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Swimming pools for dogs--saltwater


juliepoudrier
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No info about saltwater pools per se, but I just ran into the following suggestion for a dog exercise pool, which might be of use to someone. Get a stock tank, put the dog in a harness, cross tie between the sides of the stock tank, and use food at one to lure the dog into swimming in place (to try to get to the food). This suggestion was for someone whose dogs needed to lose weight, but she was disabled and unable to move very far or fast when taking them on walks. Not sure one would want to use the "cross-tie in a stock tank" approach for rehab, but for exercising a healthy dog under supervision maybe.

 

(Please no comments about other ways to exercise or take weight off these dogs. That's not the point of this post, and I'm leaving out details here that would be relevant were that the topic.)

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Alaska,

I've actually talked with my vet about the stock tank idea. I think Jill would even take to that as Sam may have done something similar with her in a stock tank before I got her (or it may have been another of Sam's dogs). That's my fallback plan, but when I was talking with someone at the lesson day Sunday, she said that had gotten a pool from Wallyworld for $100, and if I could actually have a larger swimming area where Jill (and others) could tool around like they enjoy doing in ponds (or even the rehab endless pool we used for a long time), I would prefer doing that. The price for a stock tank that size would likely run me close to the same amount of $$. In other words, an actual pool would be more *fun* for me and the dogs, even if a stock tank might be more practical in many ways.

 

J.

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Not Wendy but ya'll look anxious! Just take the regular large above ground pools from WM and they have replacement filters for salt water instead is what I understand. Use the pool salt instead of chlorine. I know it can't be "that" simple....that's just way to easy. I must have missed something when talking with her. Dang, oh well, she'll appear sooner or later.

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yes it is that simple. We bought our pool from Walmart, and all we needed was an additional filter pump(also sold by WM) that hooks in to the regular one, plus several bags of pool salt. Total cost was about $500 - not chump change, but for several arthritic humans and dogs (some of which had way more than that amount in surgery) it was very worth it.

 

Once you pour in the salt, you do the same every other day or so water testing you do with a chlorinated pool. If it rains a ton you may need to add more salt.

 

Daily net saning of leaves and fur was required if you wanted to keep it spiffy. The continous filter also is emptied as needed.

 

All in all its not hard to maintain at all. We leave the pool up over the winter and just don't use it. You could take it down and put it up if you wanted.

 

our pool is 4' deep, 15' diameter. The prep to put it up was getting a level area made using the shovel and a load of sand.

 

The local dog daycare did a dog only version of this. They brought in 10' diameter, 3 foot deep stock tank, cut a hole in it to attach a filter pump. 2 benches, one in, one out, let the dog hop in and out on their own. Someone is always supervising though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok, I'm really interested because i've not heard of this before. Are there benifits to a saltwater pool other than simply avoiding chlorene and bleach?

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