pools

[KathrynH]

I know a lot of y'all have pools outside for your furkids, but I was wondering (and here comes a potentially stupid question), do your kids just automatically go in there, or do you have to show them that it's ok to get in there completely? We got a dogloo for Buddha too ( just because he hates to be inside, when we are here the only reason he wants inside is to make sure we are ok, and then back out he wants to be), but he doesn't really seem to know what to do with it, so it's been kind of a waste of $120 or so. I talked to my vet about risks of heat stroke w/ him and he said they were minimal, especially since it's not humid here, but I'd still like to know he could cool off if he wanted/needed to. SO...how do you get your furkids in the pool?

[Jeff&Peks]

You can buy those plastic pools at pet-co for $10.00 kind of a kids wading pool, if your chow will go in it its good enough to splash around in but we are talking Chow. $120.00? did it come with a diving board, heater and volly ball net. Conners pool from toys r us is huge 4' deep with a heater and it didn't cost that much. $120.00 sounds deep to me better watch the depth, Chows can drown.

[KathrynH]

Oh! Sorry Jeff! A Dogloo is a doghouse that is designed to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

[Jeff&Peks]

Oh! Sorry Jeff! A Dogloo is a doghouse that is designed to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Now that you put it that way I might look into something like that, what is it like a cold dog house? Pekoe won't go in a dog house eather so i might be wasting my money to.

[KathrynH]

Dogloo's look like miniature igloos, but Buddha just flat out refuses to use it. That's why, I know a pool is like ten bucks, but I don't want to waste money on something I'm going to have to figure out what to do with if he won't use it ya know?

[Jeff&Peks]

Dogloo's look like miniature igloos, but Buddha just flat out refuses to use it. That's why, I know a pool is like ten bucks, but I don't want to waste money on something I'm going to have to figure out what to do with if he won't use it ya know?

See what happens when you hit those 100 degree days when she feels the cold air she might think differant. In LA we have a few weeks of 115+ Pekoe tends to give the air vents a second look.

I do kind of agree with your vet, how a Chow feels heat depends on the environment its use to, Pekoe has no problem with 80/90 degree days but a Chow from Minneapolis isn't going to do so well in it. Nuke's Chow lives in an oven, Phoenix, can't get much worse then that, 100 degree day is probably nothing to his Chow, Ziggy probably looks for the fireplace when it drops to 70. Even though Pekoe is use to it and dosn't mind walking in 90 degree weather i slow it way down to a crawl, no running and plenty of water and alot of shade stops.

[KathrynH]

Well, we are hopefully getting a little girl chow in a couple months, so I'm holding out hope that she'll want it. She's a blue, so I'd think she'd definitely want a nice cool place to relax outside...we'll see though, I don't know much about her personality yet.

[kingalls]

I put our giant Dogloo on Craigslist - no takers - but will put in garage sale soon...Shiloh never used it and Mr. N only used it maybe 3-4 times.

Also, somewhere in the archives is some information about the things you need to do to train your Chow on how to get out of a swimming pool. I think there are some pool accessories that help the dog get out of the pool easier. It's essential that you train them how to get out of the pool by themselves in case they manage to get in when you're not around to watch over them.

[KathrynH]

We aren't getting a deep pool, it's just a kiddie pool, one of the little ones.

[cleopatra20043]

Congrats on a new addition (hopefully) you know we all love pictures Anyway if your girl is anything like mine she will try to stand on top of any type of dog house to see over the fence as opposed to sleeping in it, Cai Li prefers to sleep in one of our patio chairs that is right under the living room window so that she knows what is going on at all times. I don't have a kiddie pool for the dogs but I do know that when they are hot durring the summer time they love to run in the sprinklers or be in the house with the air conditioning. But mine are spoiled rotten little puppers and they are in the house more often than outside, Chen is a big ole cry baby if he is kept outside for longer than he wishes to be, he will whine at the back door untill I let him in, Cai Li will use one of the patio chairs to look in at us through the living room window to let us know she wants in. I was thinking about trying a kiddie pool for them though this summer and see what they think but I know that neither one of them like their baths, they sit there and let me but look at me the whole time like "mom, why are you doing this to me? what did I do to deserve this?" And then they shake off all over the house while doing zoomies and rubbing on the carpet...eeesshhh Chows lol!

Julia

[chowfrnd88]

LOL, I'll have to find the photos of us last summer with the pool I got for Spesh. I'll tell you what they look like though: it's me standing in the kiddie pool holding a treat like an idiot and Spesh staring at me like I'm crazy! LOL. But a lot of people, KIngalls always comes to mind , have chows who adore pools. I think you should be able to find some of her photos of the pool.

[Layla]

Here's me teaching Alf to use the pool.





Millie was older so just drank outta it, then walking around in it all summer



It was a good investment for us

[kingalls]

Oh! a kiddie pool - when we found out Chows don't take heat very well, we got a regular shallow, long rectanglur bin, put in some water, then threw in a toy. First she pawed at the toy in the water, next thing we knew she was sitting in it. Later we graduated to the biggest kiddie pool we could get at K-Mart. Now she knows "cannonball!" and jumps in!

[Dogdad]

When I got Yoshi and Maxwell their pool, I just filled it up about 8 inches and then splashed my hand it in. Yoshi immediately went in and jumped around and snapped at the water. Maxwell is too prissy for that, he just drinks out of it, but he also avoids puddles while Yoshi monster goes through them.

Cute picture, that looks like our pool

[Mia]

Layla, those pics are just too cute!

I like the kiddie pool idea, but mine hate being outside unless we are going somewhere. They have their favourite spots in the house and just aren't interested in being out.

Silly pooches.

They are lounge chows. (that just doesn't have the same ring as lounge lizards!)

[TJordan]

Mine would like at me as if I were insane if I put a kiddie pool out for him. He would probably think it the biggest water bowl he has ever seen!!! He won't get his paws wet unless it is an emergency situation!!

[chowfrnd88]

Here I am trying to coax Special in with a bag of yummy chummies. The pool is mine now I guess, he can't understand why I would stand in a giant waterbowl.



Layla, those photos are too cute!

[Mia]

I forgot to add, Chutney would drink the pool dry!!!

The better to make puddles with...

[tekendall]

Mine loved her pool when she was a puppy. She'd jump right in and lay on her belly. Like everyone else, she now thinks it's just a giant water bowl.

[chowfrnd88]

I love the look on Zoey's face in that fisrt picture! She just looks so annoyed, "now is not the time for pictures!"

[sit_by_the_beach]

Woofstock was our big trip to the city last year, it was one of the hottest days. My chow unlike other 'normal dogs' did not like to get heaved into any of the pools that the organizers provided. One of the volunteers dumped cool water over Mikki, she didn't like it, if looks could kill. We laughed. She did drink some of the water, yes one big water bowl to her.

I did buy a kiddie pool last year, she's not thrilled, neither is the mutt I adopted. I will just poor water over them to keep them cool.

[Piff Poff]

I was wondering if anyone used a sand pit for their furkids. Henry likes to go under the deck, dig in the dry earth (to get to a cool bit) and lay in it. The only problem though is that he digs in the same corner where the post is - I can just see the deck collapsing one hot day as Henry digs his hole

[chris]

Just got our "kiddie" pool out a few weeks ago when it was warm. Chief sits in it... Roxi plays and lays in it... Steel .. front paws in and drinks it. LOL

[Tai's Mom]

Tai absolutely HATES water. For baths we take him to the doggie wash. It still takes 2 of us (try fighting a 75lb. chow who doesn't want a bath, on your own), but it's alot easier to fight standing up and everything is right there when you need it. It's also alot easier to make sure that you've gotten all of the shampoo out. I could just imagine what he would do with a pool. Probably like the rest... would use it as a big water bowl and then go back inside in the air conditioning.

[cheriekynb]

AND...


Sid loves his kiddy pool.. Best 10 bucks I've spent!!