May is National Water Safety Month, which makes it a great time to talk about ways to keep our dogs safe around water during the warm summer months.
If you’re like many pet parents, you’re likely to take your dogs to the pool or lake, or maybe even on a beach vacation. Or perhaps you’re lucky enough to have a pool at home and you enjoy hanging out poolside with your pooch.
No matter where you and your mutt spend time together on the water, take a look at these 5 summer water safety tips for dogs to help you prepare for safe summer fun.
5 Summer Water Safety Tips for Dogs
1) Know if your dog can swim. A lot of people just naturally assume that all dogs can swim, but this is not the case. Know for sure, and don’t take any chances.
Even if your dog can swim, she might not be a strong swimmer, and the best way to protect her pet is a life jacket specifically made for dogs.
2) Wait 30 minutes. Remember how Mom used to tell you not to swim for 30 minutes before or after eating? The same is true for our dogs. Your dog is just as likely as you are to cramp up in the water too soon after eating. Better to be safe than sorry.
3) Don’t drink the water. When you’re at the beach or on the lake, don’t let your dog drink the water because it can make her sick. Be sure to bring along lots of fresh water to keep her hydrated in the summer heat.
4) Fence it in. If you have a pool at home, make sure it’s fenced in so that your dog can’t access the area when you’re not with her.
In the event that she might go into the pool unsupervised, teach her how to get out on her own. This could save her life.
5) Never leave your dog alone. Again, even if your dog is a fantastic swimmer, she’s never going to be safe in the water if you’re not very close by.
One other thing that I highly recommend, whether your dog is around water or not, is creating a pet first-aid kit. You just never know when an emergency might happen, and a first-aid kit may be exactly what is needed until you can get help.
Also, consider taking a pet first-aid class. When it comes to protecting your pet, you can never be too prepared.
What tips do you have for keeping your dog safe around water?
I’d love for you to share them with me in a comment below, or visit our Facebook page to join the conversation!
Great tips. The thing is, not all dogs can or know how to swim – or in Edie’s case, want to swim 😉
Those are all great tips ! Purrs
Great tips. It is really important to teach a dog how to get out of the pool as well in case they accidentally fall in when no one is around. Our pool is above ground and our dogs can’t get in it without some help. We have shown them the ladder just in case.
I remember Daisy and I were walking the trail and she fell in the river. I reached to get her because it was steep but she started sinking so I jumped in to save her. I thought all dogs knew how to swim but she did not. It was so scary and I am blessed I was able to get her!!
So important to remember! I also wish people would pay more attention to the current when they’re at the beach/rivers/ect. Ripe tides especially are so dangerous!
Having a water-averse dog helps! Mr. N has a life jacket that he wears. He won’t willingly go in past wading distance though.
My little dude is 3.5 pounds. So I DO need to add a life vest to him when we sail. He HATES the water and stays away but when I paddle board with him I am very aware that what seems like a short time to me and “no waves’ to me looks pretty different to him. Also – he has no undercoat so I have a all natural sunscreen for his pink skin and little nose ridge.
I have 2 dogs who love to swim in our pond and these are all great tips. It took a lot of training to get them to stop drinking the pond water!
Cooper is required to wear his life vest when we are underway on the boat. We purposely avoided teaching him to jump from the dock or the boat itself into the water and he only swims with Daddy and Mommy by his side. He wasn’t a strong swimmer to start, but now he LOVES to swim!
These are some good tips! My dog mostly always tend to eat the sands lol.