Elvis learns to swim

Yesterday was a perfect day for swimming – cool breeze, warm water, hot sun, and at 10:30 am we had the gravel pond all to ourselves. I took the day off to watch Elvis while my wife went to work; however since he’s fully recovered from his bout with diarrhea, I took the dogs to play in the water.

We began by just wading. Elvis would venture out as far as he could without swimming and then stop. I didn’t pressure, but encouraged him – I believe that the most important thing in training any puppy or dog is to build their confidence, which in turn makes training much easier for both the trainer and dog.

I moved to an area where reeds grew and Elvis had to swim several feet when he explored a little too far.

After wading for awhile, I needed to give the Labs something to do so I tossed a stick out for them. Dakota retrieved it, and when I saw how eager Elvis was to take the stick from her, felt that I could entice him to swim if they retrieved.

Dogs are far better trainers and role models than people and the retrieving bit worked. From the first throw, Elvis tried to swim out after Sophie and Dakota. I waded out and encouraged him to follow, and he took right off.

I didn’t trust his swimming abilities and didn’t want him to go out too far. I waded out to where the water was waist-deep and then used my hands as a sling under his chest and belly to support and force him to swim in place. When Sophie and Dakota returned from their retrieves, I let go of Elvis and he returned to shore with them.

In all, we played in the water for about an hour. I loaded the dogs up except for Elvis, who refused to return to the Jeep. I found another stick and gave Elvis 2 solo retrieves before picking him up and carrying him back to the Jeep. Back home, Sophie’s dysplasia acted up so we gave her some alfalfa pills that took care of it. The reality that I may be having to face is that her hunting days may be slowly coming to an end.

Tags: bird dog training, introducing puppy to water, retriever training, training puppy to swim