Water games for dogs

It doesn’t always have to be a swimming session at the lake to keep cool in summer. There are also plenty of opportunities at home in your own garden or in the nearby surroundings to offer your dog an activity to cool them off.

All you have to do is distribute a few treats, for example in a dog pool, and then give your four-legged friend the command to pick them up. Your dog will dip its nose into the water. Your dog doesn’t like it and won't stick its nose in the cool water? Then you can also place small floating objects, such as a board, bowl, etc., in the water and spread the treats around on them.

If you already have a water-filled pool or a dog pool, you can simply move relocate trick training to it. Your four-legged friend will then basically come into contact with the water when you give it commands. Just make sure that the commands can also be carried out safely in the water and on the other surface.

This game is especially exciting for dogs that generally enjoy playing fetch. If the four-legged friend is also a true lover of water, it will have a lot of fun with this game. All you need is a toy that floats to throw into a suitable body of water or dog pool. The dog can then fetch the toy and bring it back to you, and then the fun starts all over again. As an alternative, this game is also great to play along streams. In this case, you can throw the toy to the opposite side and your dog can then run through the water on the way there and then back to you.

If your pooch is a little wary of water in general and does not like standing up to its belly in the water, you can place a plastic sheet or something similar in the shade. Then use a watering can or garden hose to douse this surface in water. You can then spread the treats around the sheet for your dog to pick up. For dogs that are insecure or afraid of water, we recommend already rewarding them when they step on the sheet, both verbally and physically with treats.

To do this, fill a dog pool or something similar with water and then place some larger, lightweight plastic balls in it. Then show the dog its favourite toy and sink it into the pool between the balls. Your dog should now fish out the toy and be allowed to play with it. After that, the game starts all over again.

Dogs also enjoy cooling hydrotherapy treatments. Shallow waters are perfect for this, since the dog should only stand in the water up to its belly. Once your four-legged friend is in the water, all you have to do is encourage it to tread or run. Running in the water is strenuous, but at the same time it strengthens the leg muscles, which is very easy on the joints. Small dogs can also do their laps in a mini-pool.