Once your dog has gotten into the water.......

[hoggs222]

how long did it take it to swim regularly. I've had my dog in the water with a training dummy & she has swam, but still is uncertain of going over her head too deep. She is about 10 months old now. I guess It'll just take some more time.

[WAG416]

Give the puppy time. Mine took about 15 months before she would swim on her own. I got her started by going into the water with her to retrieve the dummy. After that, it was smooth sailing.

Like the last topic " lab wont swim " says, give him/her time. wish I could be more help.

WAG

[hoggs222]

I've been out working with her with the training dummy with a rope attached to it, so I didn't have to go too far in the water. She'll get the hang of it sooner or later.

[Ely Lake Expert]

I think it depends on the individual dog. I have had 3 dogs since they were puppies. Two of them were in the lake playing as soon as they were able to run down the hill to get to the lake. The other one likes the water now, but it took some easing into.

[MikeYager - Suzuki]

I did the dumbest thing you can do. I was impatient and pushed her off a dock. Luckily it didn't scar her and now at 2 years old I cannot keep her out of water no matter what the temp is! She even sticks her head under water. I was thinking of attempting to train her to dive since so few dogs can do this. We'll see.

[hoggs222]

I will not do that. I just want to ease here into swimming. She already runs right into the water & jumps around in it up to her head. I'm getting her to swim a little bit, she just doesn't know how to paddle very good yet. She kind of swims in circles at times & then just starts barking at the dummy.

[Rywheat]

I have two springer pups about seven months old both love the water but one will swim and the other one just wades in instead it will be just a matter of time

[huntingisheaven]

When i got my last pup she was swimming at about three months she didn't want to go in over her head at first but i just kept walking out farther and farther in this little pond until she decided well i want to follow him and away she went loved the water ever since

[LMITOUT]

I had my GSP in the boat with my at 5 months and she tried to jump from the boat to the dock while I was pulling up, but I had the leash in my hand and it went tight about the time she was in mid-air so down she went. I had to let go of the leash and she swam to shore like she'd been doing it for years! I was worried that it would shock her into not liking water, but she loves it. She's even fallen out of the boat a few times after that and doesn't mind.

[fishermann222]

my black lab pup was the same way. I could not get her to swim for the life of me. I started throwing dead frozen birds and that started to work. SHe would bark and bark before jumping off the cutbank. had her spring duck hunting this year in AK, and she got the hang of it. She just had to be excited enough to want to get out there. For her it was seeing a bird fall. I know you probably want to get her swimming before fall, see if you can get some pigeons somewhere and shoot them down over water. If you have had her on any birds she will go right for it in my experience this spring.

[charliepete2]

I get all my dogs swimming at a really young age. The trick of it is never forcing them physically. I find a river deep enough that a dog would have to swim to cross it and then I just wade across myself and don't pay them any attention. Sooner or later they can't take it anymore and they all seem to come swimming.

[fishnhooks]

I never had the problem of trying to get my dog to swim. My problem since The day I got him is getting him out of the lakes, swamps, puddles.