Safety checklist

Swimming can be excellent exercise and enrichment for dogs, but summer water can also pose risks that aren’t always obvious. A few simple checks can prevent injuries, infections, and emergencies that turn a fun outing into a veterinary crisis.

Check the environment

Avoid stagnant or slow-moving water where bacteria and blue-green algae may concentrate. These toxins can cause severe illness or death, sometimes within hours of exposure, and there’s often no visible warning that water is contaminated.

Be cautious around rivers, dams, and tidal areas with strong currents that can exhaust even confident swimmers or pull them into dangerous situations faster than you can react.

Watch for submerged hazards such as branches that can entangle or injure, fishing line that can wrap around limbs, hooks that can embed in paws or mouths, and sharp debris like broken glass or metal that lurks beneath murky surfaces.

The water that looks most inviting – calm, clear, and accessible – may be the safest, but even then, conditions can change. What was safe yesterday may not be safe today if algae has bloomed overnight or if recent rain has altered currents and visibility.

Know your dog’s limits

Not all dogs are natural swimmers, regardless of breed. The idea that certain breeds instinctively know how to swim safely is a myth that puts dogs at risk. Short-nosed breeds like Bulldogs and Pugs struggle to breathe while swimming and tire dangerously quickly. Heavy-chested dogs like Basset Hounds and Corgis have body proportions that make staying afloat difficult. Elderly dogs may lack the stamina or coordination they once had, and injured dogs may compensate in ways that affect their balance in water.

Anxiety and over-arousal increase drowning risk because panicked dogs thrash inefficiently, swallow water, and exhaust themselves rapidly. A dog who seems desperate to get into the water may be aroused rather than confident, and that arousal can quickly become dangerous once they’re swimming.

Swimming should always be optional, not encouraged or forced. Dogs who are hesitant or actively resist may be communicating genuine limitations in their abilities or comfort levels.

Manage heat and hydration

Swimming does not prevent heat stroke. This is one of the most dangerous misconceptions about summer water play. Excitement masks overheating, especially during repeated swims where adrenaline keeps dogs going long past the point of safe exertion. A dog can overheat while swimming, particularly in warm water or when the air temperature is high and humidity prevents effective cooling even when wet.

Offer fresh drinking water frequently to prevent your dog from drinking salt water or contaminated freshwater out of thirst. Dogs who are hot and active will drink whatever water is available, and by the time you notice they’re ingesting unsafe water, they may have consumed enough to cause gastrointestinal distress or worse.

Avoid water ingestion

Swallowing seawater can cause vomiting and diarrhoea due to its high salt content, which draws water out of the digestive tract and can cause dehydration even though the dog has been in water. Freshwater ingestion from dams, rivers, or lakes increases infection risk from bacteria like leptospirosis or parasites like Giardia that thrive in these environments.

Repeated gulping while swimming is a warning sign that your dog is struggling—either they’re swallowing water because they can’t keep their head up properly, or they’re drinking excessively out of distress. Calling your dog out early when this pattern appears prevents escalation to obvious distress.

Protect ears, skin, and paws

Dry ears thoroughly after swimming, especially in floppy-eared dogs whose ear canals trap moisture and create perfect conditions for bacterial or yeast infections. Use a soft towel or cotton wool to gently absorb water from the visible parts of the ear canal without pushing debris deeper. Rinse salt, sand, or dam water from the coat as soon as possible after swimming to prevent skin irritation, hot spots, or dermatitis from prolonged contact with contaminants.

Check paw pads for abrasions, cuts, or embedded debris that may not be immediately obvious when the paw is wet and numb from cold water. Persistent head shaking, ear redness, foul odour from the ears, or discharge should be assessed promptly by your vet. Ear infections that develop after swimming can become chronic and painful if not treated early.

Supervise

Dogs should never swim unsupervised, not even dogs who are strong swimmers in familiar water. Fatigue can occur suddenly, especially when excitement and adrenaline mask the body’s warning signals. A dog who seems fine can go from swimming confidently to struggling in seconds, and if no one is watching, those seconds become critical.

Use long lines or flotation devices for uncertain swimmers, but understand that these are management tools, not safety guarantees. A long line lets you pull your dog to safety if they tire, but it also needs to be managed carefully to prevent tangling. Flotation devices reduce fatigue but don’t eliminate drowning risk if the dog panics or the device shifts.

Swimming is not a ‘safe off-lead break’ without oversight. The water doesn’t make recall reliable, and it doesn’t prevent your dog from getting into trouble; it just changes the nature of the risks.

When to skip swimming

• Open wounds or recent surgery where water exposure can introduce infection or delay healing.
• Active ear infections that will be worsened by moisture and may spread bacteria to other dogs sharing the water.
• Gastrointestinal illness that increases the risk of contaminating shared water and makes your dog more vulnerable to infections from the environment.
• Mobility or balance issues that compromise swimming safety and increase exhaustion or drowning risk.

Water exposure can delay healing or worsen existing conditions, turning what should be a minor issue into a major setback. Waiting until conditions fully resolve reduces these risks.

Final thoughts

Swimming can be safe, enjoyable, and enriching when managed thoughtfully. Most summer swimming incidents are preventable with supervision, moderation, and realistic expectations about what your dog can handle and what the environment presents.

Fun in the water should leave your dog tired and comfortable, not stressed, sore, or sick. Dogs who emerge from water panting excessively, shaking, vomiting, or showing signs of distress have exceeded safe limits. Shorter sessions, calmer water, or avoiding swimming entirely may be necessary.