# When to trust them in the water!?



## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

You are not overreacting. I watch mine pretty closely when we are on the sandbars in the river. Their is current to deal with and they can certainly get tired and disoriented. If they are in high prey drive (chasing birds and stuff) I make sure I call them back (and they do come) before they get out too far. There are always two of us or more in the boat, so we can make sure they don't jump out. Generally if they get some good playtime first they are content to hunker down and nap for a boat ride. Have fun and be safe and let us know how the life jackets go. Mine HATE them.


----------



## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

All of my dogs have been off leash at the lake from the beginning. Jasmine looked like a baby seal at 4 months old when she took her first swim. Jasper was about 6 months old when I first took him up to the lake. He does very little swimming, he prefers to wade. It took Danny about 4-5 trips up to the lake to actually learn to swim, so he was probably 7 or 8 months old when he first figured it out. And then he had to figure out how to turn around and come back. He also had to remember to kick his back feet! Sometimes he would just start to sink, but I was always standing right there, not that I had to rescue him or anything. He figured it out. Now I can't keep him out of the water if I wanted to!

In other words, he will get it. I personally feel that if you are in a safe area, you need to trust your dogs to come back to you. Unless you have a true "runner" who will not come to you when called.


----------



## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

Thanks to both of you for your comments. I do want to trust him, and do in most situations. We'll see how it goes at the beach, how he reacts to the waves. And probably for this first time we'll keep a leash on him...unless the sea is calm and there are NO people (which is very doubtful...LOL). 

I'll be glad when the lake water warms up and we can head out early to a little island and just let him go!

We're off to the pet store to try on a doggie life jacket!


----------



## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Outward Hound makes a nice lifejacket...


----------



## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

I'm lucky to have an older lab (hardheaded, but will come) to help. 1st time OB was in calm water other than river he kept swimming "down stream" and we had to send Sadie after him.

recently a woman was drowned wading due to undertow at nearby ocean beach --- I'm sure gunna check tides before we take the kid to ocean.


----------



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

If I take the dogs to the beach but don't let them in the water it isn't much fun for them. Not being a good swimmer one of the things that I pay attention to is whether the tide coming in or going out. Much easier to make it back to shore when the tide is coming in.


----------



## K.J. (Nov 30, 2007)

We usually take Jenny to the beach at least once a week.. she's been swimming since about 12 weeks, and has never got taken away from the shore.


----------



## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I think you're pretty safe at a lake. Dogs are so smart, they have very good senses. And you'll probably find that Merlin will not want to be that far away from you. He'll come back well before he gets tired 

The ocean and rivers, those are different because of the currents. I'd be nervous myself about letting my dog swim off lead where she could possibly be swept away. 

Since you're going to the beach though, what I would do is stay close to him, test out the current, make sure there are no riptides to contend with ... and I think you will find that Merlin will stay very close to you. I can pretty much promise you he's not going to swim off into the horizon. I understand your nervousness, but just stay close enough to him that you still have voice control. You'll have fun !!

And pictures please?? 

:wavey:


----------



## AndyFarmer (Jul 9, 2007)

AF was a swimmer/fetcher, and yes, he would venture OUT towards the ducks at times. I normally didn't have to recall him, he would just go get the ball or stick and come right back. When he swam towards the ducks, I just threw out another ball in front of his face, he'd go after the ball and swim back...like a good boy! We all laughed at him swimming after the ducks though LOL


----------



## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

Jo Ellen said:


> And pictures please??
> 
> :wavey:


 
Thanks everyone! There will definitely be lots of pics! 

I know dogs have good instincts, so I will trust in that. We may not even be able to let him off leash....we'll see. Meanwhile, he really doesn't like the swim vest. LOLOL!! We'll bring it anyway.

Thanks for the advice and stories!


----------



## heartofgold (Oct 27, 2007)

You are not overreacting about water safety and dogs. My neighbors at the lake almost lost a 10 month old Brittany Spaniel last summer. The dog spotted a dragonfly and started to swim after it. It just kept going and going while we all stood on shore screaming for the dog to came back. Finally my husband jumped in the boat and had to get it out of the middle of the lake after a speedboat nearly hit the pup. I still can't believe the dog was able to swim that far out. Scared us all to death!


----------



## olik (Apr 13, 2008)

I let mine go without leash,but do watch her very close ready to jump after her anytime.


----------



## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

heartofgold said:


> You are not overreacting about water safety and dogs. My neighbors at the lake almost lost a 10 month old Brittany Spaniel last summer. The dog spotted a dragonfly and started to swim after it. It just kept going and going while we all stood on shore screaming for the dog to came back. Finally my husband jumped in the boat and had to get it out of the middle of the lake after a speedboat nearly hit the pup. I still can't believe the dog was able to swim that far out. Scared us all to death!


That's what I fear most! glad they were able to get to the pup and get him out of the water!


----------



## Bogart'sMom (Sep 16, 2005)

I have no experience with dogs and the ocean but my dogs do swim in the lakes. My first Golden Dani swam after some Ducks first time she went into the lake and learning to swim (she was a natural) she must have swam for 15 to 20 min following the ducks. I was scared to death but she made it back on her own and she would swim from there on out like a pro.
She would swim circles around the lake on her own. Bogart was more careful he learned to swim at about 8 months old and then only because his Buddy liked the water and Bogart got cought up in the game. He likes to swim but nothing like Dani used to. I never had to use a lifewest for the dogs. Now maybe I would consider one at the ocean just because I have a ton of respect for the open water and the undertows.


----------



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

Penny wasn't sure about going in the water until she was a full 2 years old.

We take her to Lake Michigan where she's content to wade. The first time she actually started to swim....yes they really do the 'doggie paddle'...was only because I was out in the lake up to my waist. She had a very surprised, worried look on her face when her feet no longer touched sand.

I worry about her swimming like that even near me because she could get swamped by a wave and inhale water. Even a little water in the lungs can hurt them. About the only time we tie her up is when we want to go in the deeper water. The rest of the time she has the run of the beach with us. It's also the only place we encourage her to dig. Man, the sand goes flying...don't want to be behind her!

Getting a belly full of jelly fish stings in the Gulf of Mexico, Texas side, cured her of all ocean wading. We took her to the beach in St. Augustine. She thought it was Lake Michigan, ran into the surf, took a taste and came right back out. She never put one foot near the water the whole week we were there. I think she remembered and associated salt water with the terrible discomfort and pain she had following the stings on our last beach walk in Texas on the last day. She was so miserable that she came very close to biting me for real.


----------



## gd8man (Jan 10, 2008)

Sierra is the best swimmer. When she was 9 weeks (had her for one week) we went camping at a lake, Sierra went right in the water and started swimming around. 
When we would go to a local lake and float on inner tubes Sierra would swim circles around us. After the wind would push us to the middle, I would grab Sierra's tail, after pointing her in the right direction she would tow us to the shore. Sometimes there would be 3 people on inner tubes that Sierra would pull. Later when I would go swimming and would get a little tired Sierra would pull me to shore. 

Sierra has been in lakes, rivers, ponds, pools, the ocean (took awhile for her not to drink the water) she just loves the water!!

But I would caution you to be very careful when using a vest. For the same reasons we don't use collars while out hunting (could get caught on something). For example if you are in an area with trees, brush or logs in or very near the water, vests makes the dog bigger and could easily snag or get caught. But don't get me wrong I put a vest on Sierra when in a boat or while rafting down the river.


----------

