With fear to the sea

[Matsu]

Hi everybody! I need some help, would you please advice me what can i do for helping my 5 months old puppy to enjoy the sea :( . I don´t rush her, i just let her to stay away the water. I don´t know what to do. I will appreciate your help. Thanks!:p

[Judi W]

Have friends come and throw a party at the edge of the water (by that I mean have a happy time) while ignoring the dog. He will probably want to join you. When he does welcome him, but don't try to coax him further, let him retreat if he needs to and then rejoin you as he is ready. As he sees everyone having a good time it will reassure him.

[Matsu]

Thanks Judi W i'll try it this week end.

[moondog]

And bring another dog along that loves the water, too! My dog didn't even want to get her toes wet when I first took her to the beach and the noise of the breakers made her uneasy. I went back with a neighbor who has a retriever and loves water. He went right in and Luna went right in after him! After that she was the first one in every time. :)

[Matsu]

That's a great idea, too. Thanks a lot.

[Carina43]

Does she like to play fetch? In addition to what the others have suggested, perhaps try making a game of throwing the toy into the shallow surf, and praising her very happily when she grabs hold of it (because she's being brave!) My last Rottie hated even getting his feet wet, but over time he grew to love the water because he adored retrieving and I used that to encourage him.

Some dogs of course will never really like swimming, some are happiest just wading. I have one though who can't be kept out of water - he LOVES it! We have lakes here, and I can't wait to get him to the ocean so he can see big waves. :)

[moondog]

Yep, Luna's a wader. She'll go in up to her belly, but as soon as she starts feeling light on her feet, she's back to the shallows. When the dog we used to go to the beach with got tired of her, he'd swim out a ways because he knew she wouldn't go that far. That's fine by me, too. I had a Springer Spaniel with a few screws loose and when I took her to the beach, she didn't care how big or rough the surf was, she'd dive in and keep swimming straight out to sea! I had to put her on a long line so I wouldn't have to go in and get her. What a nut that dog was.

[Birdie'sMom]

I second what moondog said about another dog! Birdie wasn't too sure of the water at first, but when she saw another dog playing in the water she couldn't resist! She LOVES other dogs - actually she loves everyone and everything!:) But that's how we got her in! Now we can't get her out!

[Carina43]

Ha, Phoebe was like that in her youth! She would go after geese and ducks, and just wouldn't stop. Luckily all she had access to at the time was small lakes.

We think Cooper is part seal. :D Our long term plan is to move to Hawaii or possibly Mexico (Baja) when Mick retires in five years. I hope we still have Cooper around so he can play in the sea!

[Matsu]

I want to thank to all of you for your time and kindness, i really appreciate all your comments.

Carina43, you and Mick will be wellcome (for sure) if you decide to move to Mexico.

[RottiMomCT]

Ben will play in his kiddie pool with no problems. He'll also play in a lake or pond with no problem....but take him to the ocean and he has a tough time getting past trying to "kill" all the waves! He'll stand at the waters edge and bite at the waves...too much fun to watch that one! He makes such goofy noises too!!

[rspates]

Elsa loves water but didn't know what to make of the waves when we took her to the ocean this fall. She would chase and retreat and only get her feet wet occassionally. I think that we are going to set up a "puppy beach party" next year with some other rotties that we know love the ocean hoping that they can entice her into the water!
Good Luck!

Rachel

[ptremaine]

Agree with every suggestion posted - and also would like to note that some dogs prefer fresh water bodies of water over ocean water because of the TASTE. hehe! My dog isn't a fan of salt water, even in the Chesapeake Bay, because she loves to bite the waves too and they don't taste that nice if the water is salty. :D

At 5 months, I wouldn't expect a puppy to enjoy the water. You might need to wait until the dog is a little older, closer to a year old, before you even try to get the dog into the water. A companion dog would help show the puppy it's okay to go into the water, but you might need to be patient for the swimming part.

My only funny Rottweiler story involving water is this: back in 1980, our first Rottie [inappropriately named "Beastie"] decided that he really enjoyed fetching - fetching rocks tossed into the loch. We'd find mid-sized rocks on the shore, toss them about 10 feet, and he'd go under water to get them!!! You'd see his whole body on the surface, then BAM! he'd be diving down for the rock! His other claim to hilarious fame was his complete willingness to go after the ducks and geese IN the water. Not content to let them just swim away a distance, he'd paddle out as far as necessary to get one. Not that he could catch one - they'd all take flight as soon as he came within a few feet. Once he also decided some fishermen in a small boat were interesting and chased them in their boat for half an hour. In VERY deep lake water. :D

PT

[MrsBoats]

My only funny Rottweiler story involving water is this: back in 1980, our first Rottie [inappropriately named "Beastie"] decided that he really enjoyed fetching - fetching rocks tossed into the loch. We'd find mid-sized rocks on the shore, toss them about 10 feet, and he'd go under water to get them!!! You'd see his whole body on the surface, then BAM! he'd be diving down for the rock!

I have to comment on this...Sam will go underwater for seashells. But if they are too deep for him, he'll drag them in to more shallow water with his front paws and then go under for them. (LOL....my private nickname for Sam is Beastie :D)

Matsu...I totally agree with having another dog present to coax your pup into the water. Sam was a rescue and I don't think he had ever seen the ocean before we got him. I took him to a beach near a big breakwater so the waves wouldn't be huge. He didn't want any part of the water until this big, fat chocolate lab came along and jumped into the waves with his owner. It was like a lightbulb went off in Sam's head and "Oh, that's what you're supposed to do here!" :p

[Emme]

We introduced Emme to the water at a doggie beach (kudos to Avalon NJ!!) We put her on the 50 foot lead and let her loose, very timid the first few times - never forced her, just let her wander. I would go into the ocean and my husband stood in the shallows - Eventually, she responded to my call and out she came! The froth scared her a bit, but once she was off her feet, I guess instinct just kicked in - wow can they swim! She was maybe 6 months when she took her first plunge - although it took about a month to coax her in...

I'll never forget bringing her to the beach for the first time - she plowed thru the sand with her nose like they do with the snow - just adorable! Now she is queen of the beach - "killer" of all waves that dare to tumble forth, seeker of sea gulls and the reigning queen of sand castle crushing... :D