Puppies In The Pool

[Guest popcornpenguin]

Hi

I recently got a Spoodle puppy a few weeks ago ( he is now 4 months old) and I was wondering is there a certain age a puppy should be before they can go in the pool and do you have to 'teach' them to swim?

[t-time]

Yes, you need to ensure your puppy knows how to swim - DEFINITELY.

Drownings are far more commonplace than you would think and even "known" swimming breeds can go under

In Dogdom, the older dogs will teach the younger pups to swimm, so even thought there might be aptitude and instinct, they still have to be shown how to do it.

[Kirty]

My dog (BC x Heeler) was a TERRIBLE swimmer. We have a pool, so I used to go in with her and support her, and just generally help her swim. It took her a good 6 months to learn how to swim properly - but now she swims like a champ! Most dogs prefer to swim at flat beaches or in a creek/river. It might be best to start your pup off at one of these places where it is shallow - make sure you keep him on a lead though so you can reel him in if you need to.

[Jellybean Chick]

Hi Popcorn Penguin (love the name! )

Like Kirty said, you are probably best to take them to a creek, river or dam nearby where your pup can touch the bottom until he becomes more confident at swimming. I trained my labrador pup, Hunter, when he was about 15 weeks (in my parents dam).

I got into the dam myself and made it look like a lot of fun, then Hunter immediately wanted to see what was so great about it and came in, once I got in a deeper section of the water (about a metre away) , where I knew he couldn't touch, I just called him, once he got to me I held him up a bit and gave him plenty of praise. If your dog likes fetching a tennis ball perhaps take this with you so that you can throw it a short distance, where the puppy can touch and he will happily run in to get it. (especially if you are in the water too!) Just make sure you give a lot of encouragement and don't expect too much too soon, especially because Spoodles aren't usually water dogs. Good luck! Let us know how you go!