Started intro to swimming for my 4 month old and swimming is not natural. I introduced water without the swimming part and went like a charm. So I went to swim with a retrieve into deeper water and seemed that he didn't want to use his back legs to swim lots of porpising. Stopped the retrieving and started to teach swimming with me holding his tail keeping him level in the water with tons of praise.

Now the freaking part when exiting the water and swimming in deeper water I get barking and biting at the splash and waves. I do not encourage this and tell him no when he starts. What seems to work is when feet touch the bottom we run out and hence no chance to freak and with something in his moouth when swimming no freak. Thanks cjd

Am I pushing to hard with the water? Has anyone dealt with this issue?

Thanks Lisa sounds like a solid path to take. cjd

At 4 months I don't know where you are with obedience. Specifically remote sit and come. It will helpful to have him know what a check cord and you calling him is all about prior to adding water.

JMO

Tim

Tim, Obedience thus far is remote sit, sit/stay and here on command with 25 foot check cord. We also have been doing marked retrieves with thrower and cap gun "intro to gunfire" with the same 25 foot check cord.
Also tons of walks on and off leash thru all kinds of stink and different cover. Pup really loves to roll in seaweed and bird guano... Yuck
cjd

I would continue to do water work only keep it in running water or lounging(sp) water for the near future. Lisa has given a really good plan for working on swimming using a check cord.

I use my puppy pond which has a end that tapers down from about 2 inches to about 10 foot deep in about 30 yards or so. Letting the pups run to a bumper in the water spalshing,jumping but not having to swim to make the retrieve and then slowly stretch the distance out until one day they have to take stroke or two will decrease there tendency "water freak" and focus on the bumper not the water.

Marty

I had a young dog last year that was a water freaker. I was gone to a training day and my wife took the dogs down to the lake for a swim. She got away, went verticle in the water, barking, snapping at the water, going in cirlces. Wouldn't come out, didn't pay any attention to the wifes whistle. Scared my wife to death. She finally came out on her own after about 25 minutes. She probably startede getting tired.

What I did was stop all playtime and freetime in the water. I waded out into water about chest high on me, with her on a check line, to water that was too deep for her to wwim. As soon as she started going verticle I grasped her tail until I felt her back legs going, tossed a bumper back towards shore, and if she started to go verticle on the return, I used the check line to help keep her straight. Usually the bumper was all that was needed, but sometimes a little extra help. Only one or two retrieves, then back on land. I heeled her into the water on the check cord, no dashing off to the side, all business, but lots of praise and encouragement.

She just went 4 in a row for her Started title this spring, so whatever I did helped her. Maybe a little maturity also helps. Lots of good advice in posts above. Lisa has a good plan.

Good luck,

Elbert

Find an older dog that swims. Let your pup follow him. Certain things are good to teach with an older dog.

Thanks for all the help..cjd

We take our pups a few feet out and hold with legs barely touching water. When those little legs really get to going let them in and they should swim to helper on the shore calling here. The key was getting all four legs going before water entry, sometimes holding the tail also only if needed. Its always worked for us.

JDH, (check the thread about full names) What is the breeding on your dog? Looks a lot like my boy.

Great day on the water today. Tucker was watching a german sheaperd retrieving a ball at about 50 yards and was going nuts. So I led him to the water and watched him swim towards the thrown ball "thrown short for me" and he was so intent on the ball he found his back legs and swam like a champ.

I took a risk doing this but I was their to help if needed. After this Tucker and I stole the ball and played swimming games with very short throws "10 feet" a few times I had to lift rear up to level swim but all in all a great day.

Guess the key was to keep it short on the retrieve, watching another dog retrieve and keep the lesson short 30 minutes total in the water.
Thank goodness the water isn't to cold don't know what I would do if I had to go waist deep in clod water..cjd