Having a swimming dog accompany you on your holiday at the seaside or the community pool can be fun. It is a delight to watch your four-legged friend splash his tiny feet in the water and enjoy the floating experience. However, as with human beings, animals are exposed to some hazards in the water that can put their lives in danger.
A few simple safety tips can be followed to ensure the safety of these swimming dogs. The most important thing is to understand your swimming dog’s behavior when he is relaxed or playing in his dog house and know what signs they give out to signal discomfort, pain, or any threat to their safety. Here are five such top tips that you can follow to help your dog have a safe swim.
Train your Dog for Obedience
At any time that your dog is in water, it must respond to your commands. If your dog splashes around in an open area like the beach or a river, there might be dangerous animals or strong currents that your dog might not notice in time.
Therefore, as soon as you call your dog to return to the shore, it must obey your command without any delay. This will help ensure that your dog never encounters any hazard while having fun swimming in the water.
Learn First Aid
First aid is equally important for pets as it is for human beings. Your swimming dog is no exception. Accidents can take place anywhere, and at any time, so we must be prepared for it nonetheless. Learning first aid is a great way to save your swimming dog from drowning, animal attacks, or any other hazard related to the water.
A short weekend course at your local hospital or community center is all you need to learn the basic first aid techniques for your pet’s safety. This knowledge might someday come in handy in saving your swimming dog from a hazardous experience.
Keep a Life Jacket On At All Times
It is a lot of fun for a dog to take a dip in a pool or lake, but this enjoyable experience also presents some real risks for your dog’s safety. Dogs can be easily distracted and lost control of water.
For this reason, it is very important to keep sure that your dog has a life jacket throughout the time he is in the water. It does not matter whether the water is shallow or deep; you should always make your dog put on a life jacket before entering the water.
Always Monitor Your Dog
It would help if you always kept a close watch on your swimming dog. There are many hazards that your dog might not notice, but you could spot them in time to rescue your dog. If swimming is a new activity for your dog, watch for any signs of nervousness or panic.
With older dogs, there is a hazard that their muscles are becoming too weak to stay afloat for a long time. Hence, you should watch out for signs of exhaustion and pull them out of the water in time to prevent any drowning or accident.
Avoid Drinking Contaminated Water
A useful tip is to make sure that your swimming dog takes some fresh drinking water sips before taking a dip. This reduces the chances that your dog will feel thirsty while swimming and will feel tempted to drink the sea or river water.
Both these types of water are harmful to your swimming dog’s health as they are not fit for drinking. They can contain germs, dirt and even harmful chemicals. Always carry a water bottle and keep giving your dog a few sips from time to time to keep it hydrated.
Conclusion
Your swimming dog is like a member of your family. It offers you companionship, loyalty and loads of fun at the pool or the beach. Therefore, you should educate yourself about the hazards and risks of swimming that might put your dog’s safety at risk. It is all a matter of being alert and using common sense to spot any small risks. Also, being prepared helps a lot in avoiding any harmful accident to your swimming dog. This article identified some of the top tips that you can follow to keep your dog safe while swimming and ensure that both of you have pleasurable swimming experience.
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