diff --git a/compose/cli/command.py b/compose/cli/command.py
index dd7548b707b..525217ee75a 100644
--- a/compose/cli/command.py
+++ b/compose/cli/command.py
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ def get_config_path(file_option):
     return [config_file] if config_file else None
 
 
-def get_client(verbose=False):
-    client = docker_client()
+def get_client(verbose=False, version=None):
+    client = docker_client(version=version)
     if verbose:
         version_info = six.iteritems(client.version())
         log.info("Compose version %s", __version__)
@@ -83,11 +83,12 @@ def get_project(base_dir, config_path=None, project_name=None, verbose=False,
                 use_networking=False, network_driver=None):
     config_details = config.find(base_dir, config_path)
 
+    api_version = '1.21' if use_networking else None
     try:
         return Project.from_dicts(
             get_project_name(config_details.working_dir, project_name),
             config.load(config_details),
-            get_client(verbose=verbose),
+            get_client(verbose=verbose, version=api_version),
             use_networking=use_networking,
             network_driver=network_driver,
         )
diff --git a/compose/cli/docker_client.py b/compose/cli/docker_client.py
index 2c634f33767..734f4237b04 100644
--- a/compose/cli/docker_client.py
+++ b/compose/cli/docker_client.py
@@ -9,7 +9,10 @@
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
-def docker_client():
+DEFAULT_API_VERSION = '1.19'
+
+
+def docker_client(version=None):
     """
     Returns a docker-py client configured using environment variables
     according to the same logic as the official Docker client.
@@ -18,6 +21,8 @@ def docker_client():
         log.warn('The DOCKER_CLIENT_TIMEOUT environment variable is deprecated. Please use COMPOSE_HTTP_TIMEOUT instead.')
 
     kwargs = kwargs_from_env(assert_hostname=False)
-    kwargs['version'] = os.environ.get('COMPOSE_API_VERSION', '1.19')
+    kwargs['version'] = version or os.environ.get(
+        'COMPOSE_API_VERSION',
+        DEFAULT_API_VERSION)
     kwargs['timeout'] = HTTP_TIMEOUT
     return Client(**kwargs)
diff --git a/tests/integration/cli_test.py b/tests/integration/cli_test.py
index a18b69f500b..78519d14180 100644
--- a/tests/integration/cli_test.py
+++ b/tests/integration/cli_test.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 from .. import mock
 from .testcases import DockerClientTestCase
 from compose.cli.command import get_project
+from compose.cli.docker_client import docker_client
 from compose.cli.errors import UserError
 from compose.cli.main import TopLevelCommand
 from compose.project import NoSuchService
@@ -190,8 +191,9 @@ def test_up_without_networking(self):
 
         self.command.base_dir = 'tests/fixtures/links-composefile'
         self.command.dispatch(['up', '-d'], None)
+        client = docker_client(version='1.21')
 
-        networks = [n for n in self.client.networks(names=[self.project.name])]
+        networks = client.networks(names=[self.project.name])
         self.assertEqual(len(networks), 0)
 
         for service in self.project.get_services():
@@ -207,16 +209,17 @@ def test_up_with_networking(self):
 
         self.command.base_dir = 'tests/fixtures/links-composefile'
         self.command.dispatch(['--x-networking', 'up', '-d'], None)
+        client = docker_client(version='1.21')
 
         services = self.project.get_services()
 
-        networks = [n for n in self.client.networks(names=[self.project.name])]
+        networks = client.networks(names=[self.project.name])
         for n in networks:
-            self.addCleanup(self.client.remove_network, n['id'])
+            self.addCleanup(client.remove_network, n['id'])
         self.assertEqual(len(networks), 1)
         self.assertEqual(networks[0]['driver'], 'bridge')
 
-        network = self.client.inspect_network(networks[0]['id'])
+        network = client.inspect_network(networks[0]['id'])
         self.assertEqual(len(network['containers']), len(services))
 
         for service in services: