The dog instantly jumped into the water and paddled away. With the head above water and the legs moving in circular direction, the dog is happily swimming naturally as if trotting in water. Obviously the dog loves the water. The little buddy is a water baby! Some breeds love the water, some don’t. You can never be more wrong if you think that all dogs can swim. An owner would be lucky if the puppy will take to water like a duck as even breeds of water dogs have to be coached to jump into the water. Not all water retrievers can do the doggy paddle stroke.

Dogs are always wonderful to have around. Dogs are taken everywhere…to the park, to the office and in any other place the owner get to. Dogs are commonly taken to the beach as apart from being great Frisbee playmates, these troopers would be a good swimming companion too. But what if your dog does not want to get its paws wet? What if the dog is afraid of the water? If yours is a dog that does not swim naturally, you have to introduce the dog to the pleasure swimming brings. This does not mean that you have to push the dog into the water from a boat or jump into the water with the dog in your arms. If you do, you will have a hard time to coach the dog to swim as for sure the pet would hate the water. Additionally, this will be dangerous. Trying to hold a frantic wet dog would be hard.  Introducing the dog to the water should not be a bad experience for the dog. So what would you do to make the dog’s first venture into the water pleasant?

It would help if you can have an older dog that is a good swimmer with you. Young dogs are known to follow their elders. The pet will be enticed to try the water if it sees the older dog swimming enthusiastically. Some dogs would still hesitate even with the example of the older dog. Don’t force the issue if this is the case. One good idea is to play with the dog along the beach and walk into the water. Swimming, like walking is integral to a dog. Most would instinctively know how to stay afloat and to paddle. The doggy swimming stroke is after all named after the dog. The trick is to make the swimming experience pleasurable for the dog and not one that will make the dog hate the water.