Training a dog to swim

[yorketransport]

So my WPG, Pepper,  is just over 1 year old and loves the water as long as it's only chest deep. She won't go in any deeper. We tried bringing toys, treats and gentle coaxing but nothing. I tried having the kids wade out with her hoping that the dog would want to follow them out but still nothing. If her toy is just out of reach and she would need to go more than chest deep to get it, she'll just cry and come back to shore.

While at the lake yesterday I watched another guy training his yellow lab. His dog started the same way as mine, just wading chest deep. He had his kids pull the dog into the water by the leash. The dog was obviously stressed and fought the whole way. After doing that a few times he took the dog to the dock and threw it in. The dog did swim to the shore, but looked panicked the whole time. They repeated this process over and over. The dog would cower at the owners feet and then he would throw the dog in again.

Is that the best way to train them? It seems a little harsh like throwing your kids off the dock to teach them to swim. I'd love to get Pepper to swim but I never would have considered throwing her off the dock to teach her.

Andrew

[Bmcox86]

Try getting her a dog life vest, it helps their confidence. My dog hated water at first but has started liking it over time with a little coaxing and tricking him a few times into deeper water. I don't think I'd throw my dog off a dock

[jackson7]

cross a small inlet at slack tide and walk away from your dog. she will have to swim to join you.

[Old Dog]

Just keep doing what you are doing, and be patient.  Having the kids go in the water is a great plan. 

The guy throwing his dog off of the dock is a *censored*, and shouldn't own a dog. 

[tbotts]

I wouldn't throw my dog off the pier to teach it to swim.  Just keep doing what you are doing.  throw the ball just past the chest deep part and your dog should eventually go after it.  Is there another owner with a dog that is already swimming, that you can meet up with and get some friendly competition chasing balls into the water with?  That would probably do the trick, might take a couple of sessions though.

[vandeman17]

I agree with the idea of finding a little area to cross where she would have to swim to keep up on your walk. I also concur to never throw your dog in to teach it to swim! 

[Johnb317]

Went swimming with my lab and taught her like with a child. 
Held her up and let her 'swim'.   Made it play time. 

Never traumatize the dog, and throwing in submerges their head.

[tmike]

I had the same deal with my lab. I crossed a slough after he was a little older and basically forced him to swim to keep up with me. It was shallow but after that I couldn't keep him out of the water. Take your time with her.

[yorketransport]

I wouldn't throw my dog off the pier to teach it to swim.  Just keep doing what you are doing.  throw the ball just past the chest deep part and your dog should eventually go after it.  Is there another owner with a dog that is already swimming, that you can meet up with and get some friendly competition chasing balls into the water with?  That would probably do the trick, might take a couple of sessions though.

When I had her down there a few weeks ago there was a lady there with an older black lab. Her lab would swim out and get the ball then bring it back to my dog. He would always stay just out of my dogs reach though. I thought that this would get her in but she wouldn't budge. It was incredibly funny, but she would just cry and try to reach the ball with her paw. The other dog eventually got bored and went to play on his own.

It sounds like I'm on the right path. I asked the other guy if that was how he always trained his dogs to swim and he said yes. I thought maybe I was just missing something. I'd rather keep my dog in the kiddie pool than throw her off the dock like that. I was joking with a buddy and told him that I just need to duck hunt in less than 8" water unless I feel like retrieving all of the birds myself.

I'll look into the life jacket for her as well. It'd be just my luck to get the one dog that sinks like a rock!

Andrew

[CAM38]

I'm teaching my dog too, found that if I wade waist deep with him on the leash, he will get his frisbee, he won't go as far or deep without it.

[buckhorn2]

We took our lab to a trainer and we saw a bunch of lab pups with water wings on and ask him what that was for and he said that some pups won't swim and it helps build there confedence so it might be a good idea to try that.

[REHJWA]

How ever you do it make it a positive experience...

[mburrows]

Dont force the issue at all and let your pup take it's time.  Assumming your dog is fetching already, gradually give it further tosses, take your time here though.

Id also suggest taking your dog around other pups that love the water.

Baby steps here, if you throw a dog in the water it will not work out in your favor.

[Waldo84]

Has your dog ever been around birds? I would suggest getting the pup amp'd up on a dead duck or pigeon. Throw it on a land, get her crazy over it and then toss it in the water only chest deep. Do that a couple of times and then throw it a bit further. I'm not a pro, but have trained with them and this is the process they have used. I would also suggesting looking at http://www.billhillmann.net/index.html . Bill offers free videos on his website and youtube. He uses a lab and a golden, but says it can be used on most all bird dog breeds. Good luck!

[Curly]

With all this hot weather, I would think it would be a good time to get her into deeper water.  Seems like she would want to cool off.

When my lab was a pup, it was hot like this and I just played with him near the shore at the lake and then waded in deeper and he didn't want to be away from me and he just started swimming. 

Even when he got older though, he hated it when I would go swimming.  If I would go into the lake swimming he would think I needed rescued for some reason and he would not be happy until I was out of the water.  He would swim out to me and circle and paw at me until I grabbed onto him and then he would drag me to shore.  I don't know why he was that way? 

[lokidog]

Just keep doing what you are doing, and be patient.  Having the kids go in the water is a great plan. 

The guy throwing his dog off of the dock is a *censored*, and shouldn't own a dog. 

I had a lab/healer that would only go into the water to her chest.  One day, on a hike in the mountains, I was throwing a stick for her into the ponds.  One throw went a bit far, when she was on the edge of a drop off, she was reaching for it and slipped over the edge, splashed a bit, got her feet under her and figured out that she could actually swim.  I couldn't stop her from swimming after that.

Dont force the issue at all and let your pup take it's time.  Assumming your dog is fetching already, gradually give it further tosses, take your time here though.

Id also suggest taking your dog around other pups that love the water.

Baby steps here, if you throw a dog in the water it will not work out in your favor.

The other dog/pup idea would also be my suggestion.

[JJD]

Lot harder to do when they get to be full size rather than a pup, but as well, ya don't want to take a very young pup to freezing cold water.

Having another dog around who loves water is a big help.  I like to get in the water with the pup, support their mid/rear section and sort of guide them into deeper water IF they are not willing to follow the dog who loves water. 
Be very patient.  All dogs really do not know how to swim and may need help.

[netcoyote]

Some breeds seem to be more easily taught to swim. For some dogs it just seems to be a natural thing to do. We never had trouble with out Aussies and our last one was a great swimmer, you could hardly get him out of the water. Not so with my English Setter, he hates the water and will not go in water over his shoulders. I gave up forcing it, figuring he's an upland dog and probably would have little need to swim to be a good hunter. It just hasn't been a problem.
I suspect if you have a breed that you expect to hunt waterfowl with and he refuses to swim,...well you're probably going to need some professional help. I agree with others that throwing them in repeatedly is not likely to have a positive outcome.

[yorketransport]

Well she finally decided to start swimming today! It was just a matter of getting all the way in one time. I tossed her retrieving dummy just out of reach at a small drop off in the lake. When Pepper reached to get the toy, she slipped and went in. That was all it took. I spent the next hour throwing her toy out as far as I could and she'd go after it like she'd be swimming for years.

I figured that she'd get tired pretty quick, but my arm got tired long before she got bored!

[Curly]

That is great.

[RadSav]

I had a young pup once that wouldn't go in past his chest.  And he really didn't even like that. 

One day I was jump shooting some ducks and kicked up a goose of which I shot poorly.  It swam in circles in about four feet of water for about 5 minutes.  He cried and ran back and forth the whole time trying to figure how to get to the bird without getting wet.  Finally he could take it no longer and in he went.  All the way there trying to climb out of the water instead of swimming through it.  Once he had the goose in his mouth he leveled out and swam like a champ.  I spent the next 15 minutes giving him hugs and telling what a good dog he was.  Dug out all the cheese in my pack and we celebrated together!

From that day forward he was a true water dog.  I'd let him out of the house and he would bust out full speed and jump in the water swimming just for the sake of swimming.  Ended up being one of the best water dogs I've ever had!

[REHJWA]

Congratulations  Can't wait to hear about the first water retrieve of the season...

[JJD]

Glad it all worked out. 
patience wins in the end.