Those tubes are nifty! I wonder if you could put the liver or fish paste in a tube and dispense dollops of it directly from the tube into the dog's mouth--like squirting a pea-sized bite of toothpaste for the dog to lick off?

Or how about offal-n-cheeze-whiz? The possibilites are endless.

Gotcha, I understand now. Looks like food or toy will not over ride his fear of the pool. If this is the case and you really want him go swim then probably you will need to take him in and walk around in the shallow with him in your arms (no swimming yet) for a few sessions. Lead him out and then treat (on dry land) During 3rd or 4th session you can let go of him and let him swim keeping close to help in case his head goes under if not and he is swimming on his own then guide his direction with a line as he will try to make a beeline for the exit. Let him swim a few circles around you then guide him to the steps and reward. Hope he gets eager to swim soon.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

Those tubes are nifty! I wonder if you could put the liver or fish paste in a tube and dispense dollops of it directly from the tube into the dog's mouth--like squirting a pea-sized bite of toothpaste for the dog to lick off?

Or how about offal-n-cheeze-whiz? The possibilites are endless.

I know, the possibilities are endless. I am going to head over to REI this weekend! I love the idea of making my own treats, if I can just make one that he will garner the focus I get with the liverwurst!

 Quote: Faisal Khan

Gotcha, I understand now. Looks like food or toy will not over ride his fear of the pool. If this is the case and you really want him go swim then probably you will need to take him in and walk around in the shallow with him in your arms (no swimming yet) for a few sessions. Lead him out and then treat (on dry land) During 3rd or 4th session you can let go of him and let him swim keeping close to help in case his head goes under if not and he is swimming on his own then guide his direction with a line as he will try to make a beeline for the exit. Let him swim a few circles around you then guide him to the steps and reward. Hope he gets eager to swim soon.

Have you ever known anyone to use a life vest, until the dog learns to not panic? He is really skittish with the pool.
I would hold him, only the last time he was in the pool, he was flailing around so much because he was so fearful.
I have also thought I could get a vest, to see if that would help ease the panic, until he learns to trust in his ability to swim. Or would that be counter productive?

I have tried to lead him in by leash, only he just backs up, and does the dead dog routine. I always stop at that point because he is truly fearful, and I don't want to make it worse.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/luca-stl/e357efda.jpg
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http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/luca-stl/99753b2b.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/luca-stl/5b3eb29a.jpg

A dog life vest is exactly how we taught Luca to swim. You'll see these photos are quite old (Luca was about 5 months old--his ears are taped!)--but we put him in his vest and then he just followed me into the water (this was in a lake)--and kept walking until he was dog-paddling.

Great photos of Luca Tracy. The taped ears, especially adorable!

My female Kaia learned in a graduated pool, similar to a lake.
I think it is much easier to learn to swim when there is a gradual decline rather than the steps.

I honestly think Kodi sees the pool as a giant hole.

But my hopes are to just get out there on the steps sit and get him to come me using as a high value treat as I can. If I can just mark/reward him coming to me on the stairs, maybe I can get him to stand on them first. Maybe I can gently get him lured into the water with a vest on. I think the vest is a good idea for him as it would show him he can float and take away his need to panic.
That is, if I can get him to the steps first.
I hope to rebuild his trust with the pool.

 Quote: Joyce Salazar

Cheri, this squeeze tube idea is really awesome! Thank you so much for this link!

I am going to do some experimenting and see what I can do to perfect the consistency.

Joyce, I think we all definitely want to know how it turns out when you get a chance to try it. Like I said, I thought it was a great idea but haven't had a chance to do my own experimenting yet.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

Those tubes are nifty! I wonder if you could put the liver or fish paste in a tube and dispense dollops of it directly from the tube into the dog's mouth--like squirting a pea-sized bite of toothpaste for the dog to lick off?

Or how about offal-n-cheeze-whiz? The possibilites are endless.

Tracy, there are a few people at my club who use those pressurized squeeze cans of cheese in just the manner you mention. I tried it once, but I guess there's a special technique or something, because my dogs just got so excited over it they were slobbering all over the nozzle, and I just thought it was a mess!

eta: Well, I guess they're not really squeeze cans since they're metal. They're sort of like the whipped cream in cans.

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

 Quote: Joyce Salazar

Cheri, this squeeze tube idea is really awesome! Thank you so much for this link!

I am going to do some experimenting and see what I can do to perfect the consistency.

Joyce, I think we all definitely want to know how it turns out when you get a chance to try it. Like I said, I thought it was a great idea but haven't had a chance to do my own experimenting yet.

We have a successful recipe replacement! Tonight I made my first batch. I did exactly as Tracy suggested. I started with sauteing(sp?) a whole container of chicken livers until nearly cooked. Then pureed them in my blender, added two eggs and added two dashes of Worcestershire and a few dashes of garlic powder.
Placed it on a cookie sheet and baked at 325 for 15 minutes.
I turned the oven off and left it in there to finish drying out some more.

It was still a bit crumbly, but I managed to cut small pieces and it does resemble the liverwurst on the underside.

But the proof was in the taste test I did with the dogs.
Both loved it, especially Kodi. I think it merits nearly the same focus that I was getting from the liverwurst.

I have not had the chance to get to an REI, but I want to order those tubes Cheri, because that would be ideal for making little bites.
I want to experiment with making some salmon treats too.

Einstein had a kids wading pool and really liked the water so when my parents got their new house they just let him into the pool area without really thinking about it. He just stepped off the side expecting it to be like his old pool and sank like a rock. Then he couldn't find a way out. He freaked and after that was scared of the pool.

We bought a vest for him and wearing pants(his nails scratched) walked out into the water with him and just held on till he calmed down. Once he had stopped freaking out he was half carried half swam to the steps and allowed to go the last foot or so by himself. We just repeated it over and over releasing him gradually further and further from the steps until we were sure he understood he had to swim(some dogs don't!) and knew where the exit was. At that point he was calm enough to go for his ball and the rest was just repetition.

He lost his fear of the pool and for the rest of the time he was there had to be watched around the pool unless you wanted a soaked dog. He loved dropping his ball in the pool on one end and then racing around to the other end where the steps were and jumping in after it.

We took the vest off after the initial intro. He didn't really need it. Labs are great swimmers with that otter tail of theirs. It was handy for the rest of the dogs though. Boxers don't swim quite as well.

What helped the most is right after getting Einstein into the pool he was taken to the furthest point from the walls. Right next to the walls he'd struggle like mad trying to get to them because they were so close.

It's probably considered a form of flooding but all of our dogs got the same intro to the pool and due to the fact that they are assisted with the vest and somebody supporting them they all calmed down quickly. They all know where the steps are now in case they fall in.

 Quote: joyce salazar

I have not had the chance to get to an REI, but I want to order those tubes Cheri, because that would be ideal for making little bites.

Joyce, you might try just snipping off a small section of corner from a heavy-duty zip lock bag, put the paste in the bag, seal it, and then squeeze small amounts out the corner onto your baking sheet. I use this all the time when decorating and needing just a "dot" of the icing, so it might help!

Best of luck with the pool training... in the beastly heat we are experiencing right now it would be WONDERFUL to have a "real" pool to get the dogs in! (Seeing the two big beasts crammed in the kiddie pool is too funny...)