GSP tentative about getting in the water..

MN Bonasa · Post by **MN Bonasa** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:56 am

My girl will go in the water for a short retrieve, but is very hesitant about going in any deeper than where her feet can touch. She doesn't seem to have natural swimming abilities. She's not afraid of the water, but deeper water scares her. I would carry her out and let her swim back. but it seems her bony but would sink her rear legs. I am thinking abot getting a flotation for her to help with confidence. Any thoughts about how to get her out deeper for a retrieve??

Bberry20 · Post by **Bberry20** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:05 am

My pup started the same way, and bo no means is crazy about water. But i have found that the more fetch we play and the crazier he is about fetching, he seems to go deeper in each time. We went out this weekend in the 95 degree heat and he did the best. Maybe try when its hot out?

DogNewbie · Post by **DogNewbie** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:51 am

I think the pup just needs to build confidence. Have you tried swimming out and leaving her on the shore? I found that if I ignored my pup and just started walking into the water without looking back, he wanted to follow me, but if I turned around and tried to entice him in he could tell I wasn't leaving him and wouldn't come in. I've also heard that the big cheese puff balls work like a charm. They float in the water and the dogs love them.

Deuce · Post by **Deuce** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:51 am

Have you gotten in the water and walked/swam away from the dog? I did this while carrying the bumper after my pup was tentative to swim, she got so fed up and excited she swam right to me, did this 3 times that session and she swims like a champ now

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:28 am

How old?
Your dog like birds?
Throw a quail out there for her.
When she wants something bad enough she will go get it.
All dogs can swim sometimes it looks like they can't hind end trying to touch bottom front legs splashing then the plane out and off they go.

She just needs a reason to be out there.
Bird.
You out there.
You going across a stream and just sitting there till she comes to you. You not saying a thing let her figure it out.
Sometimes you can take them out and let them swim back a few times, but that is a my last resort.

Post by **Sharon** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:59 am

Feed her a couple cheesies then throw the rest out just to the deep. Bets she'll go after them.

MN Bonasa · Post by **MN Bonasa** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 11:07 am

Sharon wrote:Feed her a couple cheesies then throw the rest out just to the deep

Not sure why I didn't think of food............. :roll:
I tried using the chucker ball that she loves more than anything, but wasn't enough to persuade her.

I carried her out quit a few times to swim back, as she swam back to shore she didn't look anything like a polished swimmer.

She would get very excited about me being in the water without her, barking at me like she wants to be out there or wants me to be on the dock.

ibbowhunting · Post by **ibbowhunting** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:29 pm

id try cheesie (cheetos puffs) as sharon has said, i tryed that and my pup went in the first time on her own will, don't force her that could be bad

EvanG · Post by **EvanG** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:34 pm

MN Bonasa wrote:My girl will go in the water for a short retrieve, but is very hesitant about going in any deeper than where her feet can touch. She doesn't seem to have natural swimming abilities. She's not afraid of the water, but deeper water scares her. I would carry her out and let her swim back. but it seems her bony but would sink her rear legs. I am thinking abot getting a flotation for her to help with confidence. Any thoughts about how to get her out deeper for a retrieve??

How old is this dog?

EvanG

MN Bonasa · Post by **MN Bonasa** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:39 pm

EvanG wrote:How old is this dog?

she's 1 1/2 years old

Ruffshooter wrote:Throw a quail out there for her.

wish i had one

BigShooter · Post by **BigShooter** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 11:20 pm

I never carry them out and let them swim back. I haven't seen it to be a confidence booster. They need to want to do it. I like to use other water happy dogs to tempt them into the water to play & to let them see how it's done. Very cold water can be a deterent.

Savage Destiny · Post by **Savage Destiny** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 12:39 am

MN Bonasa wrote:
Sharon wrote:Feed her a couple cheesies then throw the rest out just to the deep
Not sure why I didn't think of food............. :roll:
I tried using the chucker ball that she loves more than anything, but wasn't enough to persuade her.

I carried her out quit a few times to swim back, as she swam back to shore she didn't look anything like a polished swimmer.

She would get very excited about me being in the water without her, barking at me like she wants to be out there or wants me to be on the dock.

I tried the carrying out with my younger dog, all it did was freak him out while he paddled desperately back to shore. He was so freaked he couldn't realize "hey I'm swimming". I did what others did, crossed water so he couldn't get to me without swimming. It took a while of him running around barking, but he finally did it... and once he went in by himself, it was like a light bulb went off. He's still not fond of water, but he will swim.

A life jacket did help my Pit Bull gain confidence in the water. Once we got the jacket on her and she didn't sink, it was game on. Now she'd wear herself out and drown herself swimming if I didn't make her stop.

Trekmoor · Post by **Trekmoor** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 2:35 am

I take pups and young dogs to little streams that are shallow .....not swimming depth. I then send my other dogs off to "play." If the non swimmer wants to play and it usually does then it follows the other dogs into water and across the stream. The non swimmer often ends up galloping up and down the stream with the other dogs . After that I move to increasing depths of water in the same stream until it ends up swimming. Human children are usually taken into shallow water first and allowed to play and splash about until they have gained confidence so why not do much the same thing with dogs ?

Bill T.

EvanG · Post by **EvanG** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:04 am

MN Bonasa wrote:
EvanG wrote:How old is this dog?

MN Bonasa wrote:she's 1 1/2 years old

At this age, and especially under these circumstances, make sure your dog is well FF'd, and water force her.

EvanG

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:42 am

About 99% of the time I agree with Evan. Not here. I would never consider water forcing a dog until the dog loved and was competent in the water. You'll make the water a total chamber of horrors for her.

If you can find it, one of the easiest ways to make a great water dog is fun. Find a creek, not to wide. Some parts can be swimming, some wading. Just wade back and forth across it encouraging the dog to follow you.

It you can find a SMALL pond with islands, do the same thing. Wade to the island and sit there. Let the dog come to you without force. Then wade back and again sit and encourage the dog to come to you.

Using food for encouragement is good, but if you use birds and get refusals, then the dog can get used to refusing a retrieve.

EvanG · Post by **EvanG** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:01 am

gonehuntin' wrote:About 99% of the time I agree with Evan. Not here. I would never consider water forcing a dog until the dog loved and was competent in the water. You'll make the water a total chamber of horrors for her.

That depeds entirely upon how you do it. The old school two-rope, cold burn method; sure. Current methodology dictates a far more temperate approach tailored to the dog.

EvanG

mkleisch · Post by **mkleisch** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:00 am

it just takes a little time to build the confidence. I thought I was going to have to use the cheese puffs, but this time I only had to go in once with him... Still working on jumping off the dock, but from the shore he's good to go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I7gTtR ... ature=plcp

MN Bonasa · Post by **MN Bonasa** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:22 am

I'll keep working on her confidence, i am positive that I will get her to love the water eventually. Unfortunately with a busy work schedule, getting to water more doesn't happen enough. I do live close by the Mississippi River but that has been high all year do to all the rain, I havent been down to the river lately, but if it should drop enough we will go down there and explore.

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:30 pm

EvanG wrote:
gonehuntin' wrote:About 99% of the time I agree with Evan. Not here. I would never consider water forcing a dog until the dog loved and was competent in the water. You'll make the water a total chamber of horrors for her.
That depeds entirely upon how you do it. The old school two-rope, cold burn method; sure. Current methodology dictates a far more temperate approach tailored to the dog.

EvanG

Why complicate it? The dog can't even swim yet, it is not using it's hind legs. If you try forcing the dog when it can't even swim, you're fighting two things: The lack of swimming ability AND the force to the bumper.

I don't care how temperate it is: I WANT A DOG LIKING THE WATER AND SWIMMING WELL BEFORE IT'S FORCE IN IT, ESPECIALLY A POINTING DOG.

AZ Brittany Guy · Post by **AZ Brittany Guy** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 3:05 pm

Bberry20 wrote:My pup started the same way, and bo no means is crazy about water. But i have found that the more fetch we play and the crazier he is about fetching, he seems to go deeper in each time. We went out this weekend in the 95 degree heat and he did the best. Maybe try when its hot out?

Nothing beats a hard run in hot weather.

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