can someone give me insight as to how to train my dog to swim? I want him to love it.

Are we talking in a swimming pool or a natural body of water?

Its usually easiest to go to the beach, with the dog in a harness, on a Flexi-Lead. I like the Flexi-leads for this because there's no risk of it tangling around the dog's legs, but you can still control where the dog goes, and the dog actually feels reassured having you at the end of the leash.

Take several floating toys, and slowly walk out into the water with the dog until the dog is up to belly level, and let the dog slowly get comfortable from there.

Once the dog seems comfortable, you can slowly coax the dog to swim out into deeper water towards you.

I taught my puppy starting playing in the shallows of a river to get his feet wet, then i put him in a harness on a lunge line (my housemate has a horse) and brought him to where I could touch easily but he couldn't and there was a current. I then stood while he swam in my direction against the current. We started with 20 seconds with lots of praise and I used the harness to help him keep his butt up (he had a bit of lead butt starting out). As he got strong and found his form we went out for longer and longer and now unfortunatly he can usually overpower the current so we stick to just playing around in the deeper water rather than actually doing structured exercise.

Obviously if you have a pool it would be a lot easier to use.....

 Quote: Melissa Thom

Are we talking in a swimming pool or a natural body of water?

can i ask your thoughts on both?

Have you brought him around water yet? You might be surprised.

When Tasha was 4 months old she jumped in the pool on her own. I was just about to go in after her but she took to swimming immediately. I taught her were the stairs are and she kept climbing out and jumping back in. She has loved it ever since!

A natural body of water is a means of travel just like walking. I taught the wonder lab who had never been in water past her feet by using the recall and a friend with a leash. I waded out to my chest while my friend held the dog. I did a recall and let the dog try to come. She hit the edge of the water and balked. This is where my friend on a leash comes in who marches straight into the water and gives a minor tap to get the dog to follow until they reach me. Leash hand off and a solid YES! We then head back into shore together and have a celebratory ball toss. Repeat. I have used the same idea with getting dogs to cross creek beds just by willing to get a little wet myself.

A dog in a pool MUST be taught the way to get out several times and from several different entry points. It is the most important thing and will save you the heartache of a dead dog.

Really the most important thing about swimming with dogs in general is that it needs to be directional. A dog that isn't moving in a direction in water is a dog that is in distress.

Spencer, the bird dog guys recommend a long run on a warm day that ends near a body of water that is not too cold and has some shallows that lead to deeper water. Everybody just starts into the water, first to get a drink, then to play. (Maybe somewhere like a beach at Bartlett or Saguaro lake??)

Sometimes having other dogs along that are known swimmers can help as well.

I do sort of like the idea of a harness and a long line. Unfortunately, there are sometimes other dogs LOOSE at the beaches (idjits).

Once a dog is swimming regularly at a lake and/or river, it's not a big leap into a pool, so to speak.

My dog wasn't thrilled with water when he was a pup. He would go in to about his ankles, and then run out again. Once we got the Chuck-It involved, swimming became his favorite activity. He will do anything for that ball! He might as well be a labrador now. He'll swim for HOURS!

Take his favorite toys with you.

Just an fyi...Milkbones float.