“Surf’s Up!”. I used to work for a dentist who would cancel all his patients if the surfing was good that day. It wasn’t great for business, but priorities- ya know? What’s better than swimming on a hot day? That was when I lived near the beach in California. In Texas, we have beaches, but not the “surfing type”. We had a dog beach in San Diego, which was amazing because we could take our furry friends to enjoy the waves with us. A lot of dogs love the water, just like their hoo-mans.
Doesn’t this doodle look happy? Imagine the joy the first time he dipped a paw in the swirling water. It’s so much fun romping through the waves, chasing the foamy fingers of water lapping at the shore. 🥰😎🤩
Since we don’t have a beach nearby, we like to do the next best thing. We go to the neighbor’s pool! I would say most dogs like the water, but not all. If you want to introduce your buddy to swimming, do it slowly and don’t force it. Out of our three dogs, two like swimming and one doesn’t. Our Goldendoodle, Ralphie, prefers to watch. But get our Standard Poodle, Sadie, or our Maltipoo, Daisy, near the water and they’ll be swimming for hours.
The first time we took our pups to the pool, they watched us for a good 30 minutes before they looked interested in jumping in. Sadie was first. She kept running around the pool, acting like she wanted to leap in, but she wasn’t sure. My son, Silas, threw a toy across the pool and “SPLASH!” Sadie jumped in after it. She looked confused and panicked a little, but I guided her to the edge and she was able to swim naturally. It was as if she was born swimming! Then Daisy came to the edge. She kept pawing at the water. My daughter, Chloe, went over to her and reached for her. She pulled her in and Daisy took off swimming too! Watch this clip of Daisy swimming to the edge of the pool.
The main thing is to let them warm up to it first. Don’t force them. If they see you having fun in the water, they’re more likely to want to try. There’s nothing cuter than a fluffy dog paddling across a pool.
Keep a close eye on your dogs in the pool. Just because they can naturally stay afloat doesn’t mean they can’t get hurt. Dogs can accidentally inhale water that can cause breathing problems and even death, called “submersion syndrome”. If your dog falls in a body of water and struggles, nearly drowning, take him to the vet. Even though he seems fine, he may have inhaled water and that can be fatal.
Swimming with your best pal can be one of the best parts of summer. If you and your pup enjoy the water, there are lots of ways to enjoy some fun in the sun together. If you don’t own a pool (and yeah, the HOA probably won’t let you take Fido to the community pool 😂), you can go to a lake or a beach where dogs are welcomed. If you go to a deep body of water, you should consider getting a doggy life jacket like this one:
And if an expensive in-ground pool isn’t in your near-future, you could consider a Cowboy pool. They’re all the rage in Austin, TX! 🤠🤠🤠
CruzNDoodles 
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