Hi My 11 month old will not go in water. I have tried kiddie pool and the beach and he will barely put his feet in water. Any suggestions?
You could try a local hydrotherapy pool, a friend did this and the dog is in the water at every opportunity now.
We started with puddles on a rainy day. I walked him so that the puddle was in his path and he had nowhere to go but through it - just a tiny one, one step and a few cm deep - and the treated him for doing it. I spent a good ten minutes one day in front of the neighbour's house making pup go back and forth through a puddle, I bet they thought I was crazy! Sometimes he would step over it or go around it, but shortly learned only going through it earned a treat. I splashed through it myself several times and stomped the water to show him to go through. I'd walk him along quickly so it caught him off guard, slowly to allow him to sniff it, stand on the other side and lure him..... all sorts. And then on to bigger puddles doing the same thing. We did the same with the doggy pool. One paw in got a treat, and slowly lured him in.
Just allow him to make his own decision whether he goes in to water or not. If he wants to he will gradually gain confidence and do it. If not, so what? Not all dogs like water just the same as not all people like water.
Crossing very shallow water is often a good way to get started. Keep the dog focused on the other side, and reward well each time they cross with you. Just like Kobe's puddle. A shallow stream is perfect because there is no way to skip around the edge. Many dogs that love to fetch a ball or toy will cross an inch or two of water for a retrieve. Other options are getting a friend with a water loving dog involved. And finding places where you can get in the water with your dog. Here's an article with more information. My Dog Won't Swim!
But it comes down to whether the dog is willing to enter /cross water. Positive, force free training is all about giving the dog choice and shouldn't need luring with treats or another dog .
In modern training you would only lure for two or three occassions and then drop it otherwise you just have a dog following food and not learning. So I will lure a puppy sit or down for the first two or three occassions and that is it. It is only helpful in the very early stages of training a new behaviour and needs to.be dropped asap. I never lure for loose lead walking - it's just not necessary or for most other behaviours.
My older dog is a very enthusiastic swimmer and retrieves well from water. My younger dog had a frightening experience as a puppy falling into a swimming pool and would not go anywhere near water. I bought a paddling pool for them at the beginning of this hot weather and he wouldn’t set foot in the back garden for two days when he saw it. I have tried in the past to persuade him but have been unsuccessful in getting him to do any more than paddle even on the hottest day. I recently took my lab to see a gundog trainer who has their own lake and has a lot of experience encouraging dogs who are ambivalent about retrieving from water. The advice I got was: Carefully choose an easy place for entry to the water. Preferably one that had a shallow slope. Say absolutely nothing as they are entering the water. Talking and encouraging them just puts more pressure on the dog. Choose water that has very little current so that the dummy does not move further away no matter how long their hesitation. Place the dummy on the bank, then on the edge and very gradually increase the distance into the water. I had almost given up with this dog and water but I’m delighted to say that the advice was good and he swam with the trainer. It was also pointed out that the biggest motivation for most dogs is to return to their owner and if you can manage to leave your dog on one side and encourage them across to you most dogs will swim to return to their owners.
I think it’s fair to say that most of us use treats to get dogs to do all kinds of things that might not be a first choice for them. Including teaching dogs to do (or not do) things that make our own lives more convenient. Spend time alone for example or in a crate. Leaving things, fetching things for. Learning not jump up at people. Staying off the couch (for those that care ). So I can’t agree that there is any conflict between positive reinforcement training and teaching a dog to swim. Why bother with swimming if a dog isn’t keen? Some of the people that come to this forum are hoping to train their dogs as gundogs and swimming is an important part of that role. And for those whose dog will never be more than a pet, competence in the water adds an extra dimension to that dog's life. Both in terms of safety and pleasure. Is swimming to the dog’s overall benefit? I think it is. In several decades working with dogs, I have met quite a few that have had to be encouraged to swim. And every one of them has ultimately derived great joy from that ability. So while, of course, swimming isn’t essential for most pet dogs. I think it is fine to encourage a dog to swim. And the use of lures, treats, or anything else which aims to reduce a dog’s fear of water and helps them to enjoy what is for most breeds (see below) of dog, a thoroughly natural and healthy past-time, is a good thing. Like everything in life there are exceptions. When swimming isn't safe Bearing in mind that we now have quite a few members with dogs of different breeds on the forum I have to add a word of caution - some brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs are either unable to swim or extremely poor swimmers and should never be encouraged into deep water without a flotation jacket and need constant supervision in water of any depth. Just like kids, dogs get better at swimming with practice. Shallow water or purpose built pools where you can get in with the dog are safer places to learn and build confidence Young puppies are best introduced to water in warm weather and no dog should be allowed or encouraged to swim on ponds that are partially frozen, or in rivers or beaches where there are strong currents. Dogs are good swimmers but they are not immortal and the rules that apply to safe places for humans to swim apply to dogs too.
All of our dogs love water and swimming, but Tilly and Cooper really do not care much about kiddie pools, even when it is hot out. Any time they encounter water, they will be in it. They all started in shallow creeks, or lakes with gentle slopes, and just wadded around initially. Since all of them were ball retrievers tossing a ball in the water was all it took to get them in a little further Now I use a Chuckit, and throw the tennis ball as far as I can for Cooper, usually 20 to 30 times. I have to do shorter throws for Tilly because she is slow now, and Cooper will get both balls if she has a chance. When we are in a boat, we use life jackets on the dogs, for visibility, the handle to get them back in the boat, and also so we know they will have their heads up, even if they are tired out. Swimming from land we normally don't use a DFD.
"Just like kids, dogs get better at swimming with practice. Shallow water or purpose built pools where you can get in with the dog are safer places to learn and build confidence" Hi Pippa, I went looking for this thread so Im not sure you will see this question as it is old. Our 8 month old Lab puppy has begun swimming. We take her to a beach where the sand gradually makes the water deeper. She LOVE it and will retrieve over and over again. My question is that she doesn't seem to have realised that she is boyent and is really lifting her head out of the water and PLUNKING her front paws. "true doggie paddle style" Do we just keep taking her and will she learn to "glide" over the water using all four paws eventually? I haven't found a place I can take her where I can get in with her to try and show her. Any thoughts? TIA
Maggie 8 months loves to swim but she isn't a fan of the kiddie pool we bought hoping she would go in to cool off. Glad she was introduced to "real" swimming first (in our case) or I would have been nervous she would be afraid to swim. Being a nervous nervous about a lot of things I definitely lured her in throwing her dummy out further and further. Not to mention other dogs were there making it look so fun haha
