How to teach your dog to paddle
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A lot of dogs seem to have an inherent attraction to water, and yet some do not instinctively know how to swim. That doesn’t mean they can’t be taught, as we are reminded by the For the Love of Dog blog.
Your dog’s aptitude may depend on its breed. Dogs like pugs, corgis, dachshunds and greyhounds, have great difficulties paddling. Retrievers and poodles, on the other hand, are great natural swimmers.
So if you’ve always wanted to hone your dog’s aquatic skills, here are some tips that Wendy Diamond, the founder and editorial director of Animal Fair magazine, shared with the ‘Today’ show:
- Avoid excessive noise. “Take them to an area that’s not so crazy and hectic,” she advised. Like children, dogs can become frightened and confused if there’s a lot of noise and activity around them. The object is to keep them calm and focused on the swimming lesson.
- Use encouragement. As when teaching a child, keep your voice upbeat and positive, she said. “Using treats and toys to encourage your dog to enter the water also works quite well,” she said.
- Never throw them in. Just as you shouldn’t throw a child in the water and expect it to swim to safety, you shouldn’t do that with a dog, Diamond said. “Don’t force the dog. If they don’t want to do it, don’t force them to do it.” Instead, she told Celeste, “Slowly put them in the water and get their paws used to it.”
- Support their weight until they paddle. Even if the dog is wearing a life vest, Diamond said, support its midsection and hindquarters in the water until they start paddling and feel comfortable.
- Show them how to get out. Getting a dog in the pool is only half the battle. Diamond reminded pet owners that they also need to be shown where the steps are in the pool so they can easily get out.
- Keep an eye on them. Even in the water, dogs can wander off. Dogs that swim naturally and well can jump in the ocean and keep swimming until they’re lost, Diamond said. “You want to make sure, like children, that you watch where they’re going,” she said.
For more advice, try these pointers from the American Kennel Club.
--Tony Barboza
