The benefits of swimming for your dog!

5 Benefits of Swimming

Just like fetch and walkies, one activity that most dogs love is swimming. Whether that’s in the lake, the river, a swimming pool or at the seaside, swimming provides some great physical and mental benefits for your pooch. 

First and foremost, swimming is FUN!

Swimming is a blast for dogs that love water. It can also be fun for the pawrents as at some locations like the seaside, you can join in on the adventure with your pooch!

We already know that swimming is a lot of fun for your dog, but did you know that it it great for their mental wellbeing as well!

Swimming, splashing or running through water provides your pooch with pawsome off-leash adventures that they may not always be able to enjoy.

Just like with us humans, swimming for dogs is an activity that is low-impact and non-weight bearing which means your dog can enjoy its benefits without putting any stress on their joints and tendons.

Swimming is especially beneficial for dogs with joint disorders like arthritis or dysplasia as with their weight is supported, their skeletal system is free from stress and allows them to move differently to how they would on land, ultimately improving the range of motion in their joints.

At Bruce’s we understand the importance of stimulation for our dogs.

Dogs are incredibly smart and need daily stimulation to exercise their brain. Swimming, like other physical activities will give your dog the chance to release their energy in a healthy way. Learning to swim or throwing a toy for your dog to fetch in water, is giving them the mental stimulation they need to spark their mind!

Did you know that just one minute of swimming for a dog would be the same as them running for four minutes?

Swimming is considered one of the best forms of exercise to improve your dogs overall health. It helps strengthen their heart and lungs, improve their metabolism and circulation and will decrease inflammation. All of these benefits help keep your dogs skin and fur coat healthy, along with adding to a happy and healthy dog!

It is important to understand that whilst swimming provides a great health benefit to dogs, not every dog is a water fur baby at heart. Brachycephalic breeds like pugs and frenchies or dogs with short legs like Corgis, will find swimming tougher than others. Even dogs built for water may find it a little daunting at first.

Here are some of our our top safety tips to help your dog become familiar with water:

• Introduce them slowly at their own pace and stick to a shallow area at first.
• As they grow in confidence you can encourage them out of their depth and let them learn to paddle
• Support your dog with your hand under their stomach, just like teaching a child how to ride a bike!
• Use positive reinforcement, like toys or treats to show them splashing around and moving in water is fun and enjoyable
• Never leave your dog alone around water