Akita Pool

[EddieWalker]

My wife and I currently have four Akita's. For those that don't know the breed, they are big dogs that love the cold. Since we live in East Texas, the weather is a bit of a challenge for them. They also enjoy going into the water, so we buy a lot of children's pools every year for them. Our first thought was to build a koi pond that they could get in and out of. While there where some things about that idea that we liked, it also had a lot of negatives.

We also want to expand our back porch. At 12 ft wide and 9 ft deep, it's not big enough. We are expanding it to 24 ft wide and 16 ft deep. While we are at it, we've decided to build our a shallow pool for the Akita's. It will be 12 ft wide and stick out into the yard 16 ft. It will have steps along the full 12 foot side along the porch and the deepest part will be 3 ft deep. It will be built out of cinder blocks and then finished off in tile.

I've seen this done a lot overseas and spent the last couple of months researching how others have done this. Surprisingly it's fairly common.

We will be a salt water pool with a sand filter.

Please feel free to offer advice and suggestions. This is a first for me, so I'm sure there are plenty of things that I don't know, and didn't think of.

Last weekend we broke ground. My guess is that I dug about 20 yards out based on the size of the pile of dirt. It's tricky digging because of the house and hot tub gazebo, along with the slop of the yard and our drainage ditch. The digging is done, now to trench for utilities.

 

[jenkinsph]

Nice project Eddie I will stay tuned.:thumbsup:

Just this morning my new Siberian Husky was asking about a kiddy pool. May have to buy her one:laughing:

 

[oosik]

Its a great project - looks like the dogs are already enjoying the hole.

Why salt water - less algae formation and bacterial problems?

 

[s219]

Be interesting to watch this -- I have been batting around the idea of a simple in-ground swimming hole in our backyard, just enough to lounge in to cool off. Sounds like this is a good way to build it.

By the way, I got a kick from the picture of the clay soil up close -- you have my sympathy for dealing with that stuff. We have some around here too, that just flakes off when you dig, and boy is it a chore to deal with.

 

[UpstateSC_Papi]

I can't help with the building of the pool but do love our salt water pool we had put in when we built our house a few years ago. The salt is sooo nice versus a chlorine pool. Also, I LOVE Akitas! Beautiful dogs. "Met" one at a very small, dog show/fundraiser in Hilton Head, SC a few years ago and he was fantastic.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Your dogs are gorgeous... I'm sure they will appreciate what you are doing for them. Can't wait to see them in the water.

 

[jfh28]

I don't know why you bothered with the backhoe........four akitas could have dug that out in no time.....lol.......I guess I'm wondering why you have decided on making it a salt water pool.....I would think that fresh water would be better for their coats.....skin......eyes...ears.......and inevitably their digestive system since they are bound to swallow some of the water or lick it off their coat.........might want to run it by your vet...........Jack

 

[mike69440]

Our Great Swiss Mountain dogs seem to be boggy dogies. Give the choice between a nice clean water pond and a swam, they are in the swamp.

They go in Tri-colored and come out one color, if muck is a color. They smell like a septic tank. Then of course they wonder why they can't come in the house and just jump on the sofa.
Time for a trip to the pond.

 

[sidecarist]

I don't know why you bothered with the backhoe........four akitas could have dug that out in no time.....lol.......I guess I'm wondering why you have decided on making it a salt water pool.....I would think that fresh water would be better for their coats.....skin......eyes...ears.......and inevitably their digestive system since they are bound to swallow some of the water or lick it off their coat.........might want to run it by your vet...........Jack

A salt water pool has about 1/10 of the salt in the ocean. It's actually quite good for the skin as the water will be quite soft. Low levels of salt along with an electrolytic chlorine generator will keep the pool sanitized with quite low chlorine levels compared to traditional pools. Check out the "trouble free pool" site they have a great pool school section.

Great looking project. Good luck!

 

[bindian]

Dang Eddie:laughing:, Y'all gonna build them a master bedroom too?:confused3:
hugs, Brandi

 

[s219]

Dang Eddie:laughing:, Y'all gonna build them a master bedroom too?:confused3:
hugs, Brandi

Don't you just know that the dogs already took over the master bedroom? I bet Eddie and Karen are sleeping on cots next to the bed by now.

I'm about to dig out my old cot -- between a toddler, cat, and puppy, my wife and I are getting run off the edge of our bed....

 

[EddieWalker]

A salt water pool has about 1/10 of the salt in the ocean. It's actually quite good for the skin as the water will be quite soft. Low levels of salt along with an electrolytic chlorine generator will keep the pool sanitized with quite low chlorine levels compared to traditional pools. Check out the "trouble free pool" site they have a great pool school section.

Great looking project. Good luck!

Thank you. That explains it better then I could!!!!1

 

[EddieWalker]

Don't you just know that the dogs already took over the master bedroom? I bet Eddie and Karen are sleeping on cots next to the bed by now.

I'm about to dig out my old cot -- between a toddler, cat, and puppy, my wife and I are getting run off the edge of our bed....

No dogs are allowed on the furniture or the bed. They are too big for that!!!! They do spread out around the bed and hallway to sleep. Each has it's own place, and it's a challenge going to the bathroom during the middle of the night. Kind of like an obstacle course

 

[EddieWalker]

Dang Eddie:laughing:, Y'all gonna build them a master bedroom too?:confused3:
hugs, Brandi

Do you remember that fancy chicken coop I started a few years ago? Well we've decided not to build it as a chicken coop. Once I'm done with the pool and porch project, it will become an air conditioned, tile floored, dog house. We are already getting offers on breeding and realized that if a new female comes here, we need a place for her to be where she can be bred away from the other dogs. Same thing when one of ours has babies, we want a place for her to be able to raise them away from the others.

 

[bindian]

Do you remember that fancy chicken coop I started a few years ago? Well we've decided not to build it as a chicken coop. Once I'm done with the pool and porch project, it will become an air conditioned, tile floored, dog house. We are already getting offers on breeding and realized that if a new female comes here, we need a place for her to be where she can be bred away from the other dogs. Same thing when one of ours has babies, we want a place for her to be able to raise them away from the others.

Oh wow..........I didn't think far enough in advance. They get their own bedroom.
hugs, Brandi

 

[clemsonfor]

WOW:confused2::shocked::thumbsup:

 

[s219]

No dogs are allowed on the furniture or the bed. They are too big for that!!!! They do spread out around the bed and hallway to sleep. Each has it's own place, and it's a challenge going to the bathroom during the middle of the night. Kind of like an obstacle course

That's a crackup seeing the dogs stacked up there in the hall -- they are probably thinking "ok so we can't get on the bed but we're going to totally blockade this hallway". Those are some beautiful dogs.

 

[hddnis]

I would sell the dogs and get something suited to your climate.

Hey, you said to feel free to offer advice and suggestion.

 

[bindian]

It will be built out of cinder blocks and then finished off in tile.

As in bathroom tile? Can you go into more detail how this will stay waterproof?:confused3::confused2::confused3:
hugs, Brandi

 

[rustyshakelford]

I would sell the dogs and get something suited to your climate.

Hey, you said to feel free to offer advice and suggestion.

I don't see that happening. His wife shows them and is doing very well. Those dogs don't look to be to upset about living in east Texas.

Brett