Dogs and Your Swimming Pool: Dogs that Swim, Dogs that Attack and Dog Waste in the Pool

In this article, I will address all the aspects of Dogs and your pool from dogs swimming in the pool to dogs pooping in the pool and everything in between. We love our dogs and they are a big part of our families and lives. Pools can be fun and dangerous for our pets.



Dogs swimming in the pool
I have many service accounts where the dogs love to use the pool and I have walked back to find them swimming around and living it up in the pool. I have heard that one dog is equivalent to 20 people or 10 people swimming in the pool and while I think those numbers have inflated a dog using the pool does affect the water chemistry. Get a pool with 3 or 4 dogs swimming in it at once and chances are the water will get swampy quickly. They have more body oils then us, the fur can clog the skimmer basket, pump basket and just about anything in the pool. The dog hair to me is the biggest issue. If enough hair gets into the pool pump it can shut things down pretty fast and create poor circulation. This in turns contributes to that cloudy dog water you often see after your dog or dogs have been swimming at length. So be vigilant about the dog hair clogging things up at your pool.

Your pool tile will also suffer from the oil in the dog’s skin. One thing you may notice is a scum line around the tiles at the waterline and over time this can really build up. What I use is a product called Pool Perfect which has an enzyme in it that breaks down the oils that build up on the tile line. Generally, I use 8 oz a week and this really helps keep the scum line down. After a good rain storm when the water level is over the scum line, I add extra Pool Perfect to the pool to remove any lingering scum line.

If your dog is going to swim in the pool just make sure the chlorine level is high, 5.0 ppm at least and that the pool is running long enough each day to keep the water clear. If the water starts to get cloudy on you set the pool to run longer and check the chlorine level to make sure it is a strong 5.0 ppm. The dogs seem to have no issue with the chlorine in the water and many of the dogs on my route who swim live a normal life span.

Bottom line, if your dog or dogs plan on swimming all season long keep the pool running longer, the chlorine level higher, keep the pump and skimmer baskets clean and clean the filter regularly. I can’t tell you how many filters I have taken apart to clean and it looks like Chewbacca has been living in it.

There is also the danger of your dog drowning so if you have very small dogs, older dogs or your dog just can’t swim well, think about installing a mesh safety fence to keep your pet from drowning.

Dogs that Attack
Yes, I have been bitten several times by my customer’s dogs. A couple serious bites but nothing that I needed to get stitches for. It just doesn’t feel good to have a dog come after you and take a bite out of you. This is an area where you need to really tread lightly. If you bid for a service account and the dog appears to be violent, chances are it will eventually get out and possibly attack you.

One way to avoid getting bitten it to use some common sense around dogs. If the dog is trained to attack or just vicious, this is a service account you should pass on. It is really not worth it in the long run. Even with dogs that appear to be friendly you never want to let your guard down. Don’t kneel down and put your face in the dog’s face when you pet it. Never reach behind a gate or dog run to pet a dog. Don’t reach out to pet an unfamiliar dog.

Last, try not to ever let the dog out. Some dogs are great escape artists and if you give them even a crack they will be gone. It is no fun chasing a dog around for an hour. Worse if you lose the dog and can’t find it. Always make sure the gates are latched and secure when you leave and if the dog has a habit of bolting bring a treat to distract it so you can enter without it escaping.

Dog Waste in the Pool
If you noticed dog waste in the pool, there are some steps to follow to make sure the poop does not spread disease. Chances are it is innocuous but there is a risk for bacteria so follow these simple steps. Scoop out any large chunks with a leaf rake. I prefer this than vacuuming it into the filter. Then bring the chlorine level up to 10ppm or more. Run the pool for 24 hours if you can. Allow no swimming for 48 hours. This is a bit of overkill, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Visit my Website: http://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/

eBook: https://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/swimming-pool-care-ebook

Follow Me:
Blogger: http://poolmandave.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Youtube-Mrdgvb1/381257741926763?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mrdgvb1
Join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/poolguycoaching
Podcast: http://www.buzzsprout.com/110832
Podcast Website: https://www.thepoolguypodcastshow.com/
Coaching Site: https://poolguycoaching.com/