Benefits of Swimming for Dogs

On a hot summer day, there's nothing better than a cool dip in a refreshing pool.  And a swim can also provide some great fitness benefits for dogs and their people, too!

Rocco recently had the chance to go swimming at his pal Miko's pool.

Of course, it's always safety first with pools and dogs and we kept an eye on the boys at all times.

One of the first things both Miko and Rocco learned was the location of the steps to get in and out the pool. Rocco wasted no time in finding the steps and he launched himself into the water on his own!

Rocco swam out and back and found the steps with no trouble at all. Good boy!

Some terrific benefits of swimming for both dogs (and people, too!) include:

• Helps build strong, toned muscles
• Aids in cardiovascular fitness
• Works range of motion for increased flexibility

Increased flexibility and strong, toned muscles also helps active dogs like Rocco avoid injuries.

Another fun game to play in a pool is raft balancing! Rocco and Miko show off their balancing skills as they work their core muscles on the unsteady surface. Just like the games Rocco plays on his wobble board, balancing on the raft helps build body awareness, strength and confidence too!

Then, after a swim, there's nothing better than a wet dog game of chase!

Rocco loves the water and he's getting to be a stronger swimmer too. We don't get to swim too often, since we don't have a pool in our own backyard. But we both love it, every chance we get!

Does your dog like to swim?

Don't forget to enter our K9 Kamp giveaway with over $350 in terrific prizes! And remember, July 25th is the day to link up your K9 Kamp backyard fitness games.

And, we're also honored to be nominated for a Pettie in the Best Overall Blog category.  We're in some great company, including several of our pals. Check out the list here, and then to vote, click on the tab at the top, right of that page for "finalist voting," log in with your email or Facebook and then vote! We hope you'll consider voting for us once a day through August 7!


The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Pool Safety Tips for Dogs and Some Wet and Wild Weekend Fun!

Nice and fluffy, before Cosmo's swimming adventure!

This weekend we visited with some great pals who have a Havanese AND a lovely in-ground pool... not that we don't love our own new pool. he he!

"Last one in the pool is a rotten egg!"

Double the fun, Miko, in the front, and Cosmo race around the pool before taking a dip! Just like kids, the pups need to be supervised around the pool. So be sure to read all the way down for some pool safety tips.

Two wet Havanese!

Cosmo and Miko learn quickly where the pool steps are located.  They're a nice place to hang out when you're not swimming, and also important for a dog to know when it comes time to exit the pool.

Miko shows off his excellent swimming skills and his knowledge of the step location!

Miko has been trained to swim to the steps, and he's built up his endurance so swimming the entire pool length is no trouble at all! Good dog!

"Um, how do I look in orange?"

Meantime, a wet and refreshed Cosmo goes right for a nice romp in the Georgia Red Clay. Only on Cosmo, it turned his fur orange. Luckily it rinsed right off.

Wet and wild!

The two boys get their zoomies on! In case you're wondering, Cosmo is Miko's uncle! Cosmo is 9 and Miko is 2.

Wheeee!

Cosmo displays his flying technique! ...

"I sure did have a lot of fun!"

... while I work on some photography technique!

The dogs had a great time at the pool. But a few safety tips are always good to keep in mind before your next pool adventure!

Swimming pool safety tips for dogs

• Discourage dogs from drinking too much pool water. While the occasional drink of swimming pool water likely won't hurt them, you don't want them to ingest too much chlorine. Keep fresh water for your pet both outside and inside to discourage drinks from the pool.
• Teach them where the steps are located.  While you never want to leave pups unsupervised around a pool, it's important they know where to swim to so they can exit the pool on their own if needed. Still, you may want to assist them in exiting the pool to help build their confidence.
• Never leave your pups unsupervised near a pool.  I mentioned this above and I can't mention it enough. Even if your dog knows where the steps are located, they might panic if they try to exit the pool from the side and they can't get out on their own. You wouldn't leave a baby alone by the pool. Don't leave your pet alone, either. And keep your eyes on them always.  Enough said.
• Rinse your dog after a swim with fresh water. Pool chemicals likely are diluted enough that they won't harm your dogs skin or coat, but to be on the safe side, give your pup a rinsing after a dip in the pool. A bath isn't a bad idea too. For a long-coated dog like Cosmo, I like using a dog shampoo or conditioner designed to keep his coat and skin from drying out.

Happy Swimming!

Now, head on over the to Monday Mischief Pet Blog Hop to see what everyone else has been up to this weekend!

Stay Cool With a Dog Pool: Cosmo Havanese Beats the Heat

Giant water bowl or doggie pool?

Today's installment of Monday Mischief is all about staying cool! If you haven't heard, this past weekend was a scorcher in Atlanta.  But with a little help from Cosmo's Twitter pal @WillowWiggles, we found a new way to beat the heat. Lucky for us, Willow lives close by, so we popped right over and Cosmo got this lesson in pool fun!

Since it wasn't going to get any cooler...

We set off to get our very own backyard pool.

And Cosmo jumped right in, along with his toy and all the leaves that already are falling. We found our pool at Toys "R" Us, but we've heard you also can find them at hardware stores, Walmart and some pet stores.  Ours was $7... that's a lot of cool fun for a few bucks! We chose the plastic variety, more durable for frisky paw nails.

Cosmo's toy, the Hartz Dura Play Boomerang works great in the pool because it floats and squeaks!

All cooled off and ready to run, Cosmo zoomed around the backyard. Only since it's been so hot, bunches of dead leaves are already falling off the trees...

Whaaaat?!!

And they stick to a wet dog!

 Cosmo invited a few of his pals over too.

They were not as impressed with his pool...

Although they did pose for a few pics! 

That's ok, more room for me! 

Ahhh!

Now head on over the Monday Mischief Blog Hop and see what everyone else has been up to!

Swimming with Cosmo Havanese: Happy Summer!

Cosmo gets into the swim of things during his recent outing to The Canine Ranch in Canton, Ga. Think Canyon Ranch, except for dogs! Hmmmm, how about a spa for humans and their doggies? Now, THAT would be cool, wouldn't it?

After a day of herding and luring, Cosmo cooled off in the dock diving pool in the video above.

There also were plenty of wading pools for cooling off. That's an agility ring in the background.

Chicken legs!

Sheep get ready to be herded!

A disc dog team gets in some practice after the flyball demo, in the background.

 Cosmo Havanese says stay cool and enjoy the weekend!