Doodles going in the pool

[Nicole Lynch]

Both my doodles love the pool! They won't actually swimm but they will lay and walk on the stairs. My concern is the chlorine. Do I have to bathe them everytime they come out? Is the pool water that bad for their skin/hair? If anyone know the facts please pass them on.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

I was told to rinse them off with the hose to get the chlorine out. Then I use a leave in conditioner.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

I think most people feel chlorine is safe at the levels used in pools for a dogs skin and coat, if not you can rinse them off and use a good dog coat conditioner, I also like Lambert Kay products. As for a dog's eyes, nose and ears they are more sensitive than a human's and as such may be a tad more susceptible to the effects of chlorine. I wouldn't want the dog to drink large amounts of chlorine. Some dogs think of the pool as one big personal dog bowl to lap up, I would discourage them.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

My vet suggested to rinse off, but to shampoo at least every 2-3 days when our doodle swims everyday. That goes for ocean swimming as well.

[Sherill Lockwood]

The chlorine will change the color of your dog if you have a black or chocolate. My friends chocolate ended up looking almost like a redheaded dye job gone bad....

She used lots of conditioner when they had the pool too.

[Nicole Lynch]

Thanks for the hair color changing heads up. My labradoodle is slowly changing brown instead of black.