My dog can't swim!

[Godsgrl]

I always thought all dogs could swim, except for maybe basset hounds. My first dog was a border collie mix, and I couldn't keep her OUT of the water for anything! Reno is a hound and he can swim; just doesn't choose to. He has beautiful form though. Now welcome Sweet Pea, the BIRD DOG that can't swim. Okay, bird dog and terrier mix that can't swim.

She isn't excited about the pool, but we want to familiarize her with it just in case she falls in. At this point, she'd drown if that happened. Her main goal is to hold her head out of the water, and furiously paddle with her front paws. However she doesn't use her back legs at all. So she ends up completely vertical in the water. We've been supporting her midsection in the pool, and I think we'll have to move her rear legs until she gets the hang of it.

A lot of the sites online I looked over said to start them out in a river or lake with gradual entry. I can't do that here, we have alligators in the water! I'm not about to hop in the water and coax the dog in too. Dinner time! Soo..any ideas on this one? I've taught 4 kids how to swim, never thought I'd have to teach the dog.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Get her a doggie life jacket so you don't have to worry. She might just not be coordinated enough.

 

[Godsgrl]

Quote:
I had seriously thought about that. I never understood the reasoning behind them before, but now... Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Kaitie09]

I had a dog that couldn't swim either. My aunt had to jump in fully clothed because Emma(my dog) sank to the bottom of their deep end (10ft). We got her a life jacket and she wore it a few times before she was able to figure it out.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I just saw some in the Jeffers catalog. They ranged from $10-$20 depending on size. Check out www.jefferspet.com and see if they have something that will work for you.

Good luck!

 

[Godsgrl]

Quote:
Gosh, how scary! It had to be hard to pull a panicky wet dog up from a 10' pool. (that's how deep ours is) It's comforting to know Emma figured out swimming after she wore the life jacket a few times.

 

[Godsgrl]

Quote:
Thank you. I did look at the link, and the life jackets are really affordable. I'm going to look at them tomorrow when I'm at the pet store.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Our cattle dog won't swim. She panics and tries to climb on top of your head. We've had to slooowly introduce her...starting with puddles. Mud puddles.

 

[dewey]

Our family bulldogs sink straight to the bottom of the pool if they happen in. No swimming, no struggling, just sink to the bottom.

Most dogs can swim enough to save their lives if they can get to footing to get out of the water. When I was very, very young and swimming in a deep lake alone (adults on shore watching) my big ol' dog of mixed breed jumped in and swam out to me to "save" me I guess, but then got tired as he neared me, and almost drowned me out there. A big panicked dog can drown an adult that's not a good swimmer. I ended up having to save my dog...good thing I was a good swimmer and had hauled in enough struggling people to know what to do...but dang, 4 wailing feet and teeth was something I wasn't used to, lol.

 

[sourland]

My daughter's pug is unable to swim. He fell into the pool, and she had to jump in fully clothed to save him. I once went to a GSHP retrieving trial. It was fun watching the dogs carry out their water retrieves-- and then, a young male took off for the water, launched himself out about 20 ft with the momentum, started flailing at the water, and in slow motion sunk out of sight. His fully clothed owner dove in after him. Both had to be helped out of the water.