Do They Know How Long and How Far They Can Swim?

[Leslie and Halas]

My friends moved to a house on a lake late last summer.  I've had Halas over there a few times, and he likes to play in the water.  He'll run along the water's edge, go in about chest-deep, maybe swim out in a small circle, etc.  He seems to love swimming, but he doesn't always swim when he has the opportunity.  There have been times that I've had to get in the water and go out a little bit, in order to get him to really swim.  And the last couple of times he's had the chance to swim, he hasn't taken advantage of it.  They have about 2 acres, unfenced, and I've kept Halas on his leash or a 30-ft lead the other times we've been there.  I can let go of the leash or lead, and he doesn't stray too far.  If he does decide to swim, I can hold onto the long lead.

Yesterday, we took Halas and Barley out there to play with my friends' dog, Bubbles.  With the people and the other dogs right there, I didn't keep Halas on a leash or lead, because I knew he'd stay close to us.  The dogs were having a blast. Three fluffy, poodle mixes running huge circles in the yard, chasing each other, running along the edge of the water.  They were having a great time.  If they got a little too far away from us, we'd just call one of them, and they'd come running back.  It was really fun watching them.

At one point, Halas was walking along the edge of the water, and then he went a little further out, and started swimming in one of his small circles.  I like watching him swim, so I was glad to see him doing one of his little circles.  But then, he turned naughty.  When he was just about back to shore, he turned around and started swimming further out.  I don't know if he saw a fish, or what, but he decided to swim towards the middle of the lake, instead of coming back to shore.  I was calling him, but he'd just look at me and keep swimming.  I started wondering if he would know when he was getting tired; if he would know that he couldn't just stop swimming when he was in deeper water; if he would know when it was time to turn around and head for shore.  He really wasn't out there very long, but I started getting worried.  When he kept ignoring us, and was making no effort to come towards shore, I finally went in after him.  I kicked off my flip-flops, and swam out to him in my shorts and tshirt.

I thought that if he really was getting tired, he'd be glad to see me, and would try to grab onto me for a swim back to shore.  But he must not have been tired at all.  He swam next to me in the general direction of the shore, but he kept trying to angle himself away from me a little, so that he could turn around and head back to the middle of the lake again.  I had to keep pulling him back towards me to keep him heading in the right direction.    He was probably embarrassed, thinking, "Mooooom!  I'm a great swimmer!  Why'd you have to go and do that?!  I was having fun!  I would have come back when I got tired!"  He got in some trouble for not coming when I called him, but he didn't seem to care.  He was having too much fun swimming.  But that's easily the longest/furthest swim he's ever had, and I didn't realize he had that in him, especially after all of the running the dogs had been doing before that.

Lessons learned:  Always have him on his 30-ft, floating lead when he's going to be near water.  Maybe get him a life jacket, in case he somehow gets in the water without his lead, and swims a little too far.  Always work on and reinforce a strong recall.

So, to those of you with swimmers: do they seem to have an idea of how far or how long they can swim?  Or, left on their own, would they overdo it, and possibly put themselves in danger?

Here's a picture of Halas a few hours after his big swim.  He's so curly when he gets wet.  He's also been sleeping like a rock since we got home last night.  Sleepy, curly, naughty boy!  But he's still cute!  And at least he didn't try to smother anyone yesterday.

[F, Calla & Luca]

He looks so innocent. Is that a fitted sheet on the couch? Does it work well? I'm always looking for a neater way to have an easily washable cover on the couch.

[Leslie and Halas]

It's not a fitted sheet, but it's queen or king-sized, so it wraps completely around the cushions.  That helps it stay in place for the most part.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I use a fitted sheet on my sofas in the sunroom. Works fine and easier to wash than a blanket.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good to know.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I think I would have been concerned too, doesn't Halas look so lovely post his swim?  I go to a river sometimes on my walks with Riley and keep him on a long line but am also worried that he would swim too far and get into trouble so I am interested in the replies you get to your question. (The sheet on the couch is a great idea, which I will be copying, thanks!)

[Leslie and Halas]

I don't even really have the sheet on there to protect it from Halas.  I've had the sofa for about 17 years, and the cushions are worn through on both sides - holes were there even before I got Halas.  But I can't bring myself to get rid of it, because it's well-built and super comfy.  So I got the sheet as a $12 alternative to an expensive slip cover.  But it is really nice to be able to launder it quickly and put it back on there.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think dogs might be like little kids in terms of knowing when they've had enough. Parents have to monitor activities and tell them when it's time to get out of the pool or whatever. Their lips can be blue, they can be shivering and they'll still protest when you make them take a break.

JD doesn't like to swim, but he accidentally did once. We were at the forest preserves near the small lake there. My GS was throwing the ball towards the water, and JD was getting his feet wet in the shallow part of the lake retrieving it. At one point the ball went out further  into the water. JD went after it, and the ball got moved even further out into the lake. Jack kept going after it. He was actually swimming and didn't realize it...until after he got the ball. Then he tried to stand up and run back to us. When he couldn't locate solid ground under his feet, the look of panic on his face was both funny and frightening. He started flailing and my DD was getting ready to go in after him when he started swimming towards us. He made it back, but wouldn't go anywhere near the water again and avoids that lake to this day.

So I don't think they realize how far out they are, how deep it is, that they can't just stand up and walk back if they get tired, etc. At least not unless they're more experienced swimmers than JD, lol.  

[Leslie and Halas]

Then I'm glad I went out there when I did.  He still seemed to have plenty of energy, but I wouldn't really want to try to swim and keep him afloat at the same time.  Besides, with his history of smothering, he'd probably try to drown me.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

ROFL!

[Carol and Banjo]

hmmmmm.....maybe that WAS his diabolical plan....luring you out to deep water!    I have found Banjo doesn't seem to know his limits so we keep a long line on him.

[Meridith and Lola]

Lola loves swimming but it is mostly about fetching a Frisbee and bringing it back.  It always seems like she can go forever but then all of sudden she will take the frisbee to a grassy area away from the water's edge and I know she is done.  The first few times I didn't realize what she was doing - I thought she was just not bringing it back to me (which is fairly typical but not that far away).  Once I figured out that she knew what she was doing, I felt pretty relieved because I was wondering the same thing as you.  There was also a time when we went to the bay and it was a little rougher than usual.  I was a little concerned about letting Lola fetch because the current was stronger but figured I would keep the frisbee closer to the shore.  Well after just a few times out in the water, Lola called it quits as she realized it was too much for her.

Again this is a different situation since Lola is not just out for a swim but for fetching.  I agree with Karen that they probably don't have a sense of distance.