When to start swiming?

[damp]

I agree that swimming is a great exercise, but I don’t see the purpose to teach (force) a pup/dog to swim. As said, they will swim when they are ready and to me it doesn’t matter if they swim the first time at 12 weeks or 12 months, but what matter is, they do it because they dare and love it.

However, I would be very careful with young pups and “forced” swimming. By nature, they will paddle to survive, but why put so much stress on a pup?

Besides that, water (in my area) is cooling down the body temperature and that can be very dangerous for young pups.

Also if you own a dog with tail and you have seen a dog with “water tail”, you better control your water/swimming loving adult dog before it decide to jump in cold(er) water to take a swim.

[autumn]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Please tell us that you misspoke about 5 weeks and that you are not getting your puppy at such a young age.

The first puppy I started at this age was Zoe. I am good friends with her breeder. She did NOT leave the litter at this age. We were doing it as part of her socialization.
The other puppy's were Zoe's. Same situation, early socialization.

[myzeus]

years ago, i had a GSD. when she was a pup (i don't remember how old) i took her to the beach and i got into the water and finally coaxed her in. she loved it. after that, when i would go to a lake to go fishing, she would have to jump in. i could not keep her out of the water once she knew how to swim.

[hcelsa]

Originally Posted by rsaarinen

If all goes well I will be getting my first puppy at then end of October! I plan on getting him into puppy class and doing extensive training with the dog. The one question I was thinking about is how young should I expose the puppy to swiming?

How exciting! Where is your new pup coming from?

Around here the water is pretty cold in the winter, so it might not be the best time to try to get a baby puppy actually swimming (playing in the water, splashing in mud puddles, walking in the rain and all that are of course just part of socialization). I'd wait on the actual swimming until it's a bit warmer outside, OR you could visit one of the indoor warm water dog pools (there are a couple in your area). My adult dogs do swim in the lake even in the winter, but there is a big difference between a puppy and an adult when considering body temperature management as well as coat.

Oh, and if you're thinking competitive obedience may be in your future one of the BEST competitive obedience trainers (and successful competitors) in this area is close to you (she has Goldens & Tervs currently, but she really likes Rottweilers a lot ). Here is her info: http://www.teddogtraining.com/

[gomer9855]

Originally Posted by damp

I
Also if you own a dog with tail and you have seen a dog with “water tail”, you better control your water/swimming loving adult dog before it decide to jump in cold(er) water to take a swim.

I have never even heard of this, so I googled it. Interesting! Faust has a very long tail, so I'll have to keep an eye on it. She frequently lets her tail hang limp, but will pick it up when you talk to her or she starts to run.

Thanks for the info!

[rsaarinen]

Thanks alot for all the input. I knew that I wouldn't let him swim in the winter in this area sense it can get pretty cold. Maybe I need to make a dog dry suite :). \

To awnser hcelsa If all goes well I will have my puppy by thanksgiving. The litter hasn't been born yet so just standing by to see how many males she has. I'm 4th in line however she supposed to have 11 in this litter. I just visited the breeder and was able to meet the mom and dad. Very calm and just wanted to be loved more and more! She had some NICE looking pups that had come from the mom or dad. Can't wait to see what they produce between the two!

[mrsgrubby]

When are the puppies due to be born? It must be soon if they are hoping to be re-homed by thanksgiving.
Remember, they should not leave their mom and littermates until at least 7-8 weeks old. Doing so causes alot of problems that could be avoided.

[hcelsa]

I'd also like to add a reminder that along with making sure puppies stay with their mom/litter long enough, having both parents on site is not always a good thing. Please make sure both parents have all 4 major health checks done (you can check them by name through the OFA website...should have hips, elbows, eyes & hearts checked), and hopefully they are not only nice dogs, but also have at least either been show successfully or earned performance titles prior to breeding .

Good luck with your future pup! Alder Lake (out on the way to Mt. Rainier) is a wonderful summer swimming spot .