lister1 Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 What's the best way to get a dog to be a good swimmer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry31 Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 Now there a thing forgive my ignorance but I thought all dogs could swim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispti Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) What's the best way to get a dog to be a good swimmer? Plenty of swimming Edited August 12, 2012 by chrispti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpk Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 Plenty of swimming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 i took my dog to a small shallow stream and throw her favorite toy in (on a bit of string just encase as you don't want to be the one going in lol ) i tried this a few times and she just stood there with them puppy eyes ,step 2 ,place your size 10 just under her rear and with a soft genital nudge in she will go ,once she was in that's it ,mine loves water she goes mad when were down the coast ,in and out the rock pools and in the sea and even been on my surfboard ,or what my brother did was to get in with some waders and carry her in ,just don't go to deep on the first few times ,if you scare the dog it wont go anywhere near it again ,hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 Go somewhere where its shallow enough for you to wade out , once the dog sees you going out in the water it will almost certainly follow , keep wading and encourage the dog to come to you ,it will soon be swimming . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckytrigger Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 my Cocker pup Louie is now 7 months showed an interest in water as soon as i started taking him for walks and just jumped in one day. Now i struggle to keep the little ****** out. seems like he is now part fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 I started just letting the dog do what she wanted in shallow water Then i moved on to throwing a dummy in the shallows for her to retrieve I then went out with Silver Pigeon from this forum and let my dog follow his and that was it, she was out swimming and retrieving...went alot better then i imagined to be honest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedwards1966 Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 Have you had your dog in water yet? Often the easiest, most simple way is to throw the dog in, it very quickly learns it's got nothing to be afraid of and enjoys it, then obviously chooses to go in after that by itself. They can swim very well without needing to actually learn anything, all they need is the confidence to go in without being frightened. Sometimes a dog may find it frightening - I've recently been teaching a dog that was scared. She wanted to go in as her mate was in there, plus there were ducks there, and it all looked very exciting for a dog. Throwing the dog in was too frightening for her, where most dogs would have soon been fine she was terrified, the only option was to put the dog in but keeping her on a lead and that gives the dog a huge amount of reassurance. Going in with the dog is probably the best way, but sadly it's not always practical. It's important for the dog to know it can always get out when it wants to as well, that's very important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 first of all buy dog a pair of speedo,s and goggles, put them on him and watch him go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 all different, no correct answer. Other dogs and competition is one, walking out with it another, lowering it gently in from a small boat, chucking dummies in the shallows getting progresively deeper till it steps off and swims- heck even getting in swimming yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 whatever you do dont chuck the dog in......the other lads are right start off in shallow water and make it a play thing...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtailhawk1 Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 My Springer is almost eight years old. As there are no ponds on my permissions he has never been swimming. On our shoot there are ponds and he will never retrieve ducks from the ponds. A friend on the shoot advised me to take him to the beach with his ball and let him get used to it. Well he went for the first time yesterday ............. Well it worked better than I thought and he loves swimming already. Could not get him out lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lister1 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 So start slowly and build up is the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert 888 Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 So start slowly and build up is the answer. Yes,and dont throw it in as you will find out it can swim but may not be too keen in the future.I learnt the hardway, dog number two has only just started to swim by his own doing.Dog number one swam from the start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utectok Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 Slowly is it start in shallow water and build confidence it took a year for my cocker to be confident swimming in a decent current collecting duck across the stream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted August 14, 2012 Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 if your dog dont want to go in , dont force the issue . my pup would,nt go out of her depth for ages , but now swims like a duck , i left her too it and it just took a bit of time building the confidence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sl1959 Posted August 15, 2012 Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 whatever you do dont chuck the dog in......the other lads are right start off in shallow water and make it a play thing...... DO NOT CHUCK THE DOG IN shallow water slowly slowly :good: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted August 15, 2012 Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 all different, no correct answer. Other dogs and competition is one, walking out with it another, lowering it gently in from a small boat, chucking dummies in the shallows getting progresively deeper till it steps off and swims- heck even getting in swimming yourself come on the kent ,as you seem to be the only one right on PW and everyone else is wrong ,why don't you tell us how you do things and put us all to shame,far play you are ether full of it or you don't even own u gun or your just a keyboard warrior /troll ,you must of been well spoiled as a child ,you seem to have lots of toys to throw out of your pram LOL go on tell me your ex regiment and you used to test guns for the army ,we had one like you in are club and he was soon told were to go lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted August 15, 2012 Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 fair play i thought this forum was full of good people ,but it think i was wrong ,there is some good and there is some that ent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drut Posted August 15, 2012 Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 all different, no correct answer. Other dogs and competition is one, walking out with it another, lowering it gently in from a small boat, chucking dummies in the shallows getting progresively deeper till it steps off and swims- heck even getting in swimming yourself Personally I thought it a good,honest answer.Had dogs all my life(from 6yr old),mainly German Shepherds + Labradors & like humans their temperament varies greatly dog to dog.What works for one will destroy the confidence of another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted August 19, 2012 Report Share Posted August 19, 2012 So start slowly and build up is the answer. A dog that is a confident swimmer will help as well, if one is playing in the water the other will join in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoggy Posted August 21, 2012 Report Share Posted August 21, 2012 As already stated, try and keep to shallow water. Try encouraging the dog to wade in even if it means going in yourself. Once the dog has entered the water try walking out to slightly deeper water....and so on. At the time you are doing this, keep talking to the dog giving it plenty of praise and encouragment. Most dogs will follow the owner and get out of their depth, dont worry as nature kicks in and they soon start swimming. If at any point you can see the dog stressed or begins to panic...pack up take it back to the bank but always keep reasurring and praising the dog. Leave it for a few days and repeat the process. Most dogs will naturally swim on their first attempt but other may take a little longer...........but wharever you do...dont force the issue. I`ve personally witnessed dogs ruined by an over eager handler/owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted August 21, 2012 Report Share Posted August 21, 2012 As already stated, try and keep to shallow water. Try encouraging the dog to wade in even if it means going in yourself. Once the dog has entered the water try walking out to slightly deeper water....and so on. At the time you are doing this, keep talking to the dog giving it plenty of praise and encouragment. Most dogs will follow the owner and get out of their depth, dont worry as nature kicks in and they soon start swimming. If at any point you can see the dog stressed or begins to panic...pack up take it back to the bank but always keep reasurring and praising the dog. Leave it for a few days and repeat the process. Most dogs will naturally swim on their first attempt but other may take a little longer...........but wharever you do...dont force the issue. I`ve personally witnessed dogs ruined by an over eager handler/owner. very well put that man ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crichbish Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 I have a problem with my spaniel, he swims well for while then when he gets near a dummy or on other occasions for no apparent reason he brings his front legs up and his swimming goes to pot, just a mass of splashes, this creates panic and he looks to get out of the water, he is very happy to enter the water and will retrieve and swim perfectly on perhaps 50% of occasions. does anyone have an advice? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.