How to Choose a Pet-Friendly Pool
A lot of people with medium-sized pets like to let them play in the pool. Have a dog? Sheep? Llama? Small horse? They might be interested!
Still, for the time being, let’s assume your preferred pool-sharing pet is a dog.
Dogs need two important things from a pool:
- They need a shallow area to stand up in.
- They need to know where to get in and out.
Shallow Area
Pets love shallow water where they can stand up. They can hang out there, and they can swim out into the deeper water and back if they feel like it.
Unless your pet is a Great Dane or a bear, a regular shallow end is too deep for an animal to stand in.
Pools with a tanning ledge/shelf are perfect for dogs. This pool feature (also called a tanning shelf or Baja ledge) is an integrated part of the pool that holds 8–12 inches of water.
How to get in and out
Don't force your darling daisey into the water
To be pet-friendly (and pet-safe, really), your pool should have steps going into the water, not a ladder, at least in the shallow end/tanning ledge.
The steps should be wide enough for your pet to walk on. Cutesy little cake steps probably aren’t the way to go if you have a German shepherd or Newfoundland.
Also, be aware that some dogs have difficulty finding the steps at first.
For example, my coworker Jason’s two dogs initially couldn’t tell where the steps in his pool were. Once they learned where the steps were, then they knew how to get in and out.
000 You may want to help your dog down the steps until she figures them out.
The most pet-friendly pool types
A lot of pet owners buy pools with their pets in mind. So which kinds of pools are best for our animal friends ?
Fiberglass pools are awesome for pets. Dog claws won’t tear or puncture the strong, durable gelcoat. It also won't hurt the dog's joints.
Concrete pools are an okay option. The interior finish—plaster, aggregate, or tile—holds up well. However, the surface can be too harsh on joints and claws.
Unfortunately, vinyl liner pools aren’t great for pets. Most liners are 20–30 mils thick, which is less than a millimeter. It’s all too easy for dog claws to carve through that.
Fiberglass pool designs with a tanning ledge
Blue Hawaiian Fiberglass Pools have a variety of Tanning ledge models. Let us know if you are interested in enjoying your pool with your pet. We can walk you through some of the options available.
