swim or not to swim

[Luca's Dad]

Hi all...a big question...Luca is now 5 1/2 months old..he cirlces our pool something fierce walking as close as he can but never going in....he sticks his nose to the water and just walks around the edge......should i put him in the pool and see what happens or should i just wait for his curiosity to kick in? i figured him being a water dog he would of alll ready taken the plunge if u know what i mean.......well hope to hear form all of you....

Rudy

 

[sarnewfie]

Hi Rudy,
with the pups here i have always picked them up, and the first few times i put them in they look at the water, think about it, and than walk right out, they do this quite a few times, until they decide, hey, that is fun! and walk in on their own.
it does not hurt to place them in the water, just keep a hand on them for reasurrance if they should need it.
it also helps if there is another dog that loves the water, in the pool, that shows them it is something that is fun and pups often learn behaviors from the elders.

 

[Shifty]

Same basic topic (swimming) but a slightly different question. Our friends have a pool and they always invite us and the boy to go swimming. Is there any special care to be taken if your newf swims in a pool alot? i.e. does the chlorine affect the skin/coat oils harshly etc?

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[sarnewfie]

hi there, well the pool i have is a kiddie pool but the same basics apply, starting them on the shallow end.
as far as chlorine, i have seen several of my customers dogs that come in on a regular basis for grooming, their coats did seem dryer than normal.
so i would think the chlorine may or may not affect the coat and skin depending on the dog, and if the owners rinse them very well after having been in the pool and spritzing them with a leave in conditioner

 

[Luca's Dad]

well its a nice day here in fla so i got Luca in the pool...but as fast as i put him in was as fast as he came out....he did get one good doggie paddle in to get back to the steps......so much for him likeing the water when he got out he shook off at barked at me for about 2 mins....lol like saying what did u do that for......guess ill have to try this again.....

Rudy

 

[sarnewfie]

Rudy
in a more natural setting such as a lake or pond, i bet he would be a bit more brave.
most of my pups when taken to a lake go right in.
but being you have a pool it is not natural so will take time and patience from yourself, are the edges slippery?
sometimes the newf pups can be sensitive to slippery surfaces.
i would give it at least two weeks.
like i said with the plastic pool we have it took a while of putting them into the pool once a day or twice a day, letting them jump right out, before now they have decided it is a fun thing and go in on their own.
good luck

 

[Luca's Dad]

sarnewfie,
no the edges arent slippery they are stable..its a big inground pool 35 x 20.guess ill try bringing him to the beach maybe he will like the ocean better....guess a plastic baby pool would be easier...thanks again

Rudy

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

As I mentioned on a post yesterday, we took Rory to the beach. After getting off the boat, as she was walking along the pier, she hopped right in and swam to shore. So maybe you would have better luck in a more natural setting. She has not been to a pool though, so I do not know how she would do there. You may try giving her a gentle nudge or carrying her in.

 

[brady]

Brady loves to swim in the ocean as we live on a small cove. But he will not get in our bath tub. It is very deep and large. He is definately afraid of it. I think it is because he can't get in or out by himself. But we can't keep him out of the water otherwise, even at the beach. He was initially afraid of the waves but got used to them. We live in NH and he has been going in since the end of January with the ice still on the shore.

 

[Annie Milliron]

I think a pond, lake, or beach would be more ideal to intoduce tem to swimming... at least for those who are maybe a little timid or unsure!

Cora is very uncertain about the water, so when we go to swim at the lake, we pull the pontoon boat up to an island and get off the boat. There is a natural beach type area, and it is less intimidating.

 

[aalvarez]

I definitely think it helps if there are other dogs around for him to watch and "learn." Yogi was very skittish about going into the water as well. We were thinking "What the heck, you're supposed to be a WATER DOG!!"

We took him to a Newf outing one afternoon and all of the other dogs were swimming around while he was left on the bank, too scared to get in. He finally went in with the others, I guess realizing he doesn't get to play with them unless he does what they are doing! Oh, and he also learned to fetch a stick in the water on that same day!

 

[Luca's Dad]

thanks guys for the info...i think iam goin gto take Luca to the beach this weekend....and try the ocean since he seems scared of the pool....we dont have any ponds or creeks or lakes around at least none that don't have alligators.........that would really scare the poor little guy..so sat. its off to the beach........

Rudy

 

[Jeannie]

We have an in ground pool and we do not allow the dogs in it. For one thing they are afraid of it so there is no worry about them falling in. Sam loves to swim so we were very worried about her and the pool. Seems to be a big difference between a pond/ocean and a pool.

The main reason I don't want them in the pool is: a normal size dog is equal in hair amount of having 50 people in your pool.(told by a pool expert) Can you imagine a newf?? One time (before we knew about this we did allow Sam in the pool (oh we got the same reaction as you did--in and right back out again) Anyway we were cleaning the filter for days!!! And Sam itched and itched because of the chemicals.

NO pool for my dogs!!!

------------------
Jeannie and the rescues
Sara, Samantha and Panda
www.newfland.com