Re: My labrador won't swim! Very good article Pippa thank you . Sam fell into our garden pond when he was very young and thought that he could walk on lily pads , with the result of him becomming very wary indeed . I did just what you suggest , encouraging him to pluck up the courage to walk through an inch or two and gradually increasing . He will now retrieve from water but still hasnt taken the plunge to swim and I am reluctant to push him too much as he is a very sensitive young dog, not nervous but has a natural caution . I was appalled at advice given to me by another Lab owner who takes his dog rough shooting , he advised ( when Sam was about 4/5 months old ) to pick him up and throw him in Needless to say, I didnt follow his advice , what a trust breaker that would have been . Hopefully , if we do get some lovely summer weather , I can get into the water with him, as you suggest , thanks .
Re: My labrador won't swim! Poppy has followed Bones into the water several times now, and can swim beautifully at 12 weeks, so I think the problem with her is not going to be encouraging her to swim, but making sure that where she does swim is safe... Swimming with your dog is great fun - as long as they dont think they need to rescue you! My old dog Billy had to be tied up at the side of the lake when I wanted to swim, because he was convinced I was going to drown and was DETERMINED to resuce me. Every time!
