my dog went swimming today for the first time !!

[oxocube]

It was fabulous!! We live about 10 mins from woodland/canals/lakes where dogs are allowed to swim but Phoebe had only ever paddled and splashed - until today. Encouraged by a choc lab friend, she jumped right in and discovered she lved it so much that we couldn't get her out of the water!

Took loads of photos - she had an absolute ball. Am very much in love with my gorgeous, clever dog

Well done phoebe, my dog wont go near water, we have a paddling pool in the garden which she stays well away from.

LOL

oxo you will NEVER get Phoebe out of water again when she sees it.

Elsie is a total river addict. Some days we hardly do any real walking at all. I sit by the river bank and throw the tennis ball in over and over again and then we come home.

Brilliant non weight bearing exercise for those of us the puppies who are doing the 5 min walking advice.

am unkindly sniggering that you have all that beautiful Golden Retriever fluffy hair now in super soggy state to deal with

We took my sisters dog for a swim today. He ran aim the water to get some swans and...........

he sank! It was quite scary for a split second. The dog panicked but managed to turn around in the water and scramble back to the edge.

I thought all dogs could swim. He wouldn't get back in the water after that!

I love swimming dogs. They look hilarious - and I'm not one of life's natural dog lovers. But a swimming dog or a dog on a beach always seems great.

Oh thank you everyone for sharing in my fun! It was fabulous - my son and I sat on the bank on the lake and threw sticks onto the other side which Phoebe couldn't help but chase/swim after! She was a soggy mess but so happy and pleased with herself.

You are right Slubber - she will never pass water again without jumping in! She was so ....... joyous about it all! Is joyous a word you can apply to dogs? I just adore the sheer happiness they seem to feel by doing the simplest things

If people were more like dogs, I think the world would be a much happier place.

Joyous is totally the right word.

They have fun, and really massive whole body waggly fun at such simple things.

I envy my dog. 1 tennis ball + 1 river = dog in heaven.

ooh, that's great! We have an Irish setter, and am soo tempted to see if she will swim, were just talking about it today!

Did she try to shake herself dry whilst still in the water? That always cracks me up. No you fool, get out then shake.

my old pup used to love swimming. He was a bit scared at first and would only walk in up to his ankles but after that, he loved it.

He wouldn't try and shake in the water, he would come out, run to me and then shake! Cheeky little monkey that he was.

I used to go swimming in a disused reservoir with our old dog. It was deserted, very isolated, very cold and just beautiful. makes me shudder with the 'what ifs' now but it was so lovely at th time.

My JRt cross swims like a pensioner doing breaststroke, not wanting to get her hair wet. She keeps her fluffly tail out of the water too. We have a stream that's about a foot deep near us and I take the dogs swimming every day when it's hot. Just keep chucking the ball in and they both look at each other, working out who's going to get it.

My other JRT's mum is the funniest. I take her out too. She literally does a running jump and a huge belly flop into the water. Every time! It's a real 'you've been framed moment'!

I'm so proud when my younger one finally started swimming - it's taken two years! It's just the best fun - and great exercise for them when it's too hot for walkies.