Dog Swimming

While swimming, dogs take deep breaths due to hard effort and the presence of water. These deep breaths strengthen the heart as well as the lungs. Thus, swimming improves the strength of cardiovascular tissues.

All these benefits make your dog happy and energetic all the time. Also, if he encounters any injury, he will have sufficient energy to bear and overcome the pain.

Water is far denser than air, so a person or a dog needs more force to overcome resistance. That is why doctors and veterinarians recommend swimming for healthy joints. As the water reduces the power of gravity, it is easy for a dog to move his body muscles without any downward influence. Swimming is more than fun or enjoyment, as it enriches dogs with low-impact, non-weight-bearing, and non-concussive exercise. Because of the buoyancy of the water, which takes on the body’s weight, bones do not experience regular impact.

This means your dog can be free of all joint problems without additional exercise. It’s like killing two birds with one stone that your pooch enjoys swimming and getting rid of joint pain simultaneously.

Heavy work like running and exercise boosts the metabolism of every animal, including dogs. However, what about swimming, which demands far more energy than any other exercise for a dog? Swimming regularly digests food and makes it available for circulation in the blood. That’s how it gives a warmness to the body. That’s why the dogs that engage themselves in swimming are far more active than others.

It’s hard for an obese or bulky dog to reduce his weight by exercising on land. As the land exercise requires minimum effort moreover, you can’t engage your dog in the running for several hours. Yet, to burn maximum calories in minimum time, there is no option better on earth for your pooch than swimming, as regular swimming can bring your dog back to its average slim size.

Moreover, increasing metabolism means burning maximum calories and fats, which are significant demons for an obese dog. Your dog engages the most muscles while swimming, and as a result, these muscles become stronger. Also, swimming is a safer activity than running, so it aids in reducing weight without causing injury to your dog.

Imagine you are sleeping after swimming for an hour or two—what a peaceful sleep it would be. The same is true for dogs. A dog’s nap after a hard day’s work is far more relaxed and calm than lying in bed all day. It also washes out the tiresomeness of the whole struggle.

So, veterinarians also suggest that dogs sleep if they lack proper sleep, as burning fats and calories promotes sound sleep.

Mental stimulation for a dog is also as important as he needs physical exercise to keep himself fit and enthusiastic all the time. Though physical activities can enrich your dog’s mind with mental stimulation, swimming is more suitable in this regard, as it does not demand as much time as walking or running. Moreover, if your dog fetches a Frisbee for you in the water, his mental and physical exercise encourages him to jump and bring that toy back.

A happy dog is a healthy dog! Swimming in your neighborhood beach or pool benefits your dog’s physical and psychological wellness. Your dog may enjoy off-leash freedom they might not often experience by swimming and racing through the water.

 Bonus: Swimming is suitable for people too, so you may enjoy playing with them in the water.

If you are a dog lover or petted more than one dog, you might have experienced that some dogs are more likely to swim, and you don’t need much effort to teach them how to swim. They, too, were not afraid of water. Nevertheless, certain breeds are not biased toward swimming. A list of such breeds is mentioned below;

• Dachshund
• Pug
• Basset hound
• Bulldog
• Boxer
• Staffordshire bull terrier
• Maltese

Regardless of how slowly or quickly they swim, most breeds can learn to swim with good teaching skills.

If your dog remains reserved to the water, then it must follow some tactics that I am going to discuss;

1. Always start with a little pool; if you are still scared of water, start with a small baby’s air tub that would be 5 to 8 inches deep. It would be the best approach.
2. When your dog becomes used to this depth, gradually increase it until it reaches a big swimming pool or ocean.
3. Always enrich him with the treat whenever he learns a new swimming step.
4. You can also teach him swimming while gently gripping him in water.
5. Teach him to move his paw forward and backward. If he does not do this on his own, then do it yourself with your hands moving your pooch’s paws.

The temperature comes first. Before letting your dog swim, Godlevski suggests ensuring the combined temperature of the air and the water is at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water is excessively cold, you run the danger of your dog developing a “cold tail,” also known as a limber tail or swimmer’s tail. In this situation, the tail will droop and no longer wag or raise. Even more dangerous hypothermia might even strike your dog. Puppies are especially sensitive, so please visit a veterinarian if your dog jumps into water that is too cold and starts to shiver or does not use his tail.

Toxicity of water matters a lot if you want your pooch to get a healthy swimming activity. Always check out for this before allowing your canine to jump inside it. Check the color of the water. If it is dark rather than transparent or crystal clear, do not jump and prevent your pooch from doing so.

If the water is doubtful, it will be better not to enter; however, if swimming is necessary, reduce the time from one hour to 15 minutes.

1. Refrain from overtrusting the swimming skills of your dog. There are several cases where dogs become submerged in water due to the negligence of their owners or unsupervised swimming.
2. Always allow your dog to swim near a sloping embankment where he can quickly come out of the water.
3. Prepare a towel or warm cloth for drying him immediately after swimming.

It will be a good approach if your pooch wears a canine life vest. So that the risk of drowning in water diminishes. Your dog must have a life vest if he is not under the supervision of a human.

To begin with, you can take your dog swimming once per week (if they are not used to it). You can take your dog swimming three to four times per week after its endurance has improved. You can take your dog swimming every day after he masters the skill. But it would be best if you didn’t make your dog swim against their will.

For dogs, swimming and wading are highly taxing exercises. I advise beginning with only a few minutes at a time in both situations and gradually increasing, minute by minute. These exercises are significantly more demanding, even for a healthy dog. Therefore, you should progressively increase the difficulty.

If your dog jumps in and out of the pool all day, clean his coat entirely with cool water after each swim or at the end of each day. Rinse far longer than you initially believe is required to eliminate all the pool chemicals, including chlorine. Dry with a towel or a blow dryer as necessary.

The muscles of the tail, particularly those at the base of the tail, can get overworked by prolonged aggressive swimming and swimming in water that is too cold or too warm. When this occurs, those muscles get painful, much as yours, after a particularly challenging workout at the gym.

Drinking too much water can cause death, heart failure, and brain damage. Although water poisoning is fortunately rare, it’s still necessary to be aware of the danger. Dogs overhydrating during swimming or after playing or exercising are more likely to experience these problems.

There may be external irritants, allergies, burns, bacterial, viral, parasite, or fungal diseases. Take your dog to the doctor as soon as possible if they still smell after a wash, are persistently scratching or licking, have a lot of scaling, or are rubbing themselves on the carpet.

Swimming has plenty of benefits not only for dogs but also for human beings. However, swimming without any supervision of an experienced person can be lethal for a puppy. Always keep in mind the precautions mentioned above. This article will prove to be helpful for you.