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AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer Breanne Long shares some tips on introducing your dog to the water so they have a positive experience and learn to love to swim.

Many breeds are natural-born swimmers. Many retrievers and spaniels will swim with little encouragement, but dogs with body types less suited to swimming, like Bulldogs, may need more encouragement and should wear a life jacket when swimming.

Regardless of breed, all dogs should wear a life jacket when first learning to swim. Most pet supply stores stock life jackets in many sizes and styles appropriate for all body types. Look for a lifejacket with a handle that you can use to guide your dog in the water and a D-ring to attach a leash. Before using the lifejacket in the water, put it on your dog at home and get him comfortable with it by feeding him dinner while he wears it, as well as rewarding him with treats while he wears it.

Start in shallow water with your dog on leash, ideally, where you too can enter the water. Wade in a few steps and encourage your dog to follow with some tasty treats. Reward him when he steps in the water, even if he only gets his toes wet. Gradually ask your dog to step further and further into the water until he has to start swimming to reach you.

If your dog likes to retrieve, you can toss his ball or toy a few steps into the water; each turn toss it a little further so gradually your dog will need to swim to reach his toy.

These steps should be done over a period of several days so as not to overwhelm your dog in one session.

Troubleshooting:

Some dogs can be overwhelmed by large bodies of water. Try starting with an empty baby pool in your yard. Get your dog comfortable stepping in while the pool is empty before slowly adding water. Reward your dog for getting in and he’ll soon be happily jumping in every chance he gets!
Start young! Get your puppy comfortable with water as soon as you bring him home! Your bathtub or a baby pool with an inch or two of water make great places to introduce young puppies. You can also carry small puppies into the water and help them swim back to shore or another person.
If your dog won’t step off a pool step to start swimming try a pond or lake where they can gradually wade deeper rather than a sudden drop off.

Note: For safety, never allow your dog to swim unattended! Remember to follow all applicable leash laws in your area!

www.akc.org


The Pet Resorts is a multi-year Best of Atlanta award winner from Kudzu reviewers. During the day, we provide 5-7 hours of doggie daycare supervised by a staff fully trained in reading dog signals and who are Pet First Aid Certified. Web cams are available during playtime for owners missing their furry friends! For overnight boarding, we provide Pet Suites or Condos for animals of all sizes. We provide all-inclusive pricing so there are no surprises at check-out. Our Dunwoody location caters for dogs 50 lbs or less, while our N. Fulton/Cumming location, situated on four rural acres, takes all size dogs and provides a Pet Taxi for pick up and drop off. Both of The Pet Resorts locations service Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville and the surrounding communities.