You’ve had your pool for a while now, and you’ve been wondering why your dog keeps barking at it?
Is it because he finds the pool is a threat to him, or he sees himself appearing in the pool and that scares him, or he just likes to bark at everything!
Whatever the reason, it is vital that you figure out why your dog behaves in this way so that you can correct him.
It can be a stressful experience for everyone in your family if your dog keeps barking for no obvious reason when he is around the pool.
So in this article, I’m going to share with you some of the most common reasons why your dog barks so much around the pool. You will also learn how to solve these problems.
If you want to start solving your dog’s pool barking problems now, then read on…
Fear Of Seeing Himself In The Pool
Your dog is not able to understand that the other “dog” that he sees in the pool is actually just his reflection in the water and that can make him feel very insecure and anxious.
As you probably know, dogs use their sense of smell to get to know each other, but the “dog” that appears right in front of him in the pool doesn’t possess any scent and that freaks him out.
He will start to bark and growl at the pool as an attempt to get that “dog” out of his sight.
In some cases, you might even find him jumping into the pool just to chase the reflection.
What you can do is to teach your dog that what he sees in the pool is just his reflection in the water, and that it is impossible to chase or catch it.
The best way to do this is to start the training when you are giving him a bath.
Fill the bathtub with water and let your dog see himself appearing in the water. Lift one of his paws and gently touch the water to make the reflection go away. You can also gently touch the water with your hand to make the reflection disappear.
This will teach him that the “dog” he sees in the water is just a reflection and will be of no harm to him.
By doing this, you will be able to train your dog to overcome his fear of the reflection that appears in the pool.
He will learn that the “dog” in the water is actually just an illusion, similar to what he sees in the mirror when he stands right in front of it.
He’s Warning You Of The Risk In The Pool
The noise of the pool and the splashing of the water can be enough to scare your dog.
By barking around the pool, he’s trying to warn you that the pool is a dangerous place that you should keep away from.
This is especially so when he sees you floating in the water and is worried about your safety.
To teach your dog that you will be fine in the pool, do the training in a pool that has a shallow end. This is so he can see that you are enjoying yourself in the pool and the water is safe.
You can also lure him to the shallow pool using a treat so that he can get near you and know that you are okay.
He Is Phobia Of Water
Your dog is afraid of the pool because of his phobia of water.
This could be due to his traumatic experience with water when he was still a puppy, or he was attacked by a predator when he was in the water.
You will see him exhibiting his fear by barking around the pool with a shivering body.
You will need to work on desensitizing your dog and helping him overcome his fear of water.
This is how it works:
You will need to make sure that your dog is calm before exposing him to the water.
Start by introducing your dog to the water in the bathtub rather than a deep pool.
Carry him on your arm as you slowly move into the bathtub.
Don’t submerge your dog, just allow him to get used to the water and feel the water flow over him.
Gradually, increase the amount of time he is in the water as he becomes more confident.
Once your dog is comfortable with the water, then you can slowly introduce him to the pool.
Make sure that you are present in the pool during his training and do it in a shallow pool. Do not leave your dog alone in the pool. You will need to stay with your dog at all times.
This will require a lot of time and patience on your part, but the effort will be well spent. You will have a dog that loves to play with water!
He Is Trying To Tell You What He Had Found
Dogs are naturally curious about new things and if your dog barks a lot when he is near the pool, it could be because he has made a new finding.
He may have found something in the pool that he wants to show you.
It’s hard to tell what your dog has found, but keep an eye out for things such as dry leaves, insects, dead animals or bubbles blowing in the pool.
To reduce your dog’s curiosity, you can consider installing a pool cover for your pool. This will prevent any debris from getting into the pool and will also stop your dog from seeing what’s in the pool.
He Wants To Join You In The Pool
Your dog sees you enjoying yourself in the pool, and he wants to join in the fun.
As he has not learned how to swim, he can only bark around the pool to let you know that he wants to go into the pool.
What you can do is to put him on a life buoy and let him have some fun in the pool, under your supervision.
This is also a good opportunity for him to learn some basic swimming skills and make him associate the feeling of being in the water with a fun activity.
Make sure that you keep a close watch-out on him in the pool when he is still learning how to swim.
Smell of Chlorine Bothers Him
Your dog possesses an acute sense of smell, and he can easily smell the chlorine from the water in the pool without getting into the water.
This stinking smell from the chlorine is going to irritate his nostrils and make him stay away from the pool.
If you try to “force” him to go near the pool, he will start to bark around the pool to show his discomfort.
You can replace the use of chlorine in your pool with Nature2 CF to sanitize your pool.
Silver and copper minerals in Nature2 CF react with the pool water to produce positive ions, which help to sanitize the water.
Biological matter that is negatively charged, such as bacteria and algae, is then eliminated by these positive ions.
This approach will help to keep your pool clean without the use of chlorine.