Teach Your Dog to Enjoy Swimming

You will need food that floats, rice cakes, or similar food.

Find a place on the water, a small pond or lake, with easy entry is ideal. Go out into the water and show your dog that you have food to lure your dog in. To start, just get his feet wet, then go again to get his ankles wet, and progress. Reward any steps toward you with a treat. Your dog may go back to the shore; that is because that is where he is comfortable. If so, then just start over. The object is to familiarize your dog with the water and build experiences that are pleasant and rewarding. Practice this each day, gradually getting the dog further and further in.

When your dog gets to his tummy and is about to go out of his depth, place food on the water (if is a rice cake or similar food, it will float). The dog will eat the reward and go back to his comfort zone. Repeat this step a few times. Until the dog gets comfortable and starts swimming. You may need to place the food in a few spots on the lake. Keep practicing this step and the dog should get more and more confident.

It is important that you practice often or your dog may forget that he likes swimming. If this happens you start over with the same steps. Once your dog is comfortable with swimming, you can replace the treats with toys.

You may also use a toy to get your dog into the water. Play fetch with your dog and gradually move your toss so that the ball goes barely into the water. When he gets it give lots of praise and a treat. Your dog may need the toy right at the waters edge. Slowly increase the distance so that he gets further into the water each time.

Some dogs will just follow you if you swim as opposed to being left behind. This doesn't happen with all dogs, but sometimes it does.

It helps to have other dogs that like swimming around when you practice, because some dogs will watch them and try it out as well.

Important! Never throw the dog in. This can end a training lesson permanently. Some dogs will never go back in.

Swimming is great exercise and a great way for dogs to cool down. You need it for water retrieves and dock jumping. It is especially good for dogs with hip displaysia.

This all leads up to dock jumping and water retrieval. Before teaching those lessons, make sure the water is deep and there are no snags in the water to hurt your dog. Also make sure your dog can get out of the water by himself or he may not go in. Simply throw a retrieve toy into the water off of a dock or drop the toy just off the edge of the dock.