Gonna be a Lake Dog....

[Burnsway]

We live a few blocks away from Lake Houston and most of the openings to the Lake are privately owned with Houses so Unless we drive 10 minutes or so to the Marina or and off shoot Psyche doesn't go too often and then its a small area and Lake Houston is filthy, but........

:D :D :D

Our new place is less then a block off Lake Conroe and I know for sure we will be taking Psyche often to swim, so I have 2 questions.

I don't feel safe using a retractable, plus I want her to be able to go a little further out for training. I'm going to start working on Water Jumps, speed and water retrievals with her, but her come isn't good enough to trust her to not keep going.........:D :D :D

So should I just use a long thin rope......... I need something sturdy because I don't want to go in after her.........roflmao!

Second, I don't believe it is good for constant baths so should I just rinse her off with a gallon of Tap water and let her shake dry? Remember she is part Black Lab and her hair does naturally repel a lot of water and she dries fast but I don't want her skin to get dry or itchy?

Any Ideas?

[mmgy]

For the dog we don't trust to swim offlead, we use a harness and a training lead we purchased from a hunting supply. They come in several lengths, 50 ft to 200 ft (I think).

My inlaws and some friends live on the lake here, and have primarily labs. The common thing is a quick rinse in plain water, and for most dogs that's adequate. However, I know of 2 dogs that have had lifelong issues. Keep in mind both these dogs have fulltime water access, which your dog won't have, but be aware that little water living organisms can cause lots of skin problems, mostly staph-like. One thing that has helped a lot is organic apple cider vinegar. My friend's mother rinses her yellow lab, then sprays her well with 50/50 vinegar and water, against the lay of the fur. Once Jazz dries, she doesn't smell like salad anymore.;)

Hope this helps some!

[spoteet]

I use a harness and a 50ft cotton lead for Sajan who just loves the water SO much it's the one place he has a very poor recall.....it's getting better though:D

[Emme]

We take Em in the ocean all the time - we use a 1/2 (maybe 3/4) inch cotton lead - I've seen them as long as 200 feet, but I've also fashioned one out of long clothes line in a pinch. I don't have a harness, so I attach it to a flat collar. She'll go way out over the breakers and then lap around and "surf" back in biting at the waves - the only reason I really use the line is I'm afraid a swift current or a riptide might get the best of her. We just rinse her down with a hose (a good deep rinse to the skin) - no soap.

[spoteet]

I found using a harness makes it easier to keep the line from getting under thier legs and getting tangled.

[Burnsway]

Ok now I'm totally confused.........

On another list I got 2 pages of how you should never ever have any lead on a dog in the water because they could drown so easily. Now I have always in the past kept a tight enough lead and high above the water so it could be seen. This has worked great for short swims. But I want to start working on her water retrieval later after she is more use to the lake.

I was going to go the harness route so nothing would be around her neck but now I see Judi and Mick both saying they can't stand seeing a harness on dogs. Respecting their training knowledge I am back to square one.

No matter how trained any of my dogs will ever be, I just do not believe in off lead, in public areas, not even at lakes and oceans.

[spoteet]

Melissa,
I have no problems with Sajan swimming on his 50ft lead but I do have to stay alert and keep the line reeled in so he can't get tangled. As far as the harness goes, I am only guessing here, but I think Mick and Judi were referring to using a harness to train a dog. When swimming the harness serves one purpose and that is a place to attach the lead to and I have found that it's much easier to keep Sajan from getting tangled if the lead is on his back. When I used a collar the lead would get wrapped around his head and he would also get his front legs tangled in it.

Hope this helps:D

[Burnsway]

Well I will figure something out because there is no way when you can see the lake down the street from my front yard with very easy access that it won't be used by my dog at-least once a day........:D

[Miabella]

Originally posted by Burnsway
I was going to go the harness route so nothing would be around her neck but now I see Judi and Mick both saying they can't stand seeing a harness on dogs. Respecting their training knowledge I am back to square one.

Melissa, if I am correct, you are referring to what Judi and Mick said in the pet peeve thread? I'm pretty sure that they meant people who walk their dogs with the lead attached to a harness rather than the collar, because it gives you little control. I'm pretty sure they'd agree that there are some places where harnesses ARE the appropriate equipment (tracking for example). I think, for swimming, attaching the long line to a harness would be better than attaching it to the collar. :)

[Burnsway]

Well a harness worked great for Angel when I water trained her and I also trained her to pull me on my bike........:D But she was a chow/Eskimoe mix and I know she fell into breeds that do pretty good on a harness.....:D

Psyche does good in her seat belt harness but I'm not sure how she is going to like it swimming.....:D I think she would prefer off lead there........ TUFF!!!...:D :D

[Miabella]

Originally posted by Burnsway
Psyche does good in her seat belt harness but I'm not sure how she is going to like it swimming.....:D I think she would prefer off lead there........ TUFF!!!...:D :D

Well, between the choices of swimming WITH harness or no swimming at all, I think she'll get used to it, LOL! Seriously, she'll probably be so happy with her new lake that she won't even notice. :)

[spoteet]

Sajan prefers off lead too:p :D