When the sun decides to shine at its full potential, there is only one ally you can count on – water. All living beings need to be able to cool off in the summer, especially your furry friends. Imagine being in a coat made of fur and unable to get out of it during the summer months. That’s a reality for a lot of dog breeds. As an owner and a compassionate friend, you’ll surely want to help. And, yes, you’ll appreciate cooling off too. So, here are seven fun water activities for you and your dog to try out this summer.
1. Teach Your Pup to Swim
Before having real fun on the water, ensuring your dog knows how to swim is essential. Also, teaching your pup to swim can be a fun experience on its own. If you have a young puppy or a tiny dog that isn’t entirely comfortable swimming without a doggy paddle, now is the ideal moment to teach them more advanced swimming techniques. However, it could be tricky if you have a large dog, and you should wait until they have mastered their swimming skill.
Be there for them
While experimenting with different swimming tactics, you should join your dog in the water and float them over the surface to help them gain their bearings. It is important to remember that various dog breeds might provide varying outcomes, so you should allow your pet some time to mature. Be patient and provide positive reinforcement during training. Always keep in mind to provide a protected life jacket so that they may feel more comfortable in the water. This will help reduce any initial fear that they may be feeling.
Be patient and supportive.
2. Teach Them to Tow
Training them how to tow in things may be an excellent safety and rescue exercise if you own a big dog and have previously taught them how to swim. It can also be a fun game to test your pup’s strength and resolve. This is especially true if your dog is already adept at swimming. When they get the hang of these easier chores, offer them more difficult things to see if they can master pulling them in. First, throw fun floating toys into the water for your dog to retrieve, and then see if they can master dragging them out. It’s a perfect way to keep your dog active and entertained. Also, it’s quite a useful exercise.
Take all the precautions
It’s fine if your dog doesn’t want to leap from a pier, as long as they like retrieving things from the water. In water retrieving, you can also challenge your dog to retrieve a toy that has been weighted, so it sinks to the bottom water. It is essential to remember that the water shouldn’t be too deep; this will ensure that your dog can swim to and from the surface without any difficulty.
Baywatch 2022?
Retrieving practice can be a great introduction to some search and rescue activities. Participating in search and rescue is a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of your dog’s affinity for the water while also lending support to an important cause. Some groups focus exclusively on training canines to assist with water rescues and discover people who have drowned.
3. Good Old Fetch is Always An Option
On the hot summer days, it’s a good idea for you and your dog to go and spend some time on the beach. Playing fetch is way more fun (and healthier) for your puppy when they have an option to cool down in the waves from time to time. Also, you can take a good old fetch to the next level and make it a water sport. Your canine companion probably never says “no” to a game of fetch on land, so it’s reasonable to assume that they would like the activity much more if it took place in water. Your fluffy friend will have many chances to demonstrate their prowess in the water if you gather a wide variety of floating toys specifically for these situations.
When you think about it, playing fetch on the beach with your furry friend is one of the little things that fulfill life and make it happier. As experts movers from usantini.com suggest, if your picture-perfect day includes this fun activity, but you don’t live close to a beach, you should consider moving to a place that will allow you to enjoy it. New York is undoubtedly a great option to make your permanent home. There are many good beaches to choose from:
- Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn
- Plumb Beach, Brooklyn
- South Beach and Boardwalk, Staten Island
- Jacob Riis Park, Queens
- Orchard Beach, Bronx
- and many more
Playing fetch on a beach is a heavenly experience for you and your dog.
4. Boating
Bring your little one on the boat if you want to become an awesome doggie parent. When you want to do something different during your day at the beach and hire a boat with some friends or family members, your dog may always come on deck to enjoy the ride in a safe and secure environment. During the time on board, you should take additional safety steps. These include applying doggy sunscreen on their nose and other exposed skin and bringing fresh water to drink so that they don’t drink excessive seawater due to the heat.
5. Go Paddleboarding
You’ve probably seen on social media a lot of fun videos of dogs and their owners on paddle boards, enjoying the waves together. Yes, you can relax in the parks of Brooklin with your furry pal. But, there are many other things to do while spending quality time with your dog and more fun ways to enjoy it. One of them is paddle boarding. Even though your dog will need some time to become used to standing on the board while paddleboarding, they’ll be able to master the sport in no time with only a few pointers from you.
This is an enjoyable and stress-free activity. Still, even if the water is calm, you should ensure that your dog is wearing a life jacket for protection.
6. Surfing is one of the Most Fun Water Activities for You and Your Dog
Looking for someone to ride the waves with you and enjoy the sport of surfing? Allow your dog to experience what it’s like to ride the waves with you by giving them a surfboard. In the same way that it may take some time to teach your dog how to balance well on a paddleboard, it may take some time to teach your dog how to balance on a surfboard. Before you take your dog too far out into the waves, you should make sure that your dog is already an experienced swimmer. Some dog breeds are born with the ability to swim, while others need further instruction and training before becoming proficient in any water activity.
7. Dock Jumping
If you decide to take a break near Chautauqua Lake or any other exceptional NY water gem, you can take advantage of it and take your dog dock jumping. Almost every decent lake has at least one or two docks accessible. What better way for your dog to enter the crisp, cool water than jumping off one of those docks? Make this fun and safe kind of water recreation into a competition by timing and measuring how far and quickly your puppy can leap into the water compared to the other dogs in your group.
This activity can be a good energy release for your dog and help them adjust to NYC apartment living. When the local swimming pool is calling your name on a hot sunny day, bring your dog swimming instead to have some fun in the sun without wilting under the intense heat directly above you.
No better way to express raw energy than jumping in the water.
There Are So Many Things To Do
When you go to the beach, you don’t necessarily have to lie about and soak up the rays. It can be a great opportunity to bond with your dog. There are so many fun water activities for you and your dog! Allow your canine companion to test the limits of his comfort zone in the water as you both take advantage of its refreshing effects. The wide-open coastline is an excellent place to bring your dog when the weather is warm, and the sun is shining brightly. Let your dog run off some of his excess energy and enjoy the ocean’s cold water.
Photos used:
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https://unsplash.com/photos/SBJ4WfvkYWA
https://unsplash.com/photos/akmoF-impyI
https://unsplash.com/photos/VCIaqcBUiA4
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