German Shepherds are athletic, courageous dogs who have a penchant for jumping into the water and splashing around. This could be a bit of an issue if you’re squeamish about dog hair floating around in your pool, though.
Searching for the best way to get German Shepherd hair out of a pool can leave you with a long list of dos and don’ts you’re not even sure will work. So keep reading to find out how to keep your pool clean even if your pooch likes to take a dip every now and then.
How Does German Shepherd Hair Get in the Pool?
If your dog likes swimming, finding hair in the pool won’t be at all surprising. However, some dogs are deathly afraid of the water and will not jump in even if you spend the whole day coaxing and bribing them. So how does their hair end up in the pool after all?
Their House is Close to the Pool
If your GSD sleeps in a doghouse in your backyard, chances are they’ll pass by the pool or walk by it several times a day. If they scratch their back or even shudder close by, some of their hair will find its way into the pool.
Brushing the Dog Near the Water
Grooming your GSD, especially during their shedding season, is extremely important for their health and well-being. If you brush out or deshed your dog in your backyard, the wind will carry some of their hair and dander, especially the fluffy undercoat hairs, into the pool.
Your German Shepherd Cools Off in the Pool
Even if he or she isn’t an avid swimmer, a German Shepherd might use the pool as a large water bowl to drink from and cool off on a hot summer’s day. Just make sure your German Shepherd doesn’t make a habit of drinking pool water, or else they might get seriously ill.
How to Get German Shepherd Hair Out of a Pool
There are a few things you can do to prevent your German Shepherd’s hair from clogging the pool filter and causing a mess, and they are:
Use a Manual Skimmer
This is the simplest, yet surprisingly most effective method to get your dog’s hair out of the pool when they’ve just gone for a swim. Simply use a manual skimmer on a pole that can catch all the floating hairs before they make it to the pool’s filter.
This is a straightforward, yet slightly labor-intensive solution, since you have to go through the pool every time your pooch jumps in. However, if you have a small pool, this shouldn’t be too tiring.
Fit the Skimmer Basket with a Skimmer Sock
Skimmers are the pool’s first line of defense that prevents leaves, bugs, pollen, and other random floating objects from making their way into the filtration system. They’re equipped with a basket that’s supposed to catch these small objects, but more often than not, the openings are too large.
That’s where skimmer socks come in handy. These contraptions are basically nylon stocking-like fittings that you cover the pool’s skimmer basket with, and they should do the rest.
In fact, if you want to cut costs, you can just use a hair net or an actual nylon stocking to cover the basket. It should catch all of your pet’s hair and then some!
Replace the skimmer sock every couple of days or even once a week if your GSD doesn’t feel like swimming.
Use a Robotic Pool Cleaner
Since a German Shepherd’s overcoat is made of thick, heavy hairs, some of them might fall to the bottom of the pool so a manual sweeper won’t get them out.
A robotic pool cleaner might sound like a huge investment, but it doesn’t have to be. They’re just devices that use batteries or solar power to sweep the bottom and sides of the pool.
Although the technology might sound complex, it’s really just a water-safe vacuum cleaner. It moves along the hard surfaces and removes grime, dirt, and debris that sticks to the bottom and doesn’t go through the filtration system.
Upgrade Your Pool’s Filtration System
Most household pools use a sand or cartridge filtration system that takes care of most of the debris in the pool. This works for most people with no pets, but when you have a German Shepherd who likes to play in the water, you might want to reconsider the setup you have.
Upgrading the pool’s filter might be a bit of an upfront investment, but it pays off when you don’t have to come back and clean out the filter every few days because it’s clogged. It also helps keep the pool sanitary to avoid spreading infections to the people who use the pool.
How to Prevent German Shepherd Hair from Falling into the Pool
They say prevention is better than cure, and in this case, it checks out!
The best way to prevent your dog’s hair from making its way into the pool is to regularly de-shed the hair and keep the dog well-groomed. This is especially true for German Shepherds as their undercoat can get crazy if not regularly brushed out.
Of course, it’s best to do this away from your pool to avoid having to fish the hair out later, but you get the point.
Conclusion
The best way to get German Shepherd hair out of a pool is to make sure it’s regularly skimmed through, either by using a manual skimmer or by fitting the pool skimmer system with a nylon sock. This can prevent the hairs from making their way into the pool filter and causing clogs.
You can also use a robotic pool cleaner that can get the tiniest bits of debris off the bottom of your pool.
Just keep in mind that sometimes, preventing the hair from getting into the pool is as easy as brushing out your German Shepherd’s undercoat every week or so. Regular grooming will prevent random shedding and keep your pool nice and clean.
