# Swimming - not such a good thing



## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

Riley began swimming at 9 weeks old. She is a fish, like her mom and I cannot keep her out of the pool. Our pool is off our patio and both are screened in. Through the patio is the pathway to the back yard where she potties. Whenever I let her out she makes a beeline for the pool. When I let her in from the yard, same thing. If I leave her on the patio to chew her bully stick (the only place she is allowed to chew the stinky thing) she chews for 5 minutes and then she's in the pool to cool off. She is getting too heavy to carry to the back yard and putting a leash on her is cumbersome but the only thing I can think to do for the time being. A pool fence is out of the question. We are working on training and she can sit, come and do a sit-down-sit pretty well. How can I train her to go in the pool on our command only? She is very treat motivated and the last few times in and out I had was able to get her to the yard and back using the "come" command with a treat. Our last golden was great at going in on command only. Can figure out what to do about this little devil!


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

Oh she is so cute. My Teddi would be SO jealous. My only suggestion is to make a smaller "fenced" area (x pen) that you put her in when you do not want her in her pool. 

We have a baby pool, if there is ANY water in it, so is Teddi. The only way to keep her out, is to train her (sorry). When I lived in NY they had a pool and my golden was in it ALL the time. I taught her where the stairs were so she could get out, and I taught when it was covered it was OFF LIMITS!!! The minute that cover was off she was in. You have water dog, it is what they do.


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

What about a leash to the backyard? Seriously - it's about management, not behavioral stuff at this point.
Erica


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## liero133 (Aug 23, 2009)

............edited.


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

Good luck! 

One of our dogs, Bob, practically lives in the pool. There are times that it is inconvenient... but in this Florida heat I would rather have a wet dog then an overheated dog. 

But you and I both know that the dogs won't overheat just because you deny them 24/7 access to the pool. 

A friend in Pennslyvania trained her 2 goldens that they could only go into the pool when the "special' pool toys were present. I've written to her and asked if she would share her training secrets.


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## Montana's Mommy (Mar 10, 2009)

We did the same thing with Montana. If we put on his swimmy collar and gave him his pool toy that's the only way he knows that he is going swimming. BUT, when I am in the pool which is not often he doesn't need any of those things he thinks Im in trouble and will jump rite in. I can swim around the pool forever and he will stay rite beside me then he gets tired and i have to hold him till he catches his breath!! He's comical!!


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

My big problem with Natasha was trying to keep her out of the tub whenever I took a bath. I know you would think that I would always close the bathroom door... but it is a small bathroom and with the door closed it gets uncomfortably humid in there. Changing her behavior took a several weeks. Over time I developed a routine. The first two times she would try to climb into my bath I would close the sliding glass shower doors for about 3 minutes. The third time she tried to join me in the tub I would get out of the tub, put her in the hall, and close the bathroom door. Over time she learned that she was welcome to join me in the bathroom but not to climb in the bath with me. 

Bob is in the pool almost every day and often several times a day. Bob And he is happy to play in the pool and entertain himself and he has never required an invitation. Over the past few months I have been able to verbally dissuade him from going into the pool everytime we walk past it. I think it is a maturity thing.


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## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

A friend in Pennslyvania trained her 2 goldens that they could only go into the pool when the "special' pool toys were present. I've written to her and asked if she would share her training secrets.[/QUOTE]

I would love to know her secrets.

The leash works, it's just inconvenient. Also, she loves to chew her bully sticks and hooves on the patio. And unless I am right there with her she's in the pool between chews.


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

Can you tether her to something on the patio so that she can still be outside, but not reach the pool? It could be a good intermediate step until you've trained her to wait for permission.


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

When Dakota was a pup, he used to sit in his water pan LOL

Either that, or stomp all the water out.

It was specifically because of him that I went to large, tall 4 gallon buckets.


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## jenlaur (Jun 24, 2009)

mdoats said:


> Can you tether her to something on the patio so that she can still be outside, but not reach the pool? It could be a good intermediate step until you've trained her to wait for permission.


That's a good idea. I hadn't thought of that. As I'm writing this I am laughing as I hear my husband using a few choice words as he's removing her from the pool. I get her all day.....he can have a least a few minutes...tee hee hee....


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

My friend who trained her two goldens was happy to share her technique. She even thought that I could use this technique to train our Bob... who is in the pool several times a day.

*"We actually started out that way, they first only just walked around the pool as pups, you see, and didnt know they could go in, we would get the toys, throw them in, then they would chase them, when we were done with that which was @ 30 - 40 min. later, we would take the toys from them, and take them to the shed.....so now they know where the pool toys are.....then the process of drying them off.....and no more playing.....and at that early age, it was easy to do.....and it became a habit.....we'd first take off their collars, and they knew we were going to the shed to get their toys, and so forth from there.....Nash now goes into the shed looking for his toy....so we have to put it up.....once he did come out with it, and dropped it in the water, but I very painstakingly took it from him, and took it back to the shed......I wanted to let him know we were boss.....now like I said its up higher, and they cant reach it.....he still goes in looking for it, mind you...I do laps during the day, and when I do that, they think it's their play time with each other....which is good , they dont bother me....Nash used to walk the pool, lap for lap, and lick my head everytime I came to the edge of the pool...now he does that about half way through my laps, not sure how he know how many I do, but he does...*
*See my dogs were never taught that you could just go in and swim leasurely....it wasnt an option that we gave them...until my daughter decided last month, that they should be able to do that.....nipped that right in the bud....*

*Like I said, they were taught very early on, If you were thinking of that for Bob.....I dont think it's impossible to reverse.....maybe each day set aside 30 minutes that he can go in, give him some toys, then put them away.....and maybe not take him out back for a good part of the day, so he cant just jump in, til he gets the idea, pool toys, play time.....good luck... ?"*


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