Water Fun For Pups & People – Ideas and products ideal for spending quality time with your dog.
If you have a water-loving pup, this article is for you. We challenged our team to share their favorite pool play with their dogs, the best dog water toys, and tips for spending water time with pets. While not all dog breeds enjoy the water, most do. Preparing you dog for water play is important to make sure that they are safe, feel comfortable, and have plenty of entertainment.
Pro Tip: Introduce puppies to the water as soon as the weather permits and they will enjoy pool and water time with you from the very start.
10 Fun Pool Play & Chill With Pups
- Pet Swimming Lessons – yes while some dogs are natural swimmers, some need a little training. here is a great article with tips, tricks, and ideas for teaching and encouraging your dog to swim.
- Slip and Slide – create a DIY slip and slide with heavy weight plastic and a sprinkler or grab a ready made option. Not a great idea for pets with hip issues, but a fun way to cool off for pups that love outdoor play.
- Pool Fetch – place floating balls or cubes on the water’s surfaces and time how long it takes your pup to bring them to you.
- Pup Keep Away – hold your dog’s toy behind your back or under the water and let them do what they do and find it.
- Pet Lounging – grab a floating or semi-submersible raft that you pup can relax and enjoy the pool without having to paddle.
- Water Hoops – toss them for and easy catch game. You might even teach your dog to stack the rings in the pool a great dog trick.
- Night Play – choose a few glow in the dark pet toys and jump in after dark. A great way to see how well your dog tracks at night.
- Catch Me If You Can – last one in is a rotten egg. Ready, set and go to see who jumps in first or who can jump in and swim across the pool first.
- Pool Party – plan a pool party with your favorite pets and people with games, treats and relaxation.
- Pup only Pool – for pups that love there water, but are not so fond of the big pool, make or buy them one of their own. Here is a great video on how to build a gorgeous dog pond or backyard pool by Everything Ponds.com
Here are some of our favorite summer and water-friendly pet toys that are great for the pool, beach, or lake. Choose toys that float to help you keep track of them and to not encourage your pup to dive, unless you are working on a special trick. Choosing a glow in the dark dog toy is another fun option that makes playing late into the summer night a blast.
Great Dog Pool Toys for training and fun:
We love these neon cubed dog toys that are made in the USA. The perfect size to play ball and fetch and they float on the water, making them easy to find and to collect.
Toss this waterproof, floating dog stick in the pool, lake, or ocean for hours of fun. A great way to introduce pups to the shallow water by playing catch.
We love made in the USA and this high quality dog disk is a winner. Easy to throw, easy to catch, it is a great option for pets that prefer a disk over a ball.
Great for fun and fitness, these floating rings are great to toss across the pool, lake, or stream. Easy for your pup to grab and bring back to you.
Keep your pup entertained as you lounge in the pool with this awesome ring launcher that will give you pup plenty of play and enjoyment.
Designed for water play, these high quality dog toys are great for the pool, beach and lake to encourage swimming and water fun.
Toss these glow in the dark balls in the pool or from the pool and enjoy a little nighttime fun with your pup.
This soft-sided dog toy glows in the dark, floats and is easy on your pups teeth and gums. A great pool toy.
We love great Made in the USA dog toys and this one is at the top of our list. Great for day and night play.
Pet Pool Loungers & Pools
Train puppies to love the water and introduce them to relaxation heaven with a large floating lounger that is sizes right for larger breeds.
This high quality dog raft floats just under the surface of the water allowing dogs to stay cool in the water while keeping them at the surface.
When the hot sun is a bit much for float loving pooches, try this roll up covered raft that has plenty of curling up room for a relaxing day at the pool.
Set up this great dog pool in your backyard or fold it up and take it to the beach, campsite, or vacation spot to help pups beat the heat.
Add a water feature to the backyard that is ideal for pets and kiddos to cool off on hot summer days. This extra-large option has plenty of room for all.
Keep the water flowing with this combination dog sprinkler and pool that is ideal for hot days when cool water is a must.
Cool off on hot summer days by just adding a little water play. Don’t bring everything out at one time, spend time if you want to teach your pup a few pool tricks, and mix things up a bit to keep it entertaining once you have exposed your dog to your fun summer play ideas.
