Water Dog Pup - How to Keep Safe in Water

MarxHasTwoMoms · 09-04-2008, 11:29 AM

Hello all,

As some of you might know I've got a new Portie pup, she's 11 weeks now and next week will have another set of vaccinations making it possible for us to introduce her to the water.

She's been doing well with training and is very eager to impress. My question is this: we live in Guelph, Ontario... there are plenty of rivers here where dogs swim (though I'm not about to go into the river with her), there are lakes and beaches near by. She only has about 60% recall so can't be trusted off-leash. What is the safest way to introduce her to swimming without losing her to the other side of the river? We can go into a lake in shallow water and I'm sure I could control her just fine, I'm a good swimmer. The river is so convenient but I'm hesitant to use any sort of leash on her in this scenerio as it could get tangled. Any help would be much appreciated! I'm eager to share this experience with her!

Thanks,
Bex

aero4ever · 09-04-2008, 03:45 PM

Hmmmm.... This may sound stupid, but here goes anyway. How about getting one of those really long 20-30 foot leashes and adding floatation devices to it every 2 feet or so. That way you could have her on a leash, she'd be able to get a good distance away, it wouldn't sink and you'd have control to bring her back while working on the come command. There's probably something fishermen use that could be sewn onto the leash, nothing else comes to mind but I'm sure there are things out there.

FriendsOfZoe · 09-04-2008, 04:20 PM

I would suggest introducing water two ways...first it is best if you can go swimming with her. Second, is on leash (and perhaps even on leash with you). This is when a retractable leash can come in handy, as your dog could get 15-20 feet out and you can retract it as need be so that it doesn't get tangled. On a beach/open water, I still use a 50' leash on my 17-month-old golden...it can be a bit of a hassle, but I don't feel safe letting her off because she may well end up swimming clear across the lake to chase ducks and then run onto someone else's property and etc. etc.

ETA: Don't be surprised if even a Water Dog puppy doesn't take to the water right away. Most people I know said that their dog didn't like to swim until at least 1 year old. I was fortunate that my Zoe actually took to swimming in her first summer (when she was 3-6 months old), but I think that also had to do a lot with the fact that she had the ideal place to learn to swim (a private beach on a fresh water lake with a gentle slope to deeper water) and a very hot summer wherein water was the only place to get cool. But any tentativeness she showed was long gone by this summer, and now it is hard to keep her OUT of the water...she will swim for hours upon hours when we let her.

Swimming for the first time at around 3 1/2 months old...

This past memorial day (at about 14 months), swimming behind me in the kayak:

Bodhi · 09-04-2008, 05:04 PM

those photos are awesome!
my dog (soft coated wheaten terrier - 15 wks)
LOVES water! He gets in water anytime he can.
He tries to fit his whole body in his water bowl!
outside he finds puddles to roll in.

we went to our friends who had a baby pool for their toddler. He jumped right in & put his head & whole body underwater & just laid there.

So funny.

on labor day we went to a friends who have a big swimming pool & he jumped right in! OMG! He went under & then dog paddled until someone retrieved him. Scared me to death. I think we better keep a real sharp eye on this water pup!

anyhow, maybe start with swimming pools?

melgrj7 · 09-05-2008, 12:32 AM

I would introduce her first with a kiddie pool, or somewhere with very shallow water where you can go in with her. Don't force her into the water, or force her into deep water as that will make her afraid of the water. Encrouage her in with treats and play and let her go deeper as she wants. Keep it fairly short and very fun for the first few times.

wvasko · 09-05-2008, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melgrj7

I would introduce her first with a kiddie pool, or somewhere with very shallow water where you can go in with her. Don't force her into the water, or force her into deep water as that will make her afraid of the water. Encrouage her in with treats and play and let her go deeper as she wants. Keep it fairly short and very fun for the first few times.

Melgri7
Good way to start water safe. I don't understand the rush and it seems to be more (or at least the threads I have read) important with some PWD owners. I would compare it facetiously to getting a Rhodesian Ridgeback pup and wanting to hunt lions right away. It's almost like they are worried that the water gene will disappear if the pup reaches a year of age and isn't hitting the water hard. Relax, I would concentrate more on socializing your pup right now. I have worked with Labs, Chessies, Goldens etc and 1 PWD when there were only 8 in this country. These were dogs used for hunting and I never accepted a dog until they were at least 6 mths old,. There was never a big problem. My opinion only.

MarxHasTwoMoms · 09-05-2008, 11:23 AM

Thanks so much for the replies and tips! There's definitely no rush, for me it's more about keeping her mind occupied/new things for her to explore. We're socializing her with lots of play dates, different people, and puppy classes. I'm just a research addict and love to have as much info as possible... even if it's months or a year in advance.

BTW FOZ, those pics are adorable!!!