I Have a chocolate lab 9 mths old who loves the water and has been swimming for about a month. We go out walking with a black lab 16 mths who also love the water but will only paddle. Any ideas as to how we can encourage him to swim? Have tried his favourate floating toys, been to hill lochs with nice calm water.

Strip off and take him in!
I don't personally but my Dog Nanny is very hardy and goes in with mine. They are loving it in this warm weather.

The black lab may never go any further than paddling. Some dogs never get the confidence to go further. I know, I had one. He would just stand and watch the others until they came back. The Labs confidence may grow with your dogs encouragement but don't try to rush it.

My boy just loves a paddle, my girl on the other hand she just LOVES swimming, she just took to it from a pup, the hardest part is getting her out :):)

Thanks for the advice. I am having the same problem with my boy. I have towels in the car all the time because if there is water about he will find it.

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oh heck what I'd give for a dog who didn't like the water!

I find thay see the other having so much fun eventualy they can't resist and join in. My younger one didn't even like to step in puddles and would walk round them  and now he loves swimming and jumping in. You ignore the one who isn't keen on water and play enthusiastically with the other on giving them lots of praise and play and if the other wants that too they will gradually get more involved.

If they like water too much it is dangerous because it can be hard to call them away from water and  they can find it and jump in before you have managed to check it is safe.

What worked for mine was the hydrotherapy pool. The dogs learns to swim there with a life jacket on and paddling isn't an option. She'll probably find that after even one session he'll go on in with yours as he'll have 'been there, done that' before.

We were at the beach today and had a great time. Oak my friends black lab was getting closer to swimming and had his front feet of the bottom for a few secs. My dog was swimming with confidence, thought he was going to do back stroke he was having such a good time!

I was paddling with them and got caught by a few waves with soggy consequence. Went a bought a wetsuit this afternoon:o)

Ditto every where we go I have to take towells they are both in every thing, graet in this weather a real pain when its cold as they start shivering and I worry they will catch cold. Whistler always went in, Jake has discovered its fun and is now braver than Whis, we have walks through water meadows along the Itchen and they are in heaven !!! Yet try and hose them down when you get home and its like you are murdering them, so its a hot shower for our pampered poochs

I'm beginning to realize how lucky I was with our last Lab who was not one of those fanatics about swimming.  When told to stay OUT of the water she did.  Current little Lab fellow has just discovered the joys of being wet.  And muddy.  Last week he thought he could swim in a dirty, stinky muck hole.  I've never seen a dog actually try to roll in deep muck before.  Fortunately there was stream nearby, where he got caught in the fast moving spring current and carried downstream a bit, but came out clean, sort of.  But still stinky so that was the occasion of his first bath, which he liked, when we got home.  This will be a problem on a canoe trip when streams and bathing are not an option.

I just installed a hot water tap in the garden Whistler. OMG! it's fantastic. No more filthy bathroom and shower and the dogs just happily stand there in their warm water shower. Plus I don't get frostbitten fingers when rinsing them off (an almost daily event for us) I just used bits of garden hose and a Y connector to make it.

Just noticed that Tchibo are selling a Garden Shower.  I haven't got an outside shower but on a hot day it could be very very useful.  :D

Fantastic idea I might persued OH to do it i am sick and tierd of the mess left, and humping the towells is a favored past time!!!

Shower was maybe a bit misleading. I just use a hose gun spray head. When the dogs are done the tree fern can have its turn. :) I used one of these - hot in one side, cold in the other and the hose with the spray head out the bottom.

My chocolate lab walks around puddles, the cocker loved swimming when he could see properly and had the confidence to go out.  We take the lab to the sea and he runs away from the tide, he's comical, but as others say, I'm not bothered as sometimes Dicksy would dive in before we had a chance to tell him wait and I always feared one day he might get himself in a situation he couldn't get out of.

That sounds fab! Although Dexter loves the water he hates the bath. I have a shower above the bath but the mess is unbelievable. I can't understand how there can be so much hair all over my bathroom and still be some left on the dog!

> oh heck what I'd give for a dog who didn't like the water!
>

I have those, river walks are lovely, the most they do is go in up to their pasterns if it is hot or they want a drink.  They also walk around puddles.  The breed are well known for not liking water, but you get the odd one that does.