has anyone ever taught a dog to swim?

i have started to teach luc to swim.

i have to admit, i always thought knowing the doggie paddle was just a built-in thing with dogs. i thought, sure, luc doesn't like water, but he'll be able to swim.

well, sort of.

luc was terrified of water when i first got him (i used to have to carry him across streams while we hiked/backpacked ). he's improved, can now cross streams/rivers on his own, and sometimes will put his front feet in a lake.

when i take teagan to the dog pool for rehab, i've started bringing luc, to get him swimming and good around water so i can take them canoeing. they would wear lifejackets while canoeing (in case the boat flipped and they hit their head or something), but i want luc to be comfortable with water.

teagan LOVES swimming, she goes jumping in after her toys and then i make her work (stabilize her hips and pull back) while she swims back.

i don't know if watching her is helping luc or not. a few weeks ago i carried him in, and kept my arms underneath him but not touching. i quickly realized he doesn't know he can swim, b/c he tried to swim on top of the water, rather than through it. that said, he was prancing around wagging his tail when he got out, though he declined to go in again.

yesterday one of the workers at the pool came back to watch the dogs and helped me with him. we put a lifejacket on him so he'd feel more relaxed, and had him float while being held for awhile, and then had him swim. we took his collar and tried to hold his head forward (more down than up) so that he would swim more through the water. we did this several times, great improvement, though still a lot of splashing. he was again all proud of himself when he got out, though he wasn't going to go in on his own.

any suggestions to help teach him to swim on top of what we're doing? he doesn't play (except for tickle tag, which i doubt he'll want to do in the pool), so toy chasing is out, and his food drive is not strong enough for him to follow a treat into the water, though he's willing enough to eat them on deck.

thanks!

My dog does the same thing when she swims, but when she carries a rag in her mouth, she swims properly with no splashing. I think having something else to think about made the swimming come naturally. She will still splash without it, but gets better every time. Will Luc hold something in his mouth even if he doesn't play?

Have you tried just walking in and rewarding him with high value treats when he is calm and relaxed starting with a few inches and gradually going deeper?

I had to do this with Jesea since when we were first starting out with water search for cadaver.

She jumped out of the boat not realizing it was water and it spooked her. She looked like a drowning victim, trying to keep her feet above water and splashed around all the way to shore.

I went and got some raw steak and that is what we did. When she would come forward towards me into the water, she was rewarded. After about 15 minutes or so she was in past her back.

By the end of the weekend she was in swimming around with her ball in her mouth (which she would not keep in her mouth at the start of the process) and would go in and retrieve as well.
I really thought the negative off of the boat would make it hard but it didn't.

The gradual increase in depth made it so that she could choose her comfort level and we just made it really fun for her.

i don't know....that's a good idea, though, i will try to figure out something he'd hold in his mouth and try that.

in the 9 months i've had him, he's held toys in his mouth twice. both times he lifted up his lips so that they wouldn't touch the toy, and very carefully sat it down and baaaacked away slowly

he'll take a bone in his mouth....well, not a rawhide or anything (he's suspicious of those), but a real bone. not sure if the dog pool would like that, i can ask. he might drop it b/c he does not really like the swimming yet - he doesn't shake, he's not fearful like that, but he does definitely want to get out of the water as fast as possible.

actually, considering that we have at least a 1/2 hour and one transfer on the subway to get to the dog pool (then a 20 minute walk down), he does really well....he is terrified of trains, though i have tried to densensitize him....teagan being with him helps, and then we walk rather than take the streetcar to give him so time to readjust.

....just when i think i'm so smart about training the dogs, there's something that stumps me

(better than yesterday, after we got home from swimming we were out front, teagan on a long lead, to dry off and wait for my bf. i was happily reading, teagan next to the steps, but i forgot teagan's 'never warn them you're coming' attack policy, when someone walked past our side yard w/two dogs she took off, and i got clotheslined and knocked over. eesh. she couldn't reach the dogs on the line, and did sit when i reeled her back to me. i don't know how i manage to forget these things w/her.)

carol - that's mostly what i did two weeks ago. he wouldn't take treats when in the water, but would next to it, which for him, was pretty good.

i've thought about trying raw meat as treats, but aren't sure in a dog pool that they would really appreciate that....maybe if i cut stuff small. there is a ramp that luc can stand on. he has to be brought over to it, but becomes fairly calm once there. he just won't go in any further on his own, even with some pretty yummy (though not raw) treats.

i'm thinking that might be a good intro to each session....have him do that, and then take him slowly into the water w/the lifejacket. he doesn't seem to love it while in the water, but isn't upset once out, so i don't think it's pushing him to far. i hope not, anyways. i've been booking the pool for an hour so i have time to work with each of them, and that's been nicer.

I personally teach the dogs to swim via directional swimming once they get over the I don't want to be wet portion of their lives. In this case I pick a calm morning on the sound and have a helper hold the dog on a long leash at the water's edge while I row about 25 feet out on a boat or wade up to my shoulders, about 10 - 20 feet where they cannot touch the bottom. I then call the dog and the helper starts to walk foreward if the dog balks at entering the water or the dog tries to turn around as soon as their feet leave the ground. Once they reach me they get a enthusiastic "good dog!" and I run with them back to shore for a good old fashion joy session. Repeate. Normally by the third try the dog doesn't hesitate. Usually with keeping the whole thing wildly positive the dog is on to water retrieves by the third day.

I find the plop footed swimming goes away with strong directional swimming. A key point is to do this safely. Not all dogs because of size, weight, and shape can or should swim and I have encountered one rather normal size 55lb dog who simply froze up in water and sunk. He was resigned to being a land lubber as we could not convince him that his legs could in fact move in water.
Although it's not quite the topic Also keep in mind that teaching a dog to swim fearlessly bears another responsibility of being of judgement of what water your dog should not go in. While your dog may think it should retrieve a stick/float/duck in mid january with a severe current, across sharp rocks, or should attempt to cross a river at high flood stage that high drive can be the death of your dog.

thanks melissa. we've were trying to make it that luc was swimming to me, but i was also helping w/the collar. i like that idea, i will try it.

....oh great, luc is 55lbs at least he does freeze up though.

and absolutely, about safe water. i watch them pretty closely, but it's a very good point.