How to Teach a Dog to Swim

As many of you know, I am the proud mama of a blue heeler/shepherd mix. When he was young, he looked a lot like a blue, but now that he's older, his blue coat has faded, and his face is more like that of a shepherd. Regardless, he's currently about a 75 pound nine-month-old puppy, and I must place a lot of emphasis on the 'puppy' part of that.

So while on vacation with my best friend, who happens to have a swimming pool in her back yard (this isn't the reason she's my best friend, but, hey, it doesn't hurt any either), I wanted to teach our puppy, Jake, how to swim.

I did a little research on the internet and tried all the tricks others suggested. Nothing worked. After the third day of trying these tricks, I finally grabbed Jake and pulled him right into the water with me.

Boy was he an unhappy puppy. He immediately made his way to the side of the pool, paddling his little puppy heart out and with all his strength, the puppy pulled himself up out of the pool on the side. Boy was he mad at mama!

BUT...

Today, Jake now jumps into the pool on his own, swims to the benches by himself where he stands and shakes himself off, and climbs out of the pool by the steps. He loves to drag us along in the water behind him and loves jumping in on top of his 'boy' (my son).

How did this happen? How did I go from a dog who hated the water to loving it? I learned how to teach my dog to swim!

How to Teach a Dog to Swim - Step #1

Let your dog be outside with you while you're in the pool. Let him watch you swimming and having fun and encourage him to come in with you by patting the water and saying, "Come on," or something else encouraging. Make swimming appear fun to the dog. Be careful not to splash him though. Dogs usually don't like getting their faces wet unless by choice, so splashing might set him back from jumping in the pool with you.

How to Teach a Dog to Swim - Step #2

While you are in the pool, or after you've already been in the pool and are wet, show your dog where the steps to the pool are (or if a lake or river, show him where it is shallow) and pat his paws into the water, letting him feel the water and know it's not going to hurt him.

How to Teach a Dog to Swim - Step #3

Some dogs are just naturally born to love water and will instantly want to jump in the pool once they know it's safe and they can see the bottom. With my dog, he wouldn't jump in at nighttime at first, because he couldn't see the steps where he could touch bottom. Now that he knows where the steps are, he doesn't mind so much getting in after dark.

How to Teach a Dog to Swim - Step #4

Take a favorite waterproof toy of your dog's and put it in the pool, showing him that his toy is fine in the pool, and so he will be too.

How to Teach a Dog to swim - Step #5

If you have a smaller dog, you can always pick him up and carry him into the pool with you. We did this with our little Maltese (a five pound dustrag of a dog named Scruffy, because he's, well, Scruffy) and he swam right away to the side of the pool, very indignant that we dared get him wet.

If you have a larger dog, carrying him in the water might not work. You can, however, drag him in the water and hold him so he feels safe.

I did neither of these things. I just shoved my dog right in, pushing his butt until he splashed in the water, and he immediately started paddling. Now, don't think I'm horrible. I was right by him and so was my son and as soon as he started moving, we swam right next to him to keep him feeling safe. He loves for us to hold him in the water, because in the water, Jake isn't a 75-pound dog! We can hold him like a baby.

Dogs have a natural instinct for swimming, and if you can hold your pup above the water, not even touching it, you'll likely see their feet starting to dog paddle before they ever hit the water. After all, the name 'dog paddle' exists for a reason.

How to Teach a Dog to Swim - Step #6

This is a big safety issue. Dogs need to know and learn where the steps and benches are in a pool, so they know where they can get in and out. If they are separated from you, they need to be strong enough to get out on their own or need to know how to swim to the edges. When I was younger, we had a poodle nearly drown because he couldn't find the steps and wasn't strong enough to pull himself out of the water on his own.

How to Teach a Dog to Swim - Step #7

This isn't really a swimming lesson step, but more of a safety issue. It's important to properly train your dog that he is NOT to get into the swimming pool when you are not with him. This can be dangerous if he gets tired, hits his head, hurts himself or for some other reason cannot get out of the pool on his own. He should be punished and redirected if he tries to get in the pool and you haven't given him permission to do so.

How to Teach a Dog to Swim - Step #8

If you are patient with your dog, you can help him learn how to float so he can 'tread water', so he's not always having to swim, swim, swim. Treading water for a dog is really similar to how humans tread water, except the dog has to lower his back end down into the water more. They tend to swim like they stand, on all fours, and treading water requires the back legs to come down below the body. Once the dog learns how to do that, he can float or tread water.

How to Teach a Dog to Swim - Step #9

Most dogs will instinctively know how to swim, as I said earlier, but those who don't, might need a little help with steering and paddling forward. Dogs will steer mostly by turning their bodies to bend at the back/stomach area, and many bigger dogs with tails will use their tails almost like a rudder. To teach your dog to turn, simply move his back end in the direction you want him to turn and the rest of him will follow.

How to Teach a Dog to Swim - Step #10

Make it fun for the dog, and never let him swim when it's too cold outside. During the summer, dog's fur gets hot and a swim can be most welcome, but during the winter, his little nose and paws can get cold and even freeze, and PUPcicles are not fun for anyone.

The more fun the dog has swimming, the more he'll want to do it, so be sure to have family in the pool with him, and toss his favorite toys or some floating rings in the pool for him to chase and catch. Pet stores even have fake doggy fishes for dogs to catch in pools.

If you're really worried about safety or are going to be out on a lake or larger body of water, consider buying your dog a life vest made for dogs. DO NOT use children's life vests or jackets for dogs, because they are made to make the wrong part of a dog float upward. PetSmart and Petco both have life vests for dogs, made specifically for a dog to float in water without having to swim, and they are certain to keep the doggy right side up.

Have fun swimming with your mutt this summer! The only problem you should have at this point is how to get your dog out of the pool when it's time to go inside!