Swimming

[carolynnl4]

This Sunday, I took Athena down to the river to go tubing with us (women from the office I worked at this summer). I decided that since Athena loves fooling around in the water so much (but only chest deep), she'd love swimming if she only knew that she could.
I let her off-leash, and went out to the middle of the river in my tube. For the next mile, Athena ran along the bank alongside us, but would occasionally venture out into shallow water to try and reach us. Eventually, she couldn't do that anymore, and whined her little heart out for me to come back. I didn't, and she was forced to swim to reach me. To make a long story short, Athena now knows she can swim, but is obviously terrified and worn out by it.
Is there any way for me to fix what I've done and get her to enjoy it? Or should I just let it go?

[Vivianne]

I have a very water oriented girl (the other one can't even stand the rain ) and what I do is coax her in by calling her to me, but I have to be in the water first. Once she comes in with me and we are deep enough, she swims while I craddle her when she gets tired making the experience a pleasant one. I thought she would hate water because she fell into a canal, way over her head, as a pup.

Bring a toy she likes and toss that around in the shallows to build her confidence then go in with her taking the toy to deeper water and coax her to follow you in deeper. Do everything in small gradual steps and build her confidence. Good luck!

[babybluetx23]

PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE!!!!! If and When she goes into the water PRAISE the heck out of her. Tell her what a GOOD girl she is. Make it fun. Go into the water FIRST. Get out there and splash and look like you are having a GREAT time. Have a toy with you. Eventually she may swim to you. When she does....PRAISE!!!

[Jessy'sMom]

Most rottie's love to swim. My girl is 103 lbs and is about to grow gills she swims so much. I always put a life jacket on her. Rottie's are very heavy and the life jacket gives her extra confidence to swim her heart out. And what a great exersise. You can buy them at the pet store, or on line thru a boating magazine like Overton's, Boats US.
They are much cheaper online. Good luck and hope your girl learns to love swimming!

[diddybopper04]

Several things will help:

CALM water where she can easily walk out gradually.

YOU be in the water helping her.

Tasty cookies.

Most dog biscuits float.

[spoteet]

In order to enjoy swimming, the dog has to first be comfortable in water that is over their head. Some dogs never have an issue with that feeling when they start to float and can't touch bottom. Some dogs do until they learn it's no big deal. I start all dogs off with me in the water, whether 8 weeks old or 4 years old. I am there for them if they need me, if they need a safe place in the water. I have posted this before but here goes again. I taught Sajan to be comfortable in the water by getting him to walk into it and come to me. He would swim to me and I would hold him until he calmed some and then let him swim a little again, always towards me. I did this on a daily basis until he just took off one day out of my arms. He still loved to come and let me hold him until he got too big. He'd put his front legs around my neck and his rear ones around my waist. As a result, swimming was never a scary experience for him and he is now the most relaxed dog I have ever seen in the water and has serious withdrawals when he can't swim, like now.

[Tag]

Tag started off by just getting into the little kiddie pools at the dog park, now it doesnt matter what the water is in...lake, ocean, pool, bath tub, and most recently...the shower. now the doors are closed for that!

[diddybopper04]

spoteet, my old girl was like that in the water. And she had a BAD first experience.....

She ran down the (very wet) dock after a labrador retriever, and could not stop. She was about 7 mos old, and had never been IN the water, just spent a little time dabbling at the edge. It was October and cold! I never DREAMED she would fall in! I remember watching her go straight down. All I could see was her eyes, and she was motionless!!

In a TERROR, I ran to the edge of the dock, reached in, grabbed her by the nape of the neck, and pulled her up.

She spluttered, and thrashed, and swam to shore. Coughing and gagging the entire time. But she was DETERMINED to swim just like that darn lab did, and by the next summer she was flying off the dock like she had wings.

She always loved the water. She would stand in it on her hind legs and bark at you to throw the ball. She would dive in head first of her own accord off the end of the dock. She always knew if I was in the water with her, I was a safe place. She is the only dog I ever had who would come up to me in the water to rest, and just totally relax while I held her.

I am so sorry the dock dogs thing came along too late for her, she would have been a star.

[SonnyRott]

As others have mentioned, the lifejacket did wonders for us! Total relaxation in the water.

[JD102175]

Brodie did not like swimming last summer. He didn't know how to swim and would start to panic in deep water, causing his butt to sink like a rock. He loved playing in the shallows though. This year we got him a life vest and now that he has actually learned how to swim he enjoys it. Two weekends ago he went in my parents pool without his vest on to retrieve his pool toy and swam like a champ. He still wears the vest if he will be in the water for more than the time it takes to retireve the toy since he is still relatively new to swimming.

Jaime

[Soulworx]

Bailey is 4 months old, when we take him to the water he goes in up to his chest but doesnt really swim. The problem over here is that its just too cold most of the time to go in the water with him but the cold doesnt even seem to worry bailey in the slightest.
When i threw his gravy bones in he got so frustrated because they were out of his reach and he just didnt know he could swim. So after hours of him getting used to the water and playing in it up to his chest i decided it was time for him to learn. I waded in and took his weight and took him until he was just a bit too deep for him to touch the bottom and let him go. He swam like a fish and loved it. The only problem is that now when he goes back to the water he forgets he can swim. I think the next thing to do is to take him up with my brother in laws dog bobby. This dog could swim the atlantic, hopefully bobby will help bailey learn

Any other advice?