chlorine.

05-19-2011, 02:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
jesstat Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Shrewsbury, MA Posts: 39	Dogs in the pool Quick question for any pool owners: Do you find that your doodle is ok with chlorine in the pool? Our breeder recommended a salt generator because it is more gentle, but I don't think we can afford one right now, maybe next summer. This will be Diego's first summer with us and we definitely want to let him swim, I just want to make sure he is safe. I guess if it's ok for us, it should be ok for them, right? As long as he's not spending hours in there. Another related question: Has anyone had luck with training your dog to "ask" to go in the pool? I just don't want him jumping in all the time and risking him tearing the liner or hurting himself if we're not out there with him. I also don't want a soaking wet dog in my bedroom at night. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

05-21-2011, 12:48 PM	#2 (permalink)
lindamarie Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Birmingham, Michigan Posts: 6,171	Sorry, I can't help much here. I had a pool years ago that was fenced within a fenced in yard. We had a Bouvier at the time, but he always hung out in the main yard, not in the pool. I have seen dogs in pools, I believe, right here at this forum! Not sure what the chlorine could do beside maybe give the doodle red eyes and most likely lighten the color of his coat. It's an absolute MUST that Diego be trained to only go into the pool when asked. Do you have a trainer? Since this hasn't been something we've had to deal with, I don't have an absolute answer. My guess is it may be difficult because I don't know how you'd do an immediate correction if he decides to just jump in. Perhaps you could have someone in the pool ready to say NO and lift him out immediately. Then, use a new command such as POOL to allow him in. But, he must know when he can and can't. I look forward to how you handle this. It really would be a neat thing to do and have under control for when he can and can't. __________________ Linda & Bogart Dogs=Unconditional love "We have it all! Just like Bogie & Bacall!"

07-05-2011, 06:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
Labralover Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 5	The Chlorine has minimal affects on the dog much like it does humans. It may dry their coat out a little, but other than that I wouldn't expect much irritation. We have more experience with above ground pools, and Ace gets in all the time (but only when asked as mentioned above). I would say that dogs are just as susceptible to injury from a pool as young children. I would take the same kind of precautions! Last edited by Labralover; 07-07-2011 at 12:26 PM.

07-06-2011, 05:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
daking Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Markham,Ontario Posts: 96	Winston was in it, not on purpose. The Kreepy came to the surface when he was smelling the water (not drinking). The kreepy bubbled up and Winston did a bunny hop right in to the middle. He swam directly to the stairs. I would be more concerned with scratching the liner. My issue that I found was his legs are so long I thought he would hit the bottom of the shallow end and tear it up. Thankfully He was about 5 inchs above. There have been times where I put him in for 10 seconds to cool him off. So far no issues, but I only use minimal chlorine.

Remove Advertisements Sponsored Links
Labradoodle Forums Advertisement