swimming

When does a dog learn to swim?

 

start young, in shallow water. i use a slow moving stream and get in with em. its just something that comes natural to them, just gotta cure the fear if that is the case.

 

its instinct, i didnt even know my dog could swim until she jumped off the boat to get a turtle. she can also hold her breathe an go under water, im still not sure if thats normal for a dog though :/ but hey she loves water.

 

mine learnt at six months by going in with another dog.

 

Obvious......

When you fuck them in.......

Either that or face the consequences

 

I like to take my pups to a sheltered beach, as soon as they've had their second shots, and let one wave touch them lightly around their ankles.

Then... I pick them right up, and praise them alot, so their first experience is very positive, and they are curious about the water, and want to see it the next time they have a chance.

After that, I slowly encourage them in over their heads.
Some dogs learn to swim at 9-10 weeks.
Some, it takes longer.

I would never teach a dog to swim, by throwing it in the water.
If I have a dog, that is, NOT A PUP, and still does not want to swim, I take them to a wall beside deep water, and hold them by the edge.
I slowly push them closer to the water, while I make sure they don't fall in, until they are off balance enough, to decide to jump in on their own.

The best thing about training Pit Bulls is... if you can convince them, that what you want them to do, was their idea all along... they will do whatever you tell them, with all of their heart.
If you make their training a fun game, you won't even need a leash to teach them anything they need to know to get their C.G.C.
You will have to be careful a Pit Bull doesn't injure itself trying to obey you, if you use reverse psychology to train it.

A dog that launches into the water, is more fun to have, than a dog that does not want to be near you on a dock.

 

Mines swam around 6 months..he has a strong drive for anything so i just threw a stick in the water and he ran staright in. First he jumped around but its all natural to them so dont worry about it....SINK OR SWIM!!, FIGHT OR FLIGHT!!!

 

The sooner you introduce them to the water the better not necessarily swimming just being in water. Always keep it a positive experience.

 

Im from AZ an that is a must for me to train my dog to swim.. The main thing is for pools dogs cant see the steps so they dont know how to get out. I would carry my dog to the middle an guide her to the steps so she knew how to get out. In case if I wasnt home an she fell in she wouldnt panic an try to climb out the side by pulling her self out.

Once we established that I started to throw her ball in the pool an it would drive her nuts that she wouldnt be able to get it. she is very ball drivin. Well a friend of mine brought his Staff over who knew how to swim an he had no problem getting in an gettin it.

That drove her crazy that another dog was getting her ball so easily. Then one time I threw it in there an no hesitation at all she jumped in an went right to the steps like nothin.

After that I would come home an she would be going just for a casual swim or just chillin on the steps to cool down. She didnt start until she was about 2 also.

I heard of diff things like puttin a leash on em an takin them in like almost dragging them. Mom tried that with hers an now he is terrified of the leash. That was from the good ol dog whisper him self lol. just find what drives them treats,toys anything that dog loves to do.. If he is DA throw another dog in the pool..lol that was a joke.. Just have to work with him..

 

Im not going to lie thats how i got taught to swim my dad threw me off the boat and said swim or drown i tell ya what a man will learn quick but i have yet to own a dog that did not know how to swim instinctively if you will notice while they are pups if you give them a bath and pick them up out of the water and just hold them in the air they will start to paddle with there legs like they are swimming i do not recommend just throwing them in and hoping for the best though start slow and they will actually enjoy it

 

every dog is a born swimmer...they just dont know it. id never throw a dog in though. my dad threw my pup in 13 yrs ago and said if hes any sort of a dog he'l swim out, if he doesnt hes not worth it. well sure enough the dog bobbed back up and swam over. but to this day he's afraid of his own water bowl. my pitbull went in at 6 months. nothing will come between him and his ball. serious addiction...so i threw it across the river. he was barking and clawing the water. i thaught, ya balls gone so turned and walked away to hear a splash. looked back and he was flying it across the river! after a few weeks of that my staffy followed him in and now i cant keep them out of it! even the puppy is starting to follow them in and shes 17 weeks. it all depends on the dog but the dog will go in with enough encouragement and all in their own time

 

i pmsl at that.

 

This dog saw another across the pond at 4 months old or something like that. He tought he could walk over cause the duckweed was on the pond. So he ran in, and in stead of turning and getting out he swam across. After that i brought him to beaches and walked in with him, supporting him at the belly and let him float a little, than he was of. I walk out with him following me, untill he had his feet planted on the bottom. He still loves the exercise, ten years old now. Old picture
Old vid
[video=youtube;btCiz_nLxdw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btCiz_nLxdw&feature=player_profilepage[/video]

I have a bitch i tipped in the water on a hot summer day. She panicked and i had to get her from the 5 feet of water she was in. Phone fooked, wallet wet and mate laughing his ass of. She was vertically splashing around with her paws in the water not knowing what she was doing. She was about a year or 2 and a half than. At the age of four she followed old dog after a stick into the water and miraculously just swam.

 

cool vid nash. "miraculously just swam"=strange how they do that eh?....lol

 

Thnx mate. I find it stranger that she panicked when i tossed her in. lol

 

BOT it is.