All Wet

When I was a child one of my major goals was to get my pet Collie to swim. Our family made frequent visits to a cottage in Michigan which was located just a block from the beach. Our dog Blue always came with us, allowing many opportunities for encouraging him to get beyond his seeming water phobia. Showing a budding potential for my future career, I attempted several training psychologies, trying to outsmart the four legged landlubber. None worked, including bravely picking up stinky little dead fish (which he seemed to be unable to resist locating and rolling upon while on shore), and tossing them into the shallow water. Despite many creative attempts I was unsuccessful luring him into the lake.

       My older brother Eddie, equally intrigued at the prospect of seeing the dog paddle, suggested “throwing him in,” but this seemed too cruel to me; despite my great interest I protectively refused. Instead I allowed myself and my dog to be compromised into a game Eddie referred to as “sink the Bismarck.” We enticed the unwitting dog, with the help of some ode-de dead fish, into my brother’s small plastic boat. Blue loaded willingly , but looked about with concern as we cast away from shore. We managed to get him six feet away from the safe harbor of the beach before he began to bail out; at this point “sinking the Bismarck” became unnecessary, since the dog took care of it himself. And he did dog paddle, quite impressively, with his long nose pointed straight toward the sky like a snorkel. He headed right back to shore where he promptly rolled in the fishy smelling sand and then shook it all over my parents, who scolded us for animal cruelty. “Some dogs don’t like to swim,” my father chided, and on the spot I gave up aquatic sports as a goal for my four legged friend, hopeful he would forgive me when he dried off.

Twenty years later my dog had indirect revenge of sorts, thanks to another dog, a lab mix named Katie. I was out on a lake in a small boat with her, just rowing around enjoying the summer sun while she sat quietly in the bow.  Some mallard ducks had the same idea, drifting about on the water nearby. Katie suddenly discovered she not only felt up for a swim, but also for a duck or two. She happened to launch herself, making a go at retrieving them, just as I leaned over the side of the flat bottomed boat to see if I could spot any fish in the water. I’m sure you can guess what happened next. The water I was dumped into was just about as smelly as the dead fish my childhood dog had loved to roll in. Katie never got her duck, but I did get my dunk, thanks to her. My family was quite amused when they learned I’d been thrown overboard by a dog. Though I hate to admit it, I guess I had it coming.

My father’s words were the truth, and bear repeating--some dogs don’t like to swim. If your dog has an aversion to submersion, or for that matter to getting so much as getting a forepaw damp, take my advice and don’t push it. No one will have any fun, and it is unkind to force a dog into doing things it finds unpleasant or worse, scary. Find ways to have fun and stay cool on dry land; or get your dog a baby pool for the back yard. Perhaps he’ll begin to get into the swim of things when allowed to go at his own pace into just a few inches of water.

Meanwhile, if you think your dog is a willing water adventurer, here are a few tips to keep in mind before allowing your pet to take the plunge:

* Set an example; go in the water first, and look like you are having fun.

* Have an experienced swimming dog set an example; dogs may even be more convinced seeing their own kind enjoying the water.

* Toys tossed into the shallows may work to lure a hesitant dog into initially getting his feet wet.

* Move from wading to swimming depth gradually, moving parallel to share rather than directly away from it.

* Teach dogs how to get out of swimming pools, and be sure they know where dog-accessible steps are, before allowing access to water they cannot stand up in. Dogs have been known to jump or fall into untended pools and then drown because they couldn’t find their way back out of the water.

*When taking dogs out in boats, be sure the dog is wearing a canine life jacket and identification. Do not allow a dog to be standing or walking about on a boat deck when a boat is moving; make the dog lie down and stay, or go into the berth.

* Do not allow your dog to drink or swim in water you suspect is contaminated; be sure to bathe dogs immediately after they swim to wash off bacteria and contaminants.

* Be careful when swimming with a dog that it doesn’t attempt to use humans as life rafts; people can be badly clawed or have difficulty swimming with a dog attempting to climb upon them in the water.

Stay safe and have fun!