[Tollerowner]

People have told me that their dogs retrieve under water. I have seen videos on Youtube of dogs swimming down 6' to retrieve. I decided to try this with my 3 year old Toller. So far she is happy to get a lacrosse ball off the the bottom of a lake in 1' water; which is about the deepest she can go without actually swimming. This is hard to do because it requires really clear water to see the ball, and those days are rare.

I posted about this on Facebook. While several people say their dogs do it, others say it is extremely dangerous because of water intoxication. While it would be fun to do this better, I certainly don't want to endanger her! Any knowledgeable opinions on this would be appreciated.

 

[LeoRose]

If she tends to swallow a lot of water, then yes, it can be dangerous. If she seems to really enjoy it, then doing it in moderation, and keeping an eye out for symptoms of water intoxication, would probably be okay.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Another safety hazard in water is the dog should be naked. No collar. No leash. Dogs have drowned getting tangled.

My dog has retrieved under water but I don't do it as a regular thing (I do swim him and he retrieves floating toys).