About 4 months after I got Jubel they had a dog day at the water park. For $5 you got to go into the park with your dog and they got to play in the wave pool and in some of the kiddie pool areas with the fountains. Jubel had a blast running around with all the other dogs and would wade in the shallow water but didn't want to go in if the water came close to his chest. He mostly enjoyed biting at the water fountaining up in the kiddie pool with only 2-3" of water at his feet. I think the deepest that kiddie pool went was about 6-7", while I was sitting on the edge and Jubel was standing next to me I pulled him down into the 6-7" water and he jumped back out the second his feet hit the bottom. He wasn't too happy with my idea of fun either.
At the wave pool he'd run along the edge at bite at the waves as they rolled in by the end of the day, at the start he ran away when the waves were turned on. He stared in awe at the labs (and a few others but mostly labs) swimming in the deep end of the wave pool and jumping off the side into the water. Wouldn't let me near him at the edge fearing I'd push him in again, 6-7" vs. 10' is not a factor he was thinking about haha.
The next week we headed off to the beach for a week. The beach house we stayed in had a pool and was located on the sound side for those familiar with the Outerbanks (for those who aren't the Outerbanks is a very long north to south and very narrow east to west, about 1-2 miles tops). We visited the sound side and the ocean side a few times and he waded a bit but mostly would bite at the water (drinking too much in the end). Ended up with some diarrhea likely from drinking the ocean and pool water with his 'biting.' I tried so hard to get him in the pool, he enjoyed me splashing at him from in the pool but was NOT going to get in. I tried luring him on to the steps into the pool with no luck. At one point he started running around the pool and he'd cut inside between me and the pool when he passed me, so the next time I gave him a little nudge into the pool when he passed. He wasn't quite in a panic but he was in about 6' of water trying to climb out the edge of the pool, I jumped in after him seconds later and slowly led him to the steps to get out.
He's not a fan of swimming but I think the proper gradual approach to learning and he might enjoy it. Though with his propensity to drink the water there aren't any bodies of water around here I'd want him swimming/drinking in. He does enjoy wading in the creek near my house when it's under 3" but again he'll try and drink it and THAT water I'm sure wouldn't be good for him. I have a little kiddie pool I bought for him that I'll fill up in the summer... it's just a big water bowl to him, never 'played' in/with it and runs away from the hose and tries to hide.
Now he loves to swim.
