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5 Dog Swimming Safety Tips to Keep Your Pup Safe in the Water

Dog Swimming Safety Tips from MyDogLikes
Written by Rachael Sando

We all know that one of the best ways to keep cool in the summer is to take a dip in a local swimming hole.

Whether swimming in the deep end or wading in a creek, many dogs find summer swims to be equally refreshing. Following some basic tips will help your dog to be safe, have fun, and most importantly, be cool this summer!

Here at MyDogLikes it's Summertime and the Livin is Easy! Check out our tips for safe summer pet fun!

Dog Swimming Safety Tips

1. Don’t Overestimate Your Dog’s Swimming Ability

While our golden retrievers were built for (and thrive) in the water it’s important for both new and experienced pet parents to be realistic about their dogs swimming abilities.

Some dog bodies are built for swimming, particularly those who have have ancestry in the American Kennel Club’s working or sporting class. Many of these dogs (but not all) have been bred to possess physical characteristics like webbed feet, water repellent coats, and well balanced proportions that help them to be strong swimmers.

Other dog bodies are not built for swimming (I love the sweet temperament and playfulness of Boxers but have you ever seen one swim karate chop the water?) .

Our Beautiful Golden Retriever Charlie swimming at Mendon Ponds Park near Rochester, NY!

Whether your dog falls into the category of “proficient swimmer”, “struggling swimmer” or somewhere in between, many factors can come into play in the water; confident swimmers can run out of steam, mobility issues such as arthritis can cause pain and fatigue, or hidden dangers like current/undertow can turn summer fun into serious tragedy in a matter of moments.

One of the best tips we can possibly give is to Use a Dog Life Jacket!

Harley rolling in the grass after a dip in the water

Not exactly the way its supposed to be used, but its a start. 

A dog life vest will help keep your dog afloat should they tire or face challenging water like a rapid or undertow.

Shopping for a dog life jacket at PetSmart - We chose this large dog life vest from Top Paw

Thanks to PetSmart’s generosity, we were recently able to pick up a Top Paw Reflective Life Jacket for Harley. At 9 years old, he is not quite as nimble or as confident as he once was. This life vest has multiple adjustment areas allowing for a snug fit without sacrificing mobility. Even better, this doggie life vest has a built in handle in the center of the back for lifting should an emergency arise. Last but not least, this vest is made of a vibrantly colored neoprene with reflective accents for better visibility.

Click Here to Pick Up this Vest from PetSmart!

2. Don’t Push It!

Our Golden Retriever Harley dunking his head in the water!

Swimming dogs are adorable, but too often pet parents push their dogs into the water too quickly which can lead to fear of the water. Give your dog the time he/she needs to explore his/her surroundings. While it may take some positive reinforcement like their favorite toys or treats to encourage them, more than anything, they need time to explore, process, and take risks independently!

3. Bring Fresh Water to Drink

Looking for a dog friendly park near Rochester, NY? Mendon Ponds Park is one of our all time favorites!

Your dog will naturally be tempted to drink from whatever body of water they are swimming in. Unfortunately, these waters can contain all sorts of potential hazards including bacteria, algae, and even pollutants! One of the most effective ways to put a stop to this behavior is to provide plenty of fresh drinking water for your dogs in between dips. We often fill an extra water bottle and pour water into a collapsible bowl to save on space!

4. Rinse Your Dog after Swimming

Washing your dog is very important after swimming to rinse off any potential allergens.

Remember that itchy, scratchy skin we told you about earlier? Well, that could have been prevented had we remembered to rinse the boys with fresh water or give them a quick bath after taking a dip. No matter how clean the swimming area appears, there is no way to know what kind of microorganisms and allergens will be left behind on your dog’s coat. These allergens can cause excessive licking, scratching, and itching which can lead to hotspots and skin infections, YUK!

Our dog enjoying a swim at Mendon Ponds Park near Rochester, NY

As a general rule, we like to swim water that has a clear source and serves as an estuary into a larger river or lake. One of our absolute favorites is Mendon Ponds Park (above) near Rochester, NY.  If the water is stagnant and warm, your dog is at an increased risk of illness. If you are at all uncertain of the water or would not swim in it yourself, its best to skip it and find a fresher and safer source!

5. Watch those Ears!

It is not only the coat you have to watch out for, but the ears as well. Its not at all uncommon for dogs to get water in their ears while swimming. The problem arises when water gets trapped in the ear canal and fosters the growth of bacteria or when allergens cause inflammation and subsequent overgrowth of naturally occurring bacterial and yeast organisms. Left as is, water and allergens can lead to uncomfortable, sore, and infected ears.

Harley enjoying a dog ear cleaning!

Starting ear cleaning early and doing so often makes it an easy task and goes a long way toward preventing infections. We recommend using an all-natural ear cleaner that helps to dry and clean the ear! Easy Peasy!

Does your Dog Love to Swim?

Please share some of your Summer Dog Safety Tips below!

About the author

Rachael Sando

Rachael is a School Psychologist with degrees from the University of Rochester and RIT. Though a lifelong dog lover, this passion has taken on a new direction through the utilization of therapy animals in her day job. Charlie, our Golden Retriever, works with Rachael as a school therapy dog in a local primary school where he brings comfort and support to students and staff on a daily basis.

182 Comments

  • Such great and important tips! We love the tip of getting those ears nice and dry after a good swim. We learned our lesson the hard way, now when they are done swimming for the day I swipe their ears with an unscented baby wipe and it seem to do the trick! 🙂

  • Harley, you are rocking that styin’ hat! I’m a hat girl, you know! Super cute post and I love the bright yellow life vest too! Super stylish, you boys!

  • I like supervising your dog in the water and having them wear a life jacket. Better safe than sorry!

  • Reminding pet parents to always have plenty of water on hand for their furry ones is very important

  • My favorite Summer tip especially for living in Arizona is to make sure your pet has fresh water.

    • Absolutely! We actually just visited Arizona last week. It is so beautiful but it sure gets hot!

  • Cars get hot very quickly. Never leave your little guy in the car on a warm day, even for a quick trip into a convenience store.

  • I just love this post! All of the pictures are awesome!! I think it is especially important to be right there when teaching your pup to swim! Also…very important to make sure that you get their ears clean!

  • Cute pix! My favorite tip is “When you do make pit stops, make sure to keep safety in mind as new environments can be distracting to a curious puppy.”

  • My favorite tip is to make your puppy’s first swimming experience a positive one.

  • My favorite tip is to make sure your pet has plenty of shade and fresh water in the warm months.

  • My favorite tip is to be sure to bring fresh water for your dog and to NEVER leave them in a hot car.

  • My tip is that if your dog likes water, but out a baby pool for them to splash around in on hot days so that they can still enjoy being outside.

  • My favorite summrtime tip is Cars get hot very quickly. Never leave your little guy in the car on a warm day, even for a quick trip into a convenience store. I hate it when I see a dog that has been left in a car.

  • I like their tip about ear care – it’s something we hadn’t thought of.
    form name Barbara Montag
    thank you

  • Always have water for your pet. This is something that I am trying to remember for our dog. It’s taking a little time to get use to having a dog again so we are still learning. thank you!

  • My favorite Summer tip is: Be by their side as they get used to the water. You’ll be able to see their growth as they go from cautious to confident in their ‘doggy paddle.’

  • Summer is almost over but my dog Hank is totally ready to earn his passport! Thanks so much for the tips and for the awesome giveaway 🙂

  • I’m so glad you talked about life jackets! My senior dog enjoys time in the water and the added protection helps assure me he is happy and safe! 🙂

  • I like the tip to visit the grooming center regularly, especially to have ears checked. I wouldn’t have thought of having that done there.

  • I live in Texas and it gets ridiculously hot here so the tip about always keeping water with you for your furry little friend is important.

    And of course, DO NOT leave your dog in the car!!!

  • It’s important to remind people NOT to leave their pets in hot car – even for a “short time.”

  • 5.If your puppy becomes an avid swimmer, keep in mind ear care (especially for breeds more prone to ear infections). It’s important to dry your dog’s ears after they have been swimming. Visit a PetSmart Grooming Salon for regular checkups and help keeping those ears clean and infection-free.

  • I love the tip to help make your puppy’s first pool experiences positive. Take things slow – rushing them could create a negative association with the pool, particularly if they are a little apprehensive about dipping their paws in for the first time. My dogs love the water and we introduced them to the pool in this manner!

  • My favorite tip is: Keep your puppy safe with car specific products like Top Paw® Pet Safety Harness or Top Paws® Seat Belt Strap.

  • I hope our crew can try swimming in a big pool one day, so the tips about starting that out slowly are great!
    I just love all the photos of the dogs enjoying the water…and in the shopping cart, priceless!

  • Bringing fresh water is my favorite summer tip. You never know what is actually in those creeks and streams. By the way, I love the hat on your dog! Very dapper!

  • My favorite summertime tip is to keep a close eye on your pups and look for signs of overheating while outside! It’s so east for them to go from ok to dangerously overheated in the summer.

  • fresh water! always have lots of fresh clean water available even when you travel with your dogs.i always take my water and do not let them drink from community water bowls.

  • All great tips here, but my favorite is Don’t leave them unsupervised. I am always watching my guys especially around water.

  • “Paws can burn on hot pavement. As a solution, we recommend the Top Paw® Hard Sole Outdoor Dog Bootie Set.” I didn’t know there was such a product – Awesome!

    There are some really great tips here, thanks for sharing.

  • I like this tip. When you do make pit stops, make sure to keep safety in mind as new environments can be distracting to a curious puppy.

  • So important- using a dog harness or dog seatbelt when your dogs are travelling in vehicles.

  • Help make your puppy’s first pool experiences positive. Take things slow – rushing them could create a negative association with the pool, particularly if they are a little apprehensive about dipping their paws in for the first time.

  • My favorite summertime tip is to add ice cubes to their water. My Yorkie Indie sees this as a treat and really likes licking away at the frozen treats.

  • Cars get hot very quickly! Never leave your little guy in a hot car! This is so important and happens way too often!

  • My favorite tip was making sure to bring fresh water with you…it’s one I think people (including myself!) forgets too often.

  • These are all great and helpful tips ! My favorite tip ~ Paws can burn on hot pavement !

  • My favorite summertime tip is to always dry your dog’s ears after they have been swimming, to help keeping their ears clean and infection-free! Something that would be easy to forget!

  • The Most important tip to me this summer is to bring fresh water. This is a must because our summer’s here are completely scorching and dehydration can happen so very quickly. Thank you for the chance!

  • I love that they remind you to never leave your pet in a car because the temperature changes quickly.It is common sense to me but we see way too much of pets being left in cars.

  • Cars get hot very quickly. Never leave your little guy in the car on a warm day, even for a quick trip into a convenience store. People need to learn this! Too many pets have been left in hot cars this year. So sad.

  • If you have a small dog on a boat make sure they are wearing a life jacket or someone is holding onto them

  • Here’s my favorite tip from their list: Cars get hot very quickly. Never leave your little guy in the car on a warm day, even for a quick trip into a convenience store.

  • My favorite tip is make your puppy’s first pool experiences positive. Take things slow – rushing them could create a negative association with the pool.

  • Great tips! I like the tip that says you should take swimming slow. It drives me nuts when people throw their dogs in the water. It is best to take it slow and make sure the dog is ready to swim on their own.

  • I like the tip about remembering to protect your pooch’s paws! I think this is something that is oftentimes overlooked. Our dog is accustomed to grass and indoor surfaces, but her paws haven’t been toughened up enough for rougher pavement.

  • I like this tip-5.If your puppy becomes an avid swimmer, keep in mind ear care (especially for breeds more prone to ear infections).

  • Find fashionable and functional clothing. Those poor puppy paws can easily burn on hot pavement. As a solution, we recommend the Top Paw® Hard Sole Outdoor Dog Bootie Set.

  • I really liked the tip of watching for a heat stroke and overheating. In the Florida sun especially, my puppies play outside until they’re panting or we intefere and call them in!

  • My favorite summrtime tip is Keep your puppy safe with car specific products like Top Paw® Pet Safety Harness or Top Paws® Seat Belt Strap
    ellen beck on form

  • I liked the hydration tip: Bring fresh water! For new pet owners, make sure you have plenty of clean drinking water on hand to keep your purring pet hydrated. Make sure your kitty or puppy stays away from not-so safe water sources like puddles, pools or even a leftover glass of water on the table. For puppies, a great way to keep cool is to add ice cubes to their water. They’ll have a blast licking away at the frozen treats.

  • This is very important,Find shelter. When outdoors, make sure to find plenty of shade to play under.

  • My favorite tip: Cars get hot very quickly. Never leave your little guy in the car on a warm day, even for a quick trip into a convenience store.

  • My favorite tip is Teach your puppy how to get in and out of the pool. Many first time pet parents don’t think about this, but not knowing how to get out of the pool can cause a puppy to get tired, disoriented and panic.

  • My favorite summertime tip is Find fashionable and functional clothing. Those poor puppy paws can easily burn on hot pavement. As a solution, we recommend the Top Paw® Hard Sole Outdoor Dog Bootie Set.

  • Find fashionable and functional clothing. Those poor puppy paws can easily burn on hot pavement.

  • The tip about hot pavement cannot be emphasized enough! Dog paws need protection. Too many dogs suffer due to selfish owners. If it’s so hot, leave your pet at home inthe air conditioning!

  • My favorite tip is the Bring fresh water! For new pet owners, make sure you have plenty of clean drinking water on hand to keep your purring pet hydrated. Make sure your kitty or puppy stays away from not-so safe water sources like puddles, pools or even a leftover glass of water on the table. For puppies, a great way to keep cool is to add ice cubes to their water. They’ll have a blast licking away at the frozen treats.

  • Water is most important. But I like the seat belt for dogs since mine just rome free in the car..

  • My favorite summertime tip is to teach your puppy how to get in and out of the pool and do not overestimate your dog’s swimming ability. Those are good tips.

  • I like the tip about adding ice cubes to their water, I think my dog would have fun with that! I chuckle at the pool tips, my dog is so moisture-phobic he won’t even go outside when it’s barely raining… we got him at 7 months so I’m wondering if he had a terrible bathing/ swimming experience before we got him.

  • Good tips on The Heat is On! It has been pretty hot here and I want to keep my dogs nice and cool.

  • I like the tip about putting ice cubes in my dogs water when it is hot, I never thought about doing that before.

  • I like the reminder not to leave pets unsupervised around the water. Too many people do this!

  • When we are going places and bringing our dog Charlie with us I like to always back extra water bottles for him and I also make sure to pack food also!

  • Boomer has already had a very fun summer and a gc from PetSmart will give him a headstart in the fall.

  • My favorite tip is Cars get hot very quickly. Never leave your little guy in the car on a warm day, even for a quick trip into a convenience store.

  • I like the tip 2.Be by their side as they get used to the water. You’ll be able to see their growth as they go from cautious to confident in their ‘doggy paddle

  • Keep Hydrated and Find shelter. When outdoors, make sure to find plenty of shade to play under.

  • Never leave your little guy in the car on a warm day, even for a quick trip into a convenience store.

  • Keep your puppy safe with car specific products like Top Paw® Pet Safety Harness or Top Paws® Seat Belt Strap.Love this idea!

  • My favorite tip is to dry your dog’s ears after they have been swimming. We go to the beach and I have a dog who get frequent ear infections if she’s been in water so we have a special drop we use to help dry it out.

  • My favorite tip is cars get hot very quickly. Never leave your little guy in the car on a warm day, even for a quick trip into a convenience store. It always bothers me when I see a pet left in a car.

  • `Wiping out dog’s ears after bath or swim to prevent infection etc and Keep your puppy safe with car specific products like Top Paw® Pet Safety Harness or Top Paws® Seat Belt Strap.

  • I don’t think it is much of a tip, but I learned that PetSmart offers a Pet Hotel service, which I did not know!

  • Be by their side as they get used to the water. You’ll be able to see their growth as they go from cautious to confident in their ‘doggy paddle.’

  • my favorite tip- Don’t leave them unsupervised. If you do have to step away for a moment once they become frequent swimmers, try a pet life vest – it can give your puppy the added protection they need. Just make sure it fits correctly!

  • Don’t leave them unsupervised. If you do have to step away for a moment once they become frequent swimmers, try a pet life vest – it can give your puppy the added protection they need. Just make sure it fits correctly!

  • I saw the tip about hot pavement burning their pawpads! Which is good to remember for me because my little dog hates the water and would much rather be on the sidewalk!