Teaching Doodles to swim?

[MEA and Stella]

Stella is drawn to the water, but will not swim to get the ball/stick etc. will swimming naturally happen or do I need to do something. She was 1 year old May.

[Adina P]

I had to push Rosco toward swimming. He liked fetch and would dip his toes in but otherwise wasn't very brave.  While at a lake, I had a harness on him and basically walked in and dragged him in toward a stick or ball I'd throw.  After a while he caught on that it was fun.  But the FIRST time he attempted swimming (prior to my working with him), he dove in after a ball (just like his 'sister' Thule had done as if she was a pro) and he went vertically under water.  He had no clue how to stay afloat the first time.  It scared me, but he came up and then goofily made it back to shore.  Took him a while to get the hang of HOW to swim but he did.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

I took both of my boys to an indoor dog swimming pool. It was a canine rehab center with hours for public swim. They had a trainer go in the water with them. I know I might be a bit "overboard" here, but I think it worked. They are not scared of water. I admit that perhaps this was just for the peace of my heart and they would have been just fine without the swim class, but I will never know. Plus, it was fun watching them in the water in a controlled environment. You might want to check if there are any canine rehabilitation centers offering public swim hours in your area. If not, check for doggie daycares with a swimming pool. If everything else fails, check if there are any human public pools that open their doors to the dogs at the end of the season. We have quite of bit of them in the area. Last August we went for the first time and it was a blast. I was allowed in the water with Monty and I think it helped him to gain his confidence and actually jump off the side of the pool to come to me.

Here is a link to my video of Auggie's first swim for his 1st birthday. I took Monty earlier than that.

https://vimeo.com/66855679

Let me know how it goes.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I did the same and in fact have a swimming lesson for this Saturday for Harpo and Laila.  Groucho is next.  It is also at a canine rehab center.  Harpo caught on immediately and we took him a second time with Copper and they both had the greatest time.  Laila and Groucho are our non-swimmers, so we want to get everyone swimming in a pool.  Then I won't be so nervous about taking them to the beach.  Even though I am a great swimmer, I would not go into the ocean after a dog who was in trouble.  The canine swim center here requires dogs to have a lesson so they can get in and out of the water using the steps.  Then they can come for free swim.  (BTW Laila and Copper are dogs who stay with us when their families are traveling.)

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

The first summer we had Lucy and Sophie they were probably around 5 or 6 months we took them to my Mom and Dads and they have a large pond right outside their back door.  They have a lab puppy about the same age that swims in the pond all the time.  Wendy went in the pond and eventually Lucy and Sophie followed.  They seemed to prefer to just play around the edges but did swim some as well.  This past winter we were in FL with Lucy and there is a large dog park there that has a swimming pool for the dogs.  We took Lucy over to try it because we thought it would be good for her after her CCL surgery.  Mike coaxed her into the pool (he was in the pool) in the shallow end and then I went towards the deep end side and called her and she took a little while, but eventually swam to me. 

[Kyoko]

Charlie was the same way. She loved to splash, but never wanted to go where she could not touch the floor. She also LOVES to fetch! So, back then, I thought if I toss the toy just a little far, she would swim to go get it. But, No... She would just look at it, and let it drift away.... We hike a lot during the spring and summer time to the lakes, small rivers, etc...I think she was about 2 1/2 years old when she decided to swim. One day, she just did it to go get the toy in the water she really wanted. She knew how to thread the water just so.  Now she LOVES to swim!! I think they will do it when they are ready?

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

The first time my Ollie went in the pool he sunk to the bottom, he had no idea what to do.  I got him back up,brought him to the steps and he just walked out of the pool, shook off the water and went on about his business.  He did not try to go in the water again but this year I really want to teach him how to swim, I just wish they had a doggie swimming pool around here where you can take your dogs to etc. etc.  My Sasha went into the pool for her first time, and swam without a problem.  I am going to purchase Ollie a life vest which will help him stay up :)

[MEA and Stella]

Thanks for the comments. My sister's labradoodle is a crazy swimmer, she flys off the poontoon boat, takes the steps up the ladder and then dives back in again. She then follows the kayak everywhere. We back up to a small lake and would love to see Stella get exercise from swimming, plus I know she will love it. I will walk her out and keep working with her. I like the idea of the life vest to start also.

One other worry I have... Stella is a RUNNER! I know, I know, once she knows her commands like stop and stay we should be able to control that, but not happening yet. We are getting a fence installed and wondering about getting a separate waterproof collar that we can beep if she starts to go... Anyone have any experience with hand held collars?

[Lynda Kamrath]

We had a lab who would dive off the boat even as a puppy.  You couldn't keep her in a boat.  If she saw water, she wanted to be in it.  We would pull her up into the boat and the first thing you knew she was back in the water.  Don't know anything about hand-held collars.

[Debi and Monty Moose]

Hi Mea.  We just taught Monty to swim about two weeks ago.  He is just about 9 months old and weighs 70lbs, but would not even put his paws on the top step of our pool.  We also have a Golden that loves to swim and he would watch her fetch the ball...but not make any moves towards trying it himself.  We bought him a life vest (since it will also be used at the lake) and first got him used to wearing it in the house. Once he did not mind it (which took no time at all), we then got into the pool ourselves and coaxed him in.  We never pushed him towards the water, as we were afraid that would permanently scar him from ever going into the water.  Within about 10 minutes, he started slowly down the stairs....taking one at a time and not going any further.  But within about a half hour....he was swimming out towards me...sorta in a panic...but it was swimming!  The life vest gave him the confidence and the know how to start to swim.  Now he no longer uses the life vest in the pool (saving it for the lake and boat) and is swimming like a fish.  The entire process only took two days.  We are very pleased with his progress and now we can hardly get him out of the pool.  We feel much more confident ourselves with him around water now. 

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

We have a lake at the dog park we visit.  When Bailey was younger, I would throw the ball in just a little and she would get her toes wet.  I would throw it a little further each time and really praise her.. eventually she just wanted the ball so much she went in deeper and swam...That first time they swim on their own is a little nerve racking.. I was thinking the whole time...Please do not make me come and get you.. LOL

We did the same thing with Marnie's Stanlee..  He was unsure and finally after a few time he went for it.. He was so cute, coming out of the water like the Black Stallion

[Pat and Traveler]

This is Trav, the one and only time he's been swimming.  He accidently fell in while trying to get a stick...lol

 

[Donna K & Quincy]

The first time Quincy actually swam ( after two summers of trying to get him to go past his belly) it was actually by accident when he got over his head trying to get to his ball before another dog did. This happened at the end of the summer so he didn't get to try again until the next summer.He was half panicky and splashing with his front legs almost completely out of the water. I was about to go get him when he settled down and actually swam to shore. He is still not big on swimming and will only go far enough to fetch his toy that's been thrown. I have a vest for him this year if the weather ever gets warm enough to go to our favorite pond and I'm hoping it will give him a bit more confidence and make me a less nervous landlover. This is how I got him to swim while making sure he didn't go too far because I can't swim either. :>)

<br /><small><a href="http://www.doodlekisses.com/video/video">Find more videos like this on <em>DoodleKisses.com</em></a></small><br />