My lab is 6 months old & goes to the beach regularly BUT will not go in the water usually runs away from it Any ideas how to encourage him to go in
Hello there, Welcome to the Forum,we have Dexter ,a yellow boy who is nearly 3.... It seems funny doesn't it,a Labrador that doesn't just take the water immediately.....but it is more common than you think,I'd go so far as to say it's quite normal....a lot of the Forum dogs have taken their time getting to like the water.The most important thing is to not force it,a negative association at the beginning could leave you with a confidence issue later on.The best place to start is a body of quiet, shallow water so there is a an easy entry and exit point for your dog,take some toys/ a ball along and just play at the edge until he gains confidence.Going along with another dog that already swims can help too,Dexter has taught a few dogs to swim as they've just run in and copied him.I don't know what others think but sometimes the water can be quite noisey at the beach ,the noise of the waves will be a lot louder to your dog and what seems like small waves to us might be quite intimidating to a dog that is only just being introduced to water.A quiet lake or shallow point on a slow moving river / stream might be a better start point, Note of caution ,once he's off swimming about don't let him do it for too long at first ,especially if he's trying to keep up with older stronger dogs.My dog strained his tail the first time we went to the beach. Do as I say not what I do...my dog saw his friend swimming in the sea the first time we went to the beach ....he took a running jump and went right under ,bobbing up like a cork .....in the time he'd gone under I was already jumped in fully clothed behind him! He just doggie paddled off of course not a bit bothered..... Pop onto introductions and let us know how you are doing with your youngster ......the first 6 months is a bit of a ride isn't it! http://thelabradorforum.com/forum/information-introductions-forum-help/introductions Best wishes Angela
At 14 months Chepi still doesn't swim much but she loves paddling and will go in up to the point that her feet can still touch the bottom. A few times she has jumped into a river and sunk, not knowing it was deep and then popped up and had to be rescued - dragged out up the steep bank. I don't throw a ball directly into water, I just throw it along the very edge of the water (where there isn't a steep bank) and she will take it in a bit further on her own. Playing with another dog has also encouraged her in a bit further but I leave it up to her. Maybe you could sit at the water's edge with her like you would do with a small child.
Hello and welcome! I agree with everything Angela said. My two were very hesitant about the water at first; the first time they saw any decent bodies of water was about 4 months of age, when we went to the seaside. The weather was horrendous and the sea was raging, but it had brought some amazing seawater puddles up onto the path behind the beach. We were there with one of their litter mates that a friend of ours has, and their older Lab. Little Annie was used to following Buster everywhere, so she just dived in. My two paddled around the edges a bit. They didn't have another chance to swim until they were nine months, because of where we live (in the snowy mountains; no lakes around in the winter!) and then they were a bit nervous. A couple of weeks on, though, and they love the water. They still need to make their way in gradually, other than one death-defying leap from Shadow a few days back, but once they are in, they absolutely love to swim. I took them back to the beach at the beginning of last week, and they just dived straight in and started swimming. So, try not to pressurise him; use easier, shallow, water to start with, and throw a ball or some treats that float in there. Try to build his confidence gradually. It will probably come with a slow and encouraging approach.
For Maisie, it took her going to the beach with her best dog friend who was happy to go in the water and fetch sticks. We threw the sticks for the other dog in the water, and she started going in to try to get the sticks herself. She went in up to her chest at first, then accidentally went in too far to try to get the stick so had to swim a little bit. It took about 2 visits to the beach with the other dog, and now she swims and goes in by herself. If the waves are really big she's still more hesitant, so if you're trying to get your dog in for the first time, I'd choose somewhere with very calm waves or no waves if possible.
Good advice already given . My lad was ultra cautious about water , but I allowed him to go at his own pace .He is a passionate retriever, so eventually, the ball got him in and now we cant keep him out . I also found it helped if I got in there with him
