Though I would start a new thread for this, what age would you sensibly expect a puppy to be able to start swimming? i have Labs currently and the 2 young ones who didn't really meet water growing up can't/won't swim which seems a shame. I plan to take this puppy to visit a friend with a friendly swimming dog and a lake occasionally, just wondering when is too soon?
thanks

Never too early is it !!
http://search.tb.ask.com/search/video.jhtml?searchfor=swimming+puppies+video&cb=GR&pg=GGmain&p2=%5EGR%5Exdm604%5EYYA%5Egb&qid=e8b0fde8ef874ce9b79ed28b525ad8da&n=77fdc669&ss=sub&pn=1&st=tab&ptb=DFCB620F-DE5B-4054-A1A8-6D93226B1224&tpr=&vid=_7mfylFHNeU

Lovely vid of goldies swimming very young.
Aileen

My GR pup was interested in water, but reluctant to go in deep enough to swim. I used gentle encouragement, but didn't push her too much in case she was one that really didn't ever want to swim. Round about six months she launched herself after standing on the edge for quite a while and swam in a little half circle. Each time she swam a little more getting braver and braver. In June she decided that the sea was ok too and at 13 months finally had a swim in it. Now she actively looks to find deep enough water.
All my retrievers have enjoyed a swim to one degree or another  bar one who would not go any deeper then her belly and barked in frustration at the tempting stick just out of reach.

My oldest was 8 months before he deigned to even set foot in a puddle--this is is a gundog breed that loves water.I took him to a stream where he could cross using rocks and paddle in the shallows, and half an hour later he was swimming perfectly well. My youngest was swimming on her own at 9 weeks--that whole litter was mad keen on swimming as soon as they could get out.

I've always wanted my pup to swim - and everyone was raving about the hydro therapy sessions you can get. But I didn't have the time to take her to vets to get her "signed off" as safe to swim as you have to have that to go to sessions. Instead I've just encouraged her, by walking in deeper water myself. She used to never go deeper than the arm pits - but recently we went to a "hire field" that has a special doggy pond in it, and there was a massive boomerball floating in the middle. Pup ran and jumped right in, she was 10 months old!! She shocked herself at first, but now we struggle to get her out of it as she would swim all day if she could!! My husband if often ready to strip down, jump in and save her if anything happens (he doesn't like the human safety first idea lol) I think, like us, they might just know when they have the capacity to swim and go for it :)

> I've always wanted my pup to swim - and everyone was raving about the hydro therapy sessions you can get. But I didn't have the time to take her to vets to get her "signed off" as safe to swim

There are some hydrotherapy places which do NOT require a vet referral, if it's just for swimming lessons.

just wondering when is too soon?

I noticed you said "lake" - that must mean still water, so, just to say you need to be very sure >very< sure its free of blue green algea in this prolongued, warm weather - whilst I am at it, apparently at least 2 dogs died from it last year & caught it one of the Richmond park ponds, quite a trap for the numerous casual visitors this time of year, despite warning notices about algea AND deer & their very serous threat to dogs.
.

If you can find a local dog pool who do fun swims then the vets won't need to sign this off, I get mine in around 4 months. My girl won't get into any of body of water to swim unless it's the pool though, she will stand and mess about up to her belly unless I get in with her, managed the sea last year when it was warm...

Ah that's good - I'm yet to find one down here, but seemed a bit annoying that you had to pay a consultation with a vet just to get them to let your dog swim!

The pond we swim in as specially designed for doggies, it's filtered, so no algae worries.

A great video of 14 week old portuguese water dogs leaning to swim....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpt-dzmUEWk

I *know* Nando can swim as he has done a proper doggy paddle once or twice. Generally he'd prefer not to swim but to sort of just splash about. The odd time he did swim he enjoyed it but he seemed to have a bit of a phobia of getting in.

One day with a group of friends at a marine lake, I took him out on a jetty and gave him a bit of a nudge to get in... All of a sudden he loved water and now I can't get him out!!! With him it seemed to be a fear of jumping in, once he knew the depth is good to swim he was fine.

The tough love approach is not usually something I go for  but as I knew he could swim, or easily get out on the jetty (as it's solid) I think it was just what he needed.

With a puppy I'd try taking them in on-lead in the warmer weather!

Have to say after waiting around for an hour for my friends Golden to get out of the river as she swam up and down after the ducks, I thank my lucky stars that as a breed they don't like water. 

Mine will happily paddle if it's hot, but never swim.  No smelly wet dogs.

An hour!!! I bet she was knackered!! When Nando goes in it's to retrieve a ball!!

I hose him off after a swimming trip and he is generally fine! A friend bought me a ruff & tumble dog drying coat and it's fab if you have a swimmer! I pat his legs and head down and then put him in the towel coat which he loves!

Actually she swam up and down for an hour and 20 minutes, I was worried she would drown. 

Daft thing was so birdy that she would chase birds across the field, even though they were airborne.

My GR is the same Barbara. I only take him to the beach, which is just 5 minutes walk from my house, if I know I have plenty of time to spare as once he is in the water his usually reliable recall goes out the window :-( If I walk along the beach to the next town he swims the whole way there and back again and doesn't come out at all.

I avoid the beach on very blustery, wintery days  as he disappears from sight under the crashing waves and it's scary. If I keep him on lead he whinges for the whole walk so not enjoyable for him, myself nor the other dogs.

I swear he would swim in a cup of tea if he could find some way of fitting into it. He has a great knack of finding water in most locations and it took me months to train him not to go in the two ponds I have in my garden.

Swimming is his ultimate reward :-)

Would a retrieval dummy that you could stuff a treat in help? So he has to bring it can to get the treat? Although I suppose food is way down on his list of priorities compared to swimming!!

Josh you are right - food is way down the list compared to swimming :-) He is very treat orientated but only when he isn't swimming :-) He competes in agility and his reward is a treat but not the slightest bit interested when it's a choice between swimming or a treat.

I thought you might say that! LOL. Nando loves swimming but he gets too excited and his re-call goes to pot. Going to invest in a floating long line!

my girl was arounf a year and a half almost 2 years when I decided to teach her to swim. She had acess to the river since she was a pup but was allways afraid of the water and would even walk around puddles. But due to the river getting rough when we get bad weather I wanted her to lurn so she would not panic if she ever fell in. Cant keep her out of the bloody river now she loves it.

Kiri is 14 weeks and swam in the sea yesterday on her second visit. I think it easier if they are introduced to water early.

I think it's easier if they are a natural water dog like retrievers.

I'm loving reading about all your swimming dogs :-)

I grew up with a swimming Pembroke Corgi, he loved it and would swim any chance he got :-)

The Bedlingtons however...   

Mine come from a breeder whose dogs all swim, but not  mine!   The oldest girl, now departed, busted my knee once avoiding a puddle!   Took me over an hour to struggle the 5mins walk home :(

When out with friends whose dogs loved a swim, she'd run up and down along the shore screaming until they came out and would then check them over.   Don't know what she thought would happen?

With her pups, I tried putting out a swimming pool for them to paddle in, with just a  bit of water on the bottom, thinking they'd get used to it.   Nope!   They loved the little paddling pool right until they found the water.    They reacted as if it was hydrochloric acid!

The next litter, I put out the paddling pool as it was blistering heat and I thought the pups might appreciate a bit of cool, they reacted like cats when they got their feet wet, then wouldn't go near the pool!  

I've told them all that their aunts  and uncles, grannies and great grands all love swimming, but mine don't want to know.

A dog that loves swimming can be a mixed blessing Dill :-) My GR mentioned earlier can sniff out water from huge distances away and it's not always ideal - especially if the water is the other side of a huge expanse of mud.

I have put this photo up before but it's a goodly reminder that sometimes it's best to have a dog that avoids water - tide was way out on the horizon several hundred yards away so thought it wouldn't be an issue  - thought wrong :-)

http://s43.photobucket.com/user/lizandnoo/media/Mudgloriousmud.jpg.html?sort=6&o=1

Ah yes Harley, my last GR quite often looked like that. I always reckoned she could find mud in the Sahara desert.

Awww Bless!  but they look soooo happy :-D   Our little Corgi often looked like that :-D   I'd still prefer that to a dog that rolled in anything dead he could find (our long gone Tibetan Terrier ;)

I just wish my girls wouldn't behave as if the rain was hydrochloric acid!

I was abused by a woman in the street one day because it had started rainiing whilst I was out on a walk, and my middle bitch was crying!  Because of the rain!   The woman was convinced I'd beaten her!

Oh he does the "roll in anything unmentionable" too Dill - he is a dog of many talents :-)

Here's a few videos of Nando, the one with all the other GSDs in was the first time he went swimming properly, the one with the waves is about a week after he realised he liked it, he is a REALLY strong swimmer and loves swimming over waves!!

http://instagram.com/p/peciKKrtmd/?modal=true

http://instagram.com/p/pPTPCpLtq6/?modal=true

and here's him and his best friend after retrieving a ball:
http://instagram.com/p/pYbum3rtrL/?modal=true