I own a retired Irish ex-racing Greyhound and he doesn’t have the best of confidence with every day situations. Although I have owned him since 2 years old and he is now 5 years old, it’s tough to establish confidence in a dog that didn’t have the best start in life. He is so much more confident now and is acting like a real ‘dog’ (unless it comes to newspaper where he acts more like a 2 month old puppy).
Recently, I was thinking what would help his confidence even more than usual. Like, thinking ‘out-of-the-box’ type of scenario. Last summer (2019) he spent a lot of time playing with spaniels and absolutely enjoyed each moment with them and their energy…until they jumped in the water.
My greyhound also has an old racing injury which swells up during winter runs. This concern always in my mind when going on long walks in winter.
That’s when it hit me! Like an obvious little lightning bolt finally awoken my brain… HYDROTHERAPY!!!
Not only would it help strengthen his old ankle injury but hydrotherapy is amazing for confidence (and darn cute to watch them in little life jackets finding their feet within the warmth of the water).
What is Hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy is a weight free and low impact form of exercise beneficial in treating a wide range of conditions in dogs of all ages including: arthritis, soft tissue injuries and strains, hip and elbow dysplasia, pre and post-surgery conditioning, weight loss and general fitness.
Rehabilitation Reason
- Post surgery rehabilitation.
- Post injury recovery.
- Arthritis.
- Increased circulation.
- Relief from pain, stiffness & swelling.
- Improved joint flexibility.
Fitness reasons
- Weight loss.
- Cardiovascular fitness.
- Muscle conditioning.
- Increase stamina & fitness.
- Increased energy.
- General better health.
Fun Reasons
- Learning to swim.
- Swim with your dog.
- Improve social skills.
- Improve confidence
- Playtime retrieving toys.
- Bond with your dog
We are very lucky to be so close (20 mins drive away) to Beachin Dog Therapy Pool which is Cheshire’s largest purpose-built Dog Hydrotherapy Pool. The 8m x 5m heated pool is housed in a log cabin (very well kept and clean looking) offering rehabilitation, fitness and fun sessions for dogs of all sizes and ages.
Their large heated pool allows dogs of all sizes from tea cup pups to striding hounds to swim freely in a safe and clean environment. Each session includes a post swim fresh warm water rinse (which is my dogs favourite part) and use of the dog drying room with dog grooming dryer/blaster if required.
They have three amazing qualified instructors (two of which we have met and found so welcoming, bubbly and confident in what they do which is always reassuring when your dog doesn’t know how to swim and is so anxious in new situations).
What to Expect on a Swim Session?
Beachin Dog Therapy Pool offers a professional friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere. Understandably you may have concerns about what to expect when you arrive for your dogs first hydrotherapy or fun swimming session so their aim is to make your experience with us as relaxed and stress free as possible for both you and your dog, which they successfully do.
Sessions last 30 minutes with each dog receiving exclusive use of the pool with an instructors help or them just supervising.
Drying facilities are available free of charge; the owner is responsible for drying their dog. Please bring a towel for drying round the face and ears.
Owners are invited to get involved in the session and should be prepared to get wet. My dog has a lack of confidence and finds safety with my presence, so it gave me a peace-at-mind that I was allowed to jump in the pool with him.
It has boosted my confidence as well knowing that I am able to help my dog become more stronger and confident in the pool whilst being taught myself, routines and different ways of approaching him in the pool and how to handle him in such a different way. It defiantly has given us more bonding time and activities that we didn’t think we needed.
I was informed that some dogs don’t like it the first couple of sessions and especially with my dog being a greyhound, it would take a while for him to actually relax and enjoy it but after our third session, you can see such a major difference with his swimming capabilities. He can now swim by himself in the middle of the pool from corner to corner without and help or unnecessary, massive splashes.
I cannot recommend this place enough. It’s absolutely amazing. If you are looking for fitness reasons, rehabilitation reasons or just for a little bit of unique fun… THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO!! We have our fourth session booked in for next week already and I can’t wait to see the progress he has made from this weeks session to next weeks session!
P.S It will do your active dog good and send them into a nice big deep sleep for a couple hours, which means… the bed is not yours anymore, on the days of swimming sessions, it belongs to your fur baby!!!
