How do I teach my puppy to swim?

[nonnie browne]

We live down the street from a very nice lake. We pass it every day on our walk and when the weather improves, I would love to teach Buddy to swim. All my previous dogs/swimmers were adopted and I have not taught this before. I would rather not have to get in with him past my knees :)

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

I think swimming comes naturally to them. I would try shallow water first and then go deeper - using a stick or a floating toy on a long rope or string so you can pull it back if your dog won't go out to retrieve it. Just work with your dog, if they like the water, they will jump right in...

[Karen & Lucy]

No, I dont think it comes naturally to some dogs, like Lucy. She is 3 1/2 and still can not swim. Took her to the romp last spring and she swam with her front paws up out of the water like she was drowning. She does not like it. I am not getting in with her either, but what I would do if I were you was get Buddy a life jacket for dogs and that should teach him to at least swim with his legs under the water. Then try it without it on.

[Tammy & Gracie]

I recently asked the same thing. Look at the group swimming doodles for more info.

[Chris & Boys]

I have only had one dog. He just took to the water, never thought about having to teach them to swim.....

[Azure & Muppet]

I've never known any dog that needed to be "taught" to swim - they just seem to know how naturally by instinct - no teaching required! Isn't that amazing?!

[Gwen A]

Hi, I gave both of my Australian shepherds swimming lessons. On day one, I hold them close while I walk around the shallow end of the pool for just seconds. Then we go to the stairs and I help them climb out. Day two, more of same, but longer. Day three, hold them under their belly while they paddle furiously ( aiming towards the stairs). In less than a week they are swimming confidently. Aussie one learned in the heighth of Phoenix summer and took to it much faster than Aussie two who had to take lessons in October. Today is the third lesson for GabbyDoodle. She's still not sure she like it, but seems to love being wet when she gets out.

[Marilyn Polacci]

We took our dog to professional dog swimming classes. And they did just what you suggested. She now loves the water and really enjoys swimming.

[Julie Savolt]

How old is your puppy? We had our puppy in at 11 weeks. He was just in shallow water and we were all in trying to encourage him to come in. He didn't "swim"that day, just got comfortable with the water. He was only in knee deep.
We have him on the boat all the time and he loves it. I know when he's comfortable he'll want to swim. With the water getting colder, he'll probably have to wait until next summer. I feel good that we introduced him now but with the water getting colder each week he's probably done for the year. We got him a life jacket for the boat so he knows when he's on the boat he has to wear it. It will make swimming in deep water easier next summer! Good luck!

[Christine + Ellie]

I feel like it is innate for dogs to know how to swim... Ellie wasn't exactly prepped to be in the water, she kind of just jumped in and started paddling... We did have a kickboard nearby just in case she wasn't prepared but the pup just kept going. She loves water!

[Annie Starlight Dancer Hovis]

We took Annie up to a lake in GA and swimming came natural to her. She swam like she had been doing it her whole life. Labs,Goldens, and Poodles are all natural swimmers so it should come naturally.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

It doesn't come naturally to all dogs. Finn swims but it's because he fell in the pool at 12 weeks and just started swimming. Some dogs do not and I have known of dogs who have drowned.

Yankee had to be coaxed into the water. He did better when I took him somewhere where he could walk in to where he was comfortable. He still only walks down the steps of the pool when he wants to swim. He won't jump in.

[Julie B.]

You can take one of those floating frisbees and put treats on it and then float it a short distance away from your pup. Most doodles can swim but the first objective is to get them into the water where they find it fun. They usually take it from there. We spend a lot of time on a lake in the summer and I have found that my doodle loves to swim and it didn't take too long to get used to it. She's a labradoodle but she can't keep up with my friend's lab! She has too much poodle in her so her legs aren't nearly as big and strong as the labs. Downside to doodle swimming.... wet, sandy hair. If you plan to swim a lot I would highly recommend keeping your doodle's fur trimmed shorter. I have Luah groomed every 3 months into a "puppy cut". It is the only way to keep her clean and comfortable when she is in the water a lot.