New puppy...3 months old....Swimming......??

[backwoods_boy]

will he know how to swim?
do we have to put water wings on him or just throw him in a shallow puddle?
:-)
 

[Shannon]

I would wait until it warms up a bit and take him to a creek that is narrow but deep enough he has to swim to cross it. Find a gradual sloped sand bar and slow moving water. Jump over it and don't slow down or look back. I have never had a dog that did not swim by doing this. Sometimes they are hesitant and you are close to getting out of sight but they figure it out.
Good Luck!

[gasman]

I would not just throw him in. I have heard of dogs gerting the S#$@ scared out of them by doing that, and beig afraid of the water.

Walk in the water with the pup (when it gets warmer) and encourage it to follow.


Pete

[Birdguy]

What kind of dog is it? My labs have always loved the water, I start them in the yard with a bumper and a puddle. Soon we are at the lake. It has always been a big help to have an older dog in the water too. The pup is usually so happy to play with the older dog it is in the water before it realizes it and never has a chance to fret over it. I would wait until the weather is a littel warmer though no matter what kind of dog it is.

[backwoods_boy]

yeah i know guys..i have heard that a dog can get scared of the water pretty easily.
i think the walk in method will work when it gets warmer
thanks guys

[dirty.dan4]

Is there another dog that the puppy can follow?  My puppy is gonna be 4 months in a week.  I worked with my older lab in a pond, and the puppy followed him in.  He didnt swim far, but he went in.  Since then, any body of water is fair game for him. 

[backwoods_boy]

thanks for the advice.

[Antlershed]

My GSP was swimming at 3 months old, but it was at his pace, and it was a lot warmer out. Now I can't keep him away from the water. Either team up with another dog, or wade out in the water yourself. Its nice that I have a lake in my backyard, so I can let him swim whenever.

[Houndhunter]

i'd get him in the water as soon as possible

[Happy Gilmore]

I vote for waiting until it is warm and letting him get in under his own terms. If he has prey drive and desire he'll go in after anything when the time is right.....no need to force...might cause issues to pop up later.....

[Wayne1]

water has to be between 54-56 degress before I ever introduce a pup to it....  Trust me...  it's worth the wait..   another month, and it should be warm enough. Then you'll have 5 month's to do all the water training till season opens up...   You'll be suprised what all your pup will learn in that amount of time. Good luck with your training, and keep us updated 

[yotehunter]

He's a water dog. Get him in the water as soon as possible

[EastWaViking]

I tossed the retrieving dummy into the creek behind our house two weekends ago for my four month old lab.  It was 28 degrees out and the creek had ice along the edges.  I just tossed it a little ways upstream in case she didn't want to get in.  No problem, she ran and jumped in and swam the 6 or 8 feet to it, grabbed it and swam back.  I then heard you should wait until the water is warmer.  Maybe just start by tossing it in shallow water and easing the pup into the deeper stuff over time?  I don't really know.

[gasman]

I finally got Hemi in thE water. i would toss the dummy out a little at a time untill it was over his head and had to swim for it. At first he was not sure but once he figured out how to swim, it was no problem.


I am so happy he took to the water, that was my one consern.