jamesanddean Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I have a 5 year old Golden Retriever who loves the water and will do anything to get wet when he is off lead. I take him to the beach regularly in summer and he would swim and play in the water for hours if I let him. My issue is at home where we have an inground pool and if anyone is in he pool he starts barking and does not stop. He gets quite worked up and anxious and wags his tail a little below horizontal so more of a submissive tail wag. We have put him in the pool previously but he swims to the side and gets out straight away. We bought a dog pool ramp so he could get in and out but he wouldn't go near it. We have tried floating treats on the water but he just won't come in and gets very anxious. I assume it may be related to him not being able to walk into the water as he does at the beach and he is scared of being stuck in there? I have done some research and it appears it could either be because he wants to join us in the pool and can't, or it could be due to him thinking we are in trouble and need help. Does anyone else have experience with his or have a suggestion on how we can stop the anxiety and barking? When we go to the beach I do not get into the water with him but we spend an hour or so of me kicking the water for him to jump up and try and catch (He is obsessed with this game!), so I was thinking I might try swimming with him at the beach to see if that helps. Appreciate any suggestions! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crickets Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 If he knows some basic obedience commands could someone else put him on a leash and stand near the pool with him while others are in the pool. At the first sign of this behaviour ask him to sit or drop and ask him to look at you. reward him the instant his focus is on you and away from whats going on in the pool. Or perhaps tether him in a shady spot near the pool with a soft blanket or lawn and give him a nice bone to chew on. Reward him for staying calm. The idea being not to let him run up & down working himself into a frenzy. The idea is to give him a structured alternative for what to do in this situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Remove him from the area when you swim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 or it could be due to him thinking we are in trouble and need help. My Rotti used to do this when we had a pool. He also used to grab my daughters floaties when she was a toddler and pull her out of the pool from the steps. In the end we just ended up locking him away when we swam as he woudlnt allow my daughter to swim without getting anxious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 [ My Rotti used to do this when we had a pool. He also used to grab my daughters floaties when she was a toddler and pull her out of the pool from the steps. In the end we just ended up locking him away when we swam as he woudlnt allow my daughter to swim without getting anxious. O/T but what a great dog that he was so protective of 'his' little human. In a real crisis, he would've saved her life. Back on topic. Seems to me, there are 2 choices, either lock the goldie away at swimming time, or as crickets has suggested, try gradual training so the dog comes to experience people being in the pool with a good thing for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 or it could be due to him thinking we are in trouble and need help. My Rotti used to do this when we had a pool. He also used to grab my daughters floaties when she was a toddler and pull her out of the pool from the steps. In the end we just ended up locking him away when we swam as he woudlnt allow my daughter to swim without getting anxious. What a good boy :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 or it could be due to him thinking we are in trouble and need help. My Rotti used to do this when we had a pool. He also used to grab my daughters floaties when she was a toddler and pull her out of the pool from the steps. In the end we just ended up locking him away when we swam as he woudlnt allow my daughter to swim without getting anxious. What a good boy :) Agree, dogs are awesome I would try crickets suggestion but if it doesn't work just lock him away when you are swimming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 My youngest dog does this, except with whining instead of barking. If I tell him to hush he will stop whining but keep pacing, if I keep ignoring him he will relax after a while Probably more a result of general training to "settle" than any specific pool training, but to tackle the problem directly I'd go with Cricket's advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesanddean Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I tried Crickets' suggestion of putting him on lead around the pool whilst the kids were swimming and he was a different dog. He has always been good on the lead and I was surprised he calmed down as much as he did that quickly. It is going to be something I am going to have to work on ans train him on as I don't expect it will happen overnight but it has been a step in the right direction. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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