Dogs are a man’s best friend; that’s trite but it also happens to be the truth. Granted that you may think that because a retriever is bred for fetching things that he would automatically take to water but that’s not the case every time. Some retrievers are scared of water and that can make it hard to teach him to swim. In this post we teach you how we go about when teaching our golden retriever puppies how to swim.

”When can golden retriever puppies swim?”

Golden retrievers can swim at any age; some of them take to water right away and even enjoy frolicking among the waves at the seashore. Some do not, and that’s why you may want to coax your pup gently to try the water. If your retriever feels scared to get into water, then you may want to bring her to the Kidde’s pool and coax her gently. Once she becomes comfortable, then you can bring her out to the lake or the sea shore and coax her to try it out.

How to introduce puppy to water

The first thing that you must remember is that your dog must be trained or must be obedient enough or at least, possess the basic obedient skills before you take him to the waterfront. He needs to know that there is nothing to be afraid of, so take him to the waterfront and make him stand in shallow water. It is a good idea to introduce him to water from a young age. And as he grows up, he becomes more comfortable with getting into water and even diving into the same to fetch items.

You need to train your dog to come to you when you call out to him, so that when he is in water, he can come towards you once he hears your summons. Rather than pull the leash, it is safer this way. You can introduce your pup to water when he is just eight weeks old. And once you get him used to water, transitioning from a walk along the shores to a fully fledged swim should not take that long.

Granted that your golden retriever may be afraid of water on the first try, and that’s why you need him to get used to the sensation of water and swimming in the same. Once he starts to feel comfortable, he is more likely to jump into the water and swim to his heart’s desire.

Easy steps to teach your dog that is afraid of the ocean

You can use the steps listed below to train your golden retriever that is scared and refuses to swim:

  1. Wear warm clothes and take your pup to the kiddie’s pool. You can also bring another person as well.
  2. Now gently lift your golden retriever in your hands, walk into the water, and then gently submerge your pup but make sure that you have your hands under his belly.
  3. Your pup is a little panicked at this stage; so you need to talk to him gently, coo in his ear if necessary, but make him feel relaxed.
  4. Now, when your golden retriever starts paddling his legs, praise him and use positive reinforcement to make sure that he understands.
  5. It is important that you do not force your retriever to swim or stress her out, she must learn to love the water on her own
  6. Now gently release your pup and point her towards the shore and see if she can make her way towards the same.
  7. Continue the same process and extend the duration each day until she starts swimming with pleasure.
  8. Congratulations, you have managed to make your golden retriever take to water. But here are a few safety tips that you may want to review, before you end up throwing your retriever into the deep end of the pool. Sure, your dog may still bark at the water or she may even whine at a little but that’s part of the norm.

If you have a dog that is very afraid of the water, an alternate approach would be that you start out by first finding a unpopulated place with calm and shallow water. Get your dog used to the sight of the ocean or lake by walking your puppy on the beach. Try to get close to the water and encourage your puppy to get her paws wet. When the puppy is comfortable, you can start steering your dog towards more deeper waters.

Remember to have the leach on while doing this exercise, so that you more easily can steer the puppy. It is also not necessary that the puppy swims the first time while you are doing this exercise. The most important part of this exercise is that you show your dog that the ocean is not dangerous.

Next time you go to the beach, try calling your dog to deep enough water where it can’t reach the ocean floor, and don’t forget to wear your most paw-proof swimwear!

Our puppy Umbra loves long walks by the ocean!

Safety Tips:

    • Do not throw your dogs off the pier or into the deep end: if your pup has still not learnt to swim properly, then he can end up drowning. That is why it is important for you to teach your pup all the basics of swimming so that she is prepared for the same.
    • Invest in a flotation device for dogs: This is a good idea and a nice move; you can invest in a flotation device that helps keep your pup afloat as she tries out the basics of swimming. These flotation devices are designed to help your dog to learn swimming and at the same time, stay afloat. For example if you plan to teach your pup how to swim in a fast moving river then it makes perfect sense to try out the flotation device, and anchor the same safely.
    • Bring a buddy: Introducing another dog that loves swimming may well be the trick that will get your retriever into the water. Most dogs follow other dogs and seeing one enjoying swimming is bound to cause your pup to try out the water. But make sure that the dogs get well with each other and do not fight as that somehow defeats the purpose.
    • Swimming pools: These are often the best location to start training your pup. For starters, most pools have a life guard and for another, there’s always someone around to lend a hand. And what’s more, your pup cannot get into that much trouble with a small swimming pool as opposed to the waterfront or the sea.
    • Slow introduction: chances are that your pup is somewhat terrified of water. Given this you may want to help calm down your retriever, talk in soothing tones and introduce her slowly to water.
    • Go swimming with your dog: Remember that she’s bonded with you and looks up to you for cues. So you need to lead by example, so get into the water slowly and start paddling. Then coax your dog gently to try out the same as well. You can also use a flotation device so that in the event of anything going wrong, he has a safety net.
    • Rewards: One of the most effective ways to train your dog is to offer him a reward after praising him for acceptable behavior. Now, you can employ the same trick at the swimming pool and coax your dog to get into the water. And once she does, use positive reaffirmation to show that you are pleased with her behavior
    • Be supportive: It is important that you are supportive of your pup; remember that she is panicking right about now, and you need to soothe her fears down. Once they start to panic most dogs raise their front paws to get out of the water. This often results in pushing them down further, so make sure that you are supporting your pup during the initial training period. Try placing your hand under her belly, this should help support her as she starts to use her front paws. You can also place a hand under her rump for additional support. Your dog will require additional support until she becomes better versed with the basics of swimming.
    • Four paws: Chances are that your golden retriever will only use her front paws to paddle, so you need to encourage her to use all four paws when swimming. Just tickle her back legs and as she kicks with the same, she’ll soon see that she moves much faster on doing so. Once she gets the hang of it, encourage her to retrieve small objects.
    • Water words: It is important that you teach your dog some water words as well; just point to shore and yell “ashore” and make your way towards the shore. Soon, you should be able to get the message across and your pup would soon know the meaning of these water words.
    • Check the weather as well as the currents: It is important that you check the weather and currents of the local body to assess if it is safe taking your dog out for a swim. Do note that rip tides can be quite powerful and it is never a good idea to take your dog swimming in inclement weather either. It is important that you assess the local conditions including the current tide as well as the weather before you take your dog swimming, And make sure that you go along to supervise her swim, so that you can always jump in after her and rescue her if needed. It is important that you take care to check all the local conditions before you take your retriever for a swim.

Next, Feed And Reward Your Dog

Now that you have managed to teach your golden retriever to swim, there are a few things that you need to take care of right away:

      • Wash and pat: It is important that you use lukewarm water to wash and pat her dry. Now, she can adjust to the room temperature and feel comfortable.
      • Hot food: Make sure that you have selected a nutritious brand of food for your dog. She has had a hard day’s workout. It is important that she nourishes her body soon and hot piping food should do the trick. Do remember that meat happens to be the main source of nutrition for your dog so select food items which feature the same.
      • Consult a vet: You can always consult the vet about the best food items to purchase for your dog.
      • Small portions: Do remember that your golden retriever is still a pup so you need to feed her in small portions. If you are not sure about the schedule, you can, consult a vet and the number of times that you would be required to feed your dog, in the course of a single day.
      • Water: You need to make sure that your dog’s water bowl is always filled with clean water. She’s bound to be thirsty after the hard day’s work so you need to make sure that she drinks clean water and does not get too dehydrated. It is a good idea to go in for stainless steel bowls for both water as well as dinner. The one reason that you may want to opt for stainless steel bowls is on account of the fact that they come less bacteria.
      • Health treats: You can also provide your pup with some health treats. After the hard day’s workout, your dog deserves nothing but the best. What’s more, these heath treats can act as positive reaffirmation

Conclusion

These are some of the ways by which you can teach your pup how to swim like an expert. It is important that you do not force her to get into water as that can serve to increase her anxiety levels. Just follow the steps listed here and you should be able to teach your dog to swim in no time at all. And in due course, you should be able to take your pup for a swim.

Just remember that it is important that you support your pup all through the various stages and ensure that she does not have to panic and that you are with her, during this process. And make sure that you assess the local conditions, prior to heading to office.

Soon, your pup will not bark on seeing the water or start whining the moment she ends up in war. But as mentioned earlier, these are just during the initial stages and soon you should be able to watch your golden retriever have tons of fun, swimming in the water.

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