iBoz Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Hey! With the warmer weather now upon us (yay!), what are everyone's thoughts about dogs and pools? We just bought a little pool for the backyard and everyone seems to think I'm nuts to insist that the pool is covered when the dog is alone outside. Admittedly, the pool isn't deep (the dog's head would be just above water if he was standing) but I see it kinda like having a 3 year old around a paddle pool. Slim chance anything bad would happen, but you never know, you might just be that .001% that's unlucky! FYI, our dog isn't a big fan of water so everyone else says he won't get in it anyway but I counter that with, if he does get curious and jump in, he might freak out and then you know, break a leg or something, therefore not being able to get out anymore! So, are you cautious (like me ) or are you pretty confident that nothing bad will happen? p.s. 37 degrees today and can't wait to get in that pool tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swizzlestick Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I think it would actually be safer without the cover. A family friend of ours had their pup fall in the pool and drown. He fell in the side and went under the soft cover that was floating on the water. Without the cover he may have had a chance though. If your dogs feet can touch the ground whilst keeping his head out, I'd be inclined to leave it open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I don't have a pool here, but mine goes for sleepovers at my mums quite a bit where she has a pool and I get very about the pool. I make sure someone knows where she is all the time. I'm going to teach her to swim soon and teach her the 2 exit points (the stairs out) so if she ever falls in she can swim and get out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We have a raised fishpond that's about 75 cms deep, one of our dogs gets in for a swim with the fish but gets out again without a problem (and he's been doing that since he was about 6 months old), the others have never been in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBoz Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Sir WJ – How scary! I can’t believe that actually happened. I'm so sorry for your friends. These are the stories that make me a nut job about safety… I actually did think of that though and so have insisted that we get rope to tie the cover (which is actually a tarp) down tightly with. Incidentally, we only got the rope from a friends late last night which led to us trying to put the cover on at like, 10pm (doh!). Of course, we were unsuccessful due to the dark which is why my mind can’t help but drift to that uncovered pool whilst stuck at work today… hehe. Actually, during the middle-of-the-night-pool-cover-rope-tie fiasco last night, the dog actually did jump in the pool! I think because the tarp was on it, he didn’t realise that the tarp would obviously collapse… So yeah I can see how that would make them get stuck. Lucky for us, he was actually pretty calm as he swiftly jumped out (and spent the next half hour licking himself dry (how dare he be wet… haha ). So I think I will just have to relax with the pool covering at all times rule and when the pool is covered, it will be tied down like fort knox. Donatella – if that’s your little doggy in your pic there, then I’d worry about a big pool too. Great idea to teach them the exits though! Would definitely help eliminate the freaking out, you would think. Ahhh, it’s a scary world for our precious pooches out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBoz Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 (edited) We have a raised fishpond that's about 75 cms deep, one of our dogs gets in for a swim with the fish but gets out again without a problem (and he's been doing that since he was about 6 months old), the others have never been in it. That's probably roughly the same depth as our pool (or probably deeper), so that's good to know. Imagine the amount of fish heart attacks that have been caused when he jumps in though! *edited because I'm rubbish with measuring cms! Edited November 18, 2011 by iBoz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We have the problem of too much dog, not enough pool in our house I suggest that you put something in the pool, like a step, that allows your dog to climb on and be able to get in and out easily if you are leaving them unsupervised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 With Em I don't worry so much but with Charlie, I have too. Sometimes he goes swimming, and in the middle of the pool (or lake).. he will suddenly stop swimming. So he can slowly starts stinking or floats away (cause he wears a life jacket)... he has too much trust in me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Q Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 When we had a pool we had it fenced for the dogs. At the time we had Buster - who would swim with us occasionally and was young and fit. Daisy - my sister's MaltX who didn't really like water and our big Bull Arab mix girl who hated water. Both the girls were carried in repeatedly and then guided to the step to try to teach them how to get out if they ever fell in. Neither of them were great with it, the big girl would just panic and head for the edge and try to drag herself out which she was never strong enough to do, so gate was always shut unless we were out the back with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee :) Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Hey! With the warmer weather now upon us (yay!), what are everyone's thoughts about dogs and pools? We just bought a little pool for the backyard and everyone seems to think I'm nuts to insist that the pool is covered when the dog is alone outside. Admittedly, the pool isn't deep (the dog's head would be just above water if he was standing) but I see it kinda like having a 3 year old around a paddle pool. Slim chance anything bad would happen, but you never know, you might just be that .001% that's unlucky! FYI, our dog isn't a big fan of water so everyone else says he won't get in it anyway but I counter that with, if he does get curious and jump in, he might freak out and then you know, break a leg or something, therefore not being able to get out anymore! So, are you cautious (like me ) or are you pretty confident that nothing bad will happen? p.s. 37 degrees today and can't wait to get in that pool tonight! we have an inground pool which of course has a fence around it n the gate is closed all the time, n when our chihuahua x aussie terrier was a puppy we taught her to climb out at the steps in case she did ever fall in. we soon discovered though that she hates water anyway so would never actually jump in of her own accord, but we do put her in on hot days like today just to cool her off. so yeah if she did ever fall in she would know how to get out. but she would never be able to fall in without us being there cos the gate's always closed unless one of us in the pool area. our neighbours also have a pool with a fence and gate and they used to leave the gate open so their two maltese terriers could still roam around in the pool area then one night they came home from work to find one of them floating after falling in and drowning so now they keep the gate closed. so yeah obviously ur talking about a paddle pool so yeah i agree with everyone else, i'd make sure its blocked off or covered when ur not supervising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjelkier Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I think it would actually be safer without the cover. A family friend of ours had their pup fall in the pool and drown. He fell in the side and went under the soft cover that was floating on the water. Without the cover he may have had a chance though. If your dogs feet can touch the ground whilst keeping his head out, I'd be inclined to leave it open. Same thing happened to my friends Shih Tzu. He got into the pool and stuck under the cover and drowned. And I agree, leave the cover off, safer for the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimiss Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We have the problem of too much dog, not enough pool in our house I suggest that you put something in the pool, like a step, that allows your dog to climb on and be able to get in and out easily if you are leaving them unsupervised. That is absolutely gorgeous!! He's just sitting there like 'yeeeesss?' looks perfect sized for him though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stone Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I think it would actually be safer without the cover. A family friend of ours had their pup fall in the pool and drown. He fell in the side and went under the soft cover that was floating on the water. Without the cover he may have had a chance though. If your dogs feet can touch the ground whilst keeping his head out, I'd be inclined to leave it open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We have a raised fishpond that's about 75 cms deep, one of our dogs gets in for a swim with the fish but gets out again without a problem (and he's been doing that since he was about 6 months old), the others have never been in it. That's probably roughly the same depth as our pool (or probably deeper), so that's good to know. Imagine the amount of fish heart attacks that have been caused when he jumps in though! *edited because I'm rubbish with measuring cms! We started off with 6 fish, we now have over 20. Maybe it increases their fertility or something, but we have a population explosion happening in the pond! LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOCTRL Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We were worried about this too when we got our Staffy puppy. To start with he wasn't allowed in the backyard unsupervised as we have in inground spa. As he got a bit older (around 11 weeks i think) we started to teach him how to swim in it and after a while let him go and encouraged him over to the steps, so if he ever got in (i dont think he would by choice, maybe if being a crazy distracted puppy thought!). He loves playing in the water, and has his own little kiddy paddling pool to splash around in which he loves and isn't too deep for him. I think if your dog can touch the bottom with his head up and can get in / out ok you should leave it uncovered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
**Super_Dogs** Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I have an inground pool and in summer I leave the pool fence open so my dogs can go for a dip. Not all of them like the water though. One of my girls goes for a dip in summer about 5 times a day. She loves it. Someones she goes for paddle about a meter or 2 from the step but most times she just stands on the step. However I only do this when the dog is grown (not when a pup) and before I do this I spend time in the pool with my dog so they know how they can and cannot get out. You can get little ramps for small dogs that would struggle with the steps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We have an inground pool which is currently not fenced seperately from the backyard. We have had 2 instances where the dogs have fallen in. One was our rottie (who left us in June 2007) and the neighbour climbed the fence and rescued him from drowning. We believe he fell in because both dogs liked to run along the side fence which is about 25cm from the edge of the pool - we think the other dog was running along the fence at the same time and push him in as they passed each other. We fixed this issue by blocking off the entrance to that area so it has never happened again. Our youngest fell in briefly a few months ago and thankfully I was home. He cut the corner a little too closely and his back legs went in. Our older boy barked to get my attention and then grabbed my hand in his mouth (when I went to the back door to see what he was barking at) and then pulled me towards the pool. The youngest was almost out of the pool by himself so needed little assistance. We will be fencing the pool area in the near future (to comply with the new pool regulations). We will also be installing an alarm to indicate if anyone falls into the pool (AquaGuard) - not for the dogs but because we will have small children around and pool fences are too easy to climb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBoz Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 We have the problem of too much dog, not enough pool in our house I suggest that you put something in the pool, like a step, that allows your dog to climb on and be able to get in and out easily if you are leaving them unsupervised. HAHAHA! That is soooo adorable! No step needed there, you may however, need a pulley system in place in case he gets stuck in there ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBoz Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 We have an inground pool which is currently not fenced seperately from the backyard. We have had 2 instances where the dogs have fallen in. One was our rottie (who left us in June 2007) and the neighbour climbed the fence and rescued him from drowning. We believe he fell in because both dogs liked to run along the side fence which is about 25cm from the edge of the pool - we think the other dog was running along the fence at the same time and push him in as they passed each other. We fixed this issue by blocking off the entrance to that area so it has never happened again. Our youngest fell in briefly a few months ago and thankfully I was home. He cut the corner a little too closely and his back legs went in. Our older boy barked to get my attention and then grabbed my hand in his mouth (when I went to the back door to see what he was barking at) and then pulled me towards the pool. The youngest was almost out of the pool by himself so needed little assistance. We will be fencing the pool area in the near future (to comply with the new pool regulations). We will also be installing an alarm to indicate if anyone falls into the pool (AquaGuard) - not for the dogs but because we will have small children around and pool fences are too easy to climb. It's not nice to hear of your dogs struggling in the pool but gee, it gives me the warm fuzzies to imagine your older dog coming and pulling you outside to help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the Rebel Wolf Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I would cover only if there were no easy access point for the dog to get out of the pool myself, or with a young pup. I wouldn't cover for a pool that wasn't deep enough for the dog to get off their feet either. But then Zeke is such a waterdog I might be more careful if i had a dog who disliked water and not known to be a good swimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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