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Swimming

Teaching A Dog To Swim

Learn How To Swim Properly

If you are anything like me, you don’t like to swim very far. Have you ever had that feeling of cramping up while going for a swim? It can seem pretty dangerous and it is. So for this reason one should not swim alone. If you do want to swim with another companion, a pet should not be that other person. Teaching a dog to swim is not going to make the dog save your life in a troublesome time, even though this has happened in the past. This is true for a few reasons which shall be outlined below.

Teach It How
Learn The Easy Way…
Having your dog first learn the ropes of swimming may or may not be an easy task. Many places disallow this practice so you may have to resort to teaching your pup swimming lessons in your own pool if you have one. Perhaps even the bathtub if your dog is small enough. Either way, always take the lead and let your dog follow you. If your dog has never been in the water before, it will probably be hesitant to do so for the first time. You must take charge and allow the animal to follow your lead.

Just like humans, dogs must learn how to swim properly. Although we can’t communicate with the dog and tell it how to do the backstroke and butterfly-stroke, we can give it assurance that we are right there next to it while it learns to paddle along. Also, do not let your dog swim to close to you for the first few lessons. You really shouldn’t let it swim to close any time, but especially for the first few times. Why is this? You can get an awful scratch or two if your pup decides to panic and you being the only thing close will get the receiving end of paw and nail.

Swimming provides a lot of excitement for the dog and for you. It is truly wonderful to watch your pet have fun in the water. There is just something about it that makes a person smile. Maybe it’s the funny shape of their head bobbing around in the water, or the happy greeting they give you after swimming time is up. Whatever the case may be, many breeds of dogs love to swim and if your dog is one of them, then you should give it that chance to do so.

Many dogs like to play fetch in the water too. If you have taught your dog to play fetch on land, the next natural step would be to take it to the water. What if your dog is reluctant to go into the water? You can try a variety of things such as feeding, coaxing, taking the lead, and anything else that has helped your dog do something in the past. The wonderful world of water waits for you. The question begs, are you and your dog ready?

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