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The doghouse

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Original poster

Does your dog swim?

54 replies

Scentsandsensible · 31/08/2020 10:51

Just curious really. Took mine to the beach for the first time ever yesterday (we don’t live near the coast) and while he got in the sea he quickly got out again.

OP posts:
ArcherDog · 31/08/2020 11:12

Loves water and paddling and splashing, but won’t go out of his depth.

Maybe it was the waves or the salt water he didn’t like.

BiteyShark · 31/08/2020 11:13

Yes mine swims.

Took him a while to build up the courage to go deeper into the water but he likes to have a swim whilst trying to drink all the water.

spiderlight · 31/08/2020 11:26

Ours does, but in the manner of a hippo. He mostly just wallows but he will paddle very solemnly in circles if the water's deep enough. His aim seems to be to soak up as much water as possible to bring home.

Ihaventgottimeforthis · 31/08/2020 11:38

Yes he does, with me or out for a toy. Still not super keen on waves. He has a lifejacket for canoes though.

Letsnotargue · 31/08/2020 11:40

Mine used to love to swim in rivers, he would paddle in the sea but the waves were too off putting for him to swim.

He was a greyhound - the least adapted to swimming ever. He loved it though after being taught by a friends Labrador.

kennythekangaroo · 31/08/2020 11:41

No.

He will paddle in a couple of inches of water and if it is hot he will lie down in it and pretend to swim by moving his legs. At the beach he is out like a rocket if a wave comes near him.

Backtoschoolnotsoonenough · 31/08/2020 11:42

Our Husky hates getting wet!!
1 lurcher hates it and 2 love it. 1 is banished to a long line after being sucked under twice!!. Shock

Satsuma2 · 31/08/2020 11:45

All my collies loved to swim. All the jrts and dalmatians didn't like getting their feet wet, swimming was completely out of the question.

Sunstar16 · 31/08/2020 11:46

Our garden leads on to the beach and our dog hates the water. She will dip her paws in if I go in the water but prefers exploring the rocks.

steppemum · 31/08/2020 11:48

No.
he will paddle. He never jumps into water, only walks in, so at the river he has to be able to wakl in, not jump in from the bank.

We took him to the beach in the summer, there was also a stream going over the beach which was dammed to make a deep pool.

he played in the edge of the sea and the pool, and over the week, got braver and braver about going deeper, until he was wet to the 'waist' but he never actually took his feet off the floor, even when he was desperately trying to get hos ball, or follow us.

In the sea, he was not happy with the waves, and he kept trying to drink it and getting confused.

My friends labrador launches herself into any water, or any depth, often extremely dangerously!

GreekYogurtWalnuts · 31/08/2020 11:50

Well no because I have a pug and she cringes at a puddle let alone a beach 😂

GinWithASplashOfTonic · 31/08/2020 11:51

My dog learnt to swim this summer. But only because treats were involved. But at least now we know she can if needed. We are a pretty water based family

However, she loves to sploot and commando crawl in the shallow water of a river bank or beach. She likes to cool off and the sensation of the sand on her tummy

doodleygirl · 31/08/2020 11:51

No, she paddles but won’t go far. When she was a pup my DH stripped off and tried to show her how to swim in the river. She just looked at him like he was batshit crazy and stood in the shallow part Grin

BiteyShark · 31/08/2020 11:52

Thinking back mine used to tiptoe round puddles as a young dog which made me laugh as he is a spaniel. But he now makes up for it as any water he will dive into, especially stagnant pools.

DarkMutterings · 31/08/2020 11:57

Mine loves the beach, we're lucky to live so close so she goes 3-4 times a week. Runs round like a mad thing but does a cartoon like 'screech to a stop' when she gets close to the edge of the water. She gets very put out if her friends go into the water and considers it 'cheating' in their games of chase. She even pouts.

DeathByPuppy · 31/08/2020 12:00

Yes, he’s a lab. Any opportunity to get in water, he’s in. He actively seeks it out. He’s never been in the sea though, we’re going on a UK holiday (booked pre Covid) in a couple of weeks so he’ll have his first sea experience. I can’t wait ❤️

LunaLoveFood · 31/08/2020 12:02

Yes.

He likes to put his under the water and pick up pebbles from the bottom of the river.

He will also spend ages charging across the bank and belly flopping into the water, getting back and and doing it again on loop (just like a child!)

minnieok · 31/08/2020 12:03

Yes, a right water baby, jumps in muddy puddles if that's all that's on offer.

FenellaMaxwell · 31/08/2020 12:06

No, she’s not physically able to I don’t think - she’s a very mixed breed so has very short legs, a very long body and a very fluffy but single layer coat which waterlogs. She’s tried a few times but sinks like a stone and I have to fish her out 🙄

steppemum · 31/08/2020 12:17

Oh and my non-swimming dog still LOVES the water, any excuse and he is in the river

vanillandhoney · 31/08/2020 12:33

Yes, but it's taken him two and a half years and he's still not the biggest fan!

Original poster
Scentsandsensible · 31/08/2020 12:40

@DarkMutterings that’s made me smile - I can actually picture the scene!

OP posts:
Scattyhattie · 31/08/2020 14:35

My lad used to avoid water but has since learned how to swim properly at the hydrotherapy pool. He now loves paddling in the streams on our walks.

mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork · 31/08/2020 14:37

My previous dog nearly drowned once in Greece, when jumped into a big deep water tank (at grass level and uncovered) that she had'nt seen. Luckily I heard her crying and tracked her down to find her clinging onto a tiny cement outcrop about 5 feet down the sheer side by her toenails and about to slip back under - it was clearly her last go at staying alive and if she'd let go then, she would not have come up again and I'd never have seen her. I just managed to reach her collar and haul her out and she was so full of water, she felt quite unwell for the rest of the day. After that she would never, ever go out of her depth. Current dog (another rescue) would not put a paw in a puddle when she first came to me (city girl) and asked to be carried over all puddles. After the first year, she was much braver and now she LOVES a big paddle (water up to shoulder height) but won't go out of her depth - she just panics). I don't think she knows she can swim.

Yokohamajojo · 31/08/2020 18:46

No! we have tried to coax him but he will paddle up to his elbows and that's it!!