My pond will be 35x25 x4 ft at the deepest, and from the deepest section it is up 2 1/2 feet to the first planting ledge. Do people have ideas as to what I can do/build so the dogs can safely climb out the deep end? I'd like it to blend in with a natural pond. I was just going to pile up rocks but I'm afraid they will be too slippery for a firm foothold. Thanks.
How to Make a Deep Pond Safe for Dogs
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Stones will work for dogs, they just need to be heavy enough so they do not fall when the dog gets on them. If you use nice flat stones like 2ft x 3ft x6" thick or so, you can build stairs so they will benefit you too in getting into the pond.
We built "stairs" in our pond (the shelves just step all the way down to the bottom in one spot) that I use to climb in and out. At one point they were slippery, but they have grown a nice layer of carpet algae which has made them far less slippery.
My only concern would be if your dogs would actually USE the stairs - we have one dog that's smart and good learner... the other one, not so much. Like if you open the car door for her to get out, she will leap to the front seat and try to climb out the window. She's the one that would claw her way up the waterfall to get out of my pond if she ever got in... not real brainy!
My only concern would be if your dogs would actually USE the stairs - we have one dog that's smart and good learner... the other one, not so much. Like if you open the car door for her to get out, she will leap to the front seat and try to climb out the window. She's the one that would claw her way up the waterfall to get out of my pond if she ever got in... not real brainy!
The best dogs fall somewhere between dumb as a rock and MENSA dog. We've had a couple of those over the years. Currently we have one who believes she's smarter than all the humans and ole Miss "why go out the door when there's a window!"
I'm not really sure how smart the other one is. She never asks for anything - not dinner, treats, or to go for the daily hike because the other one does all the asking for the both of them. Perhaps she's the smartest of the two.
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Do your dogs know how to swim ?
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Same with ours...................she commands us with her eyes..............
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They go for the edge and if they can't get out they panic and keep trying until exhausted. I trained mine in arizona to head for the pool steps, kept a nice stack of bright red bricks on the steps. Visual clue. Here is safety.
LOL Who figured out whom? The one I think is so smart is a real talker; she seems to have an incredibly varied vocabulary. The other one pretty much has one loud bark but she seldom uses it.
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She trained us! She will get on my knees and push my lappy with her nose if I don't move it so she can lay in my lap. First I get the stare.............like come on move it, then the push.
Ah yes, the stare... Back in the day I was training my smart one to shake before getting a treat. Aren't we supposed to make them work for a treat? She got it the second try. The next evening I was laying on the couch watching tv and she came up to me with the silliest grin on her face and wanted to shake my hand. I was teaching her to do a trick for a treat - she was learning sign language. I laughed so hard I almost fell off the couch. Now she has a way to let me know she'd like a treat. Sometimes it works. Sometimes I say no, sorry, no treat.