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The Best Dog Pools For Your Dog to Splash Around in This Summer

It’s summer fun time, baby.

by Cory and Jane Turner
Updated July 22, 2023
a dog in a dog pool
Dorottya Mathe / Shutterstock
The letter "W" from the Wildest logo

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Summer is in full swing, which means it’s time to take advantage of the heat and get in some necessary pool time with your pup. It’s easier and safer than ever to unleash your pup’s inner Michael Phelps with all kinds of great gear, from dog pools to life jackets to waterproof toys.

Before we — and your pup — dive in, this is a good time to underscore that all that water-based fun with your dog requires the same level of safety and focus you’d have for a toddler — and then some.

Here are some tips to keep your dog safe:

  • Keep your dog constantly in sight around any bodies of water, from pool to lake to ocean. Things can happen frighteningly fast, so stay eyes-on with your pup to avoid any accidents.

  • As water temperatures rise, the presence of deadly blue-green algae can put your dog at risk with even the slightest contact. Learn how to spot it and steer clear of anything remotely suspicious.

  • Possibly the sneakiest risk of all is dry or secondary drowning. Dry drowning can occur hours or even days after any activity that results in your pup swallowing mouthfuls of water. Protect your dog by using a well-fitted life jacket that keeps their head above water or focusing your retrieving play near the surf’s edge. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, bluish gums and skin, and extreme lethargy. If you do ever suspect dry drowning symptoms in your dog, go to an emergency vet right away.

With a sensible safety foundation in place, you can happily soak in the sheer fun of all things water with your dog. We’ve rounded up a list of 11 things to help you and your dog enjoy summer to its fullest.

Btw, our editors (and their pets) picked out these products. They’re always in stock at the time we publish, but there’s a chance they’ll sell out. If you do buy through our links, we may earn a commission. (We’ve got a lot of toys to buy over here, you know?)

Best Dog Pools

Best Dog Life Jacket

Outward Hound Dog Life Jacket

Before your pup hits the pool (or lake or ocean), be sure to fit them with a life jacket if they aren’t a strong swimmer. This smartly designed and best-selling (36,458 shoppers to be exact!) safety vest includes sturdy pick-up handles to pull your dog out of the water and a front-neck float to keep their head above it. It offers a good range of motion with cut-in leg holes and padding for floatation and warmth. It comes in a variety of colors, but we recommend the bright orange with reflective accents, so it’s hard to miss.

Best Dog Pool Floats

Best Floating Dog Toys

Best Dog Paddle Board

cory and jane turner

Cory and Jane Turner

Cory and Jane are daughter-mother partners in just about everything including co-founding Dogly, a platform for pets and their people to live well together. They’re parents to a family full of magical rescue dogs and a bossy street cat from Shanghai who are their resident muses, testers of all things, and advisors on the meaning of life.

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