swimming style

Rudy is my first dog that isn't a graceful swimmer from the get-go
(not to mention the first who didn't totally launch himself into water
the first time he saw it). We went field training today (gorgeous
weather, should have been doing other things like cleaning the garage,
but the water and bumpers were calling us......) and both boys had a
great day of course.

On the way out, Rudy is a splasher and is almost standing upright - he
has no idea that he's supposed to be using his hind end. Once he has
a bumper, it's like his brain clicks into gear and he flattens out and
swims smoothly. Now, I realize that he's only been to actual
swimmable water twice so far, and he seems to like it, but I'm
wondering what others may have experienced with a dog his age (9
months) who doesn't have a "naturally" graceful swim, and how
long/many times will it take for him to figure out the hind end part.

Rocky...

Friday, at 7 months, had no idea what swimming was. He splashed
around happily in quiet water, but it wasn't until he discovered
moving water that he decided to swim against it. And became
Awesome.

I'll bet two bucks on my Borderline Collie vs. any of your
retrievers to get to a ball in the river first. But don't bring
valuable balls because Friday lets them go once he's caught
and subdued them.

Janet B...

You'd lose your 2 bucks against Franklin - he's as fast in water as he
is on land. Since we live about a gazillion miles away from each
other, I'd say both of our $2 are safe! But the balls would be
brought back of course!

Back to your question (thanks for the opportunity for me to make
an aside): What type of water does Rudy swim in?

Janet B...

So far, just ponds - ponds at retriever training grounds ( the one
location has multiple ponds, specifically designed for skills).
Getting to the ocean is a few hours away, but the other dogs love that
type of water.

Handsome Jack Morrison...

Janet, here's your problem, IMO:

Handsome Jack Morrison...

You probably just need to expose him to water a *lot* more often than
you have. He is a retriever, after all, so he'll "get it" eventually

Janet B...

Well, I KNOW that! It's finding appropriate places and times. He's

Handsome Jack Morrison...

That, I can't help you with.

been in the baby pool through ice all winter, but that is just getting
wet, not swimming. Best I could do!

Janet B...

Well, in my defense, he's only been with me for 4 months (4 already -
can you believe it?!?!?), and most of that was WINTER. If I had owned
him at 8 weeks old, back in September, he would have had early and
often water exposure. We plan on 1-2x/week right now, but sometimes
the combo of availability/schedule/weather doesn't cooperate.

Janet B...

He has no problem charging into the water. It's just his swimming
style.

Janet B...

His first intro was to follow Franklin, and I think that helped a lot.
Franklin has always had a smooth swimming style, as have my other
dogs, and I just took it for granted that they could "stroke"
decently!

Janet B...

Again, there's no aversion to water, he just isn't graceful in his
style of swimming. He's much more so AFTER he has the bumper.

Handsome Jack Morrison...

That's good, because it allowed him to at least get used to water. Any
water is better than no water.

Handsome Jack Morrison...

Hey, you have to work with what you have.

Handsome Jack Morrison...

That's no excuse!!!

We have WINTER here too, you know, and my dogs missed very few
swimming days.

[]

Handsome Jack Morrison...

Some can, some can't.

Handsome Jack Morrison...

By "get it" I mean to know how to swim EFFICIENTLY.

If you've trained him to "hold it" (yes, while he's heeling, too,
etc.) and "leave it," try this:

First, on land (the help of a friend can make this go much quicker),
have Rudy sit at your side. Put a dummy in his mouth and command him
to "hold it." Walk 50 feet away or so. Command him to "come." When
he gets to you, have him "sit" at your side and take the dummy from
him. Then do it again. And again. And again, gradually increasing
the distance Be sure to make it fun, and quit as soon as he looks
bored (hey, he ain't a lab, right? :)).

After he's doing this on land pretty well, it's time to introduce some
water. If you don't have a friend who can help you, you'll need a
pond small enough for you to walk around to the other side of,
relatively quickly. If you have a friend (assuming your friend knows
how to do this, and Rudy responds to your friend, etc.), he or she can
just stand on the other side of the pond, while you both ping and pong
him, back and forth across the pond.

The advantage here is that the dog will always have a bumper in his
mouth when he's swimming, which should help form good technique and
help to prevent him from forming bad swimming habits.

Janet B...

Sounds great. No canoe, no place to use it, but I'll be thinking up
other ways to have him in the water longer, so he has more of a chance
to get his swimming rythm down.

Rocky...

Sounds like you need to take a vacation in beautiful Victoria BC
and spend some time with Kate and her kayak and her lakefront
home.

Janet B...

Now, THAT sounds like a plan!

Mary Beth...

Gonna be hard, you'll have to use another name for your Rudy, as I'll be
there waiting with mine!

MaryBeth

Handsome Jack Morrison...

You'll figure it out. There's no parks or neighborhoods with
lakes/ponds nearby?

Janet B...

There's a lot of bans on dogs. I live near a large state park. No
dogs in most of it, and no off leash in the few areas that they are
allowed. I don't mind driving, but 1.5 hours RT, plus training
time, and with the price of gas, it's not something that I can get in
daily. I know - I just need waterfront property!

Handsome Jack Morrison...

Ahem.

Actually, Franklin's brother lives waterfront. He never got in the
water until he was about 9 months old. Once he got it, keeping him
out is another story. I'm going to hunt around some more - there must
be SOMETHING within 15 minutes of me, right? Actually, I know a nice

Handsome Jack Morrison...

I'd bet on it.

park with water. I believe they're pretty strict about leashes, but
if I have an "invisible leash" on him, that may be good enough. Have

Handsome Jack Morrison...

You do what you have to do, right?

to check out the safety of the water.......

But you really do need to get on with it, especially if you have the
idea of competing with him.

Janet B...

Yes, I know that, and I'm sure he'll get it, but was a little
surprised at his lack of style! I still need to find time to try to

Handsome Jack Morrison...

I wouldn't worry about it. I've seen too many pigs turn into dolphins
to worry about how a pup starts out.

But you have to get at it.

Now.

get a JH on Franklin - everything happens on the same days and
times........

Handsome Jack Morrison...

Welcome to the 21st century!