It Can Be Pain-Relieving – Warm Water Swimming
Swimming in warm water can be an excellent form of therapeutic exercise for dogs, aiding in the recovery process by strengthening joints, facilitating circulation, and helping fortify muscles. Not only is the warm water pain-relieving, it also promotes blood flow and helps to warm up muscles quicker, reducing the risk of further injury. If you don’t live in a warm climate or have a heated pool, many cities have rehabilitation facilities with heated pools for recovering pets.
Is Swimming or Running Better for Dogs?
Swimming is less stressful for the joints when compared to running and while it won’t replace regular walks, swimming can definitely take your current jogging or biking exercise spot.
Supposedly, the canine physiologist and clinical nutritionist DVM Arleigh Reynolds equates 1 minute of swimming to 4 minutes of running.
That’d mean that a 15-minute swim can be sufficient for a good workout since it equates to an hour of walking.
Double that time and you’re at 30 minutes swimming = 2 hours of walking which is on the higher end for regular walks.
Additionally, you can swim with almost any dog while running is generally limited to healthy adult dogs and even then certain breeds just aren’t supposed to run much at all.
Swimming with a pup? Sure thing if you limit the time in the water.
Wanna go for a swim with a senior? No problem, it might actually be the best exercise for them.
On the other hand, serious running would be restricted for a dog who’s still growing (which can be up to 2 years for large breeds).
What makes your dog happy on walks is using their sense of smell which you might be losing out on when running.
Some high-energy dogs do need longer sessions or more demanding exercise (don’t forget mental exercise!) but even my Rottweiler prefers smelling on extended walks over running next to the bike, although she’s fine with both.
Drinking too much water
Even though it may be difficult to prevent your dog from drinking too much water while swimming, you can take preventive measures in the event they fall sick.
The water in the swimming pool contains chemicals required for sanitizing and drinking too much of it can give your dog an upset stomach.
If your dog falls ill, you should reduce the chemical level in the swimming pool by installing a mineral purifier.