Humans aren’t the only creatures that can enjoy a nice swim. A quick dip can be a nice, cool experience for your dog whether you have your own pool, secretly borrow your neighbor’s pool, or go down to the local river. However, swimming isn’t all fun and games. Here are some swimming tips for dog owners.
Teach Him or Her to Swim
This one seems pretty obvious. If your dog doesn’t know how to swim yet, please refrain from plopping him or her down into any body of water. Start off small with a kiddie pool and to help your dog get used to swimming. It also doesn’t hurt to invest in a life vest designed for dogs. Safety first!
Make it Easy for Them to Get in and Get Out
Just because a dog jumps into a pool doesn’t mean that it can always jump out. Your pooch isn’t likely to be able to climb any ladders, so you’ll have to make sure that there are normal steps or a ramp that will let them trot out when they get tired or want to leave when Jimmy gets carried away with the pool noodle again.
Post-Swim Bath Time
A good swim is fun and all, but you don’t want to take the water back with you. Pools have chlorine. Open bodies of water have bacteria, small rocks, and various forms of flora and fauna. You don’t want your dog carrying that around for the next few days, which means a bath is in order.
Invest in Waterproof Collars
You’ve probably been waiting for this one. Waterproof collars are made with special coated webbing that won’t absorb any pool, river, or lake water. In fact, they only need a couple of quick wipes to clean off any residue. You’re still going to need to give your dog a bath, but now you won’t have to worry about water damage or awful smells from your collar.
Swim time should be fun. Stinky, ruined dog collars are not fun. Pet store owners can help by offering waterproof dog collars through Coastal Pet Products to their customers. Owners can prepare their pups for their next doggy paddle session with special waterproof dog collars from Dublin Dog or any of our other dog product vendors.