[bjones93]

My dog is about 2 years and i took him on his first duck hunting trip. When we got set up i let him swim a little bit, he jumped right off the boat and had a blast. When i take him to a pond he wont go in past where he can touch even if i throw treats in the water. if he jumps off a boat it doesnt bother him, but he wont go in from land. can someone tell me how i can make him swim?

 

[jwemt81]

There is really no way to "make" a dog swim who doesn't want to. Some dogs are just bigger swimmers than others. It could be that there is something about that paticular pond that makes him feel uneasy. Maybe there is a strange smell or something else that is causing him to not want to swim. It may just be that he gets nervous when he realizes that he can't touch the bottom. I wouldn't push him. He may become more comfortable over time. Maybe he might feel a bit more comfortable if he were to get together for a swimming playdate with another dog who loves to swim.

 

[Payton]

I had a 7 month old pup that went swimming this summer, He would only go in up to his elbows, and I did not want to force him in the water.. I tried food, toys, me.
Other dogs to entice him in.
Nothing worked,
Than we went a second time and he got a little braver, but I also put on a vest again, he went in further but ran out.
The third time I went, I threw a pine cone in the water and bam, he went after it, and that is what it took for him..


Never use force, that will only scare them.
I did keep a long line on mine as well.
Swimming really tires them out and if they are not in good condition you must be careful as well.

I also made sure he did not sink, the first time he learned and was using his rear end as well to propel, once his life vets was off.]
I have seen one field line golden in the water after awhile almost drown. Not all dogs are born natural swimmers!!! Owner had to swim in and retrieve the retriever. Dog ended up swallowing alot of water and getting very sick.

I am sure others might have some advice as well.

 

[GoldenSail]

I would throw some waders on and get in the pond with the dog. Having you out that far might encourage him more. Good luck!

 

[EvanG]

When i take him to a pond he wont go in past where he can touch even if i throw treats in the water. if he jumps off a boat it doesnt bother him, but he wont go in from land. can someone tell me how i can make him swim?

What training has this dog had, specifically?

EvanG

 

[bjones93]

my dog hasnt had any training besides me teaching him to fetch and drop things, i figured hed be a good duck dog because he can fetch and swim (sometimes) when he is on land, its like he is scared to go in the water, but when he jumps off a boat its like he has no fear or hesitation. i only took him hunting once and we didnt even shoot anything. thanks everyone for giving me advice

 

[photomel]

Porter was always a wader......he never would go further than he could touch bottom. It was never a huge issue other than we felt he missed out on some fun. I even tok him to hang out with swimming dogs, but he still wouldnt swim.

 

[Judi]

My dog is about 2 years and i took him on his first duck hunting trip. When we got set up i let him swim a little bit, he jumped right off the boat and had a blast. When i take him to a pond he wont go in past where he can touch even if i throw treats in the water. if he jumps off a boat it doesnt bother him, but he wont go in from land. can someone tell me how i can make him swim?

I had a Golden who wouldn't go in the water on her own.
I had the leash on her and one day I walked her in. She started to swim.

 

[EvanG]

my dog hasnt had any training besides me teaching him to fetch and drop things, i figured hed be a good duck dog because he can fetch and swim (sometimes) when he is on land, its like he is scared to go in the water, but when he jumps off a boat its like he has no fear or hesitation. i only took him hunting once and we didnt even shoot anything. thanks everyone for giving me advice

In fairness to the dog, that's a bit like someone assuming you might do well as chairman of the Senate finance committee because you can count. There are a host of reasons for all the training that goes into preparing a hunting dog for his life's work. Most of the functions are our idea. It's only fair to train the dog to have adequate expertise in them.

My young golden went on his first hunting trips this season. He was large enough and old enough last season, but I opted not to take him because he didn't have enough training, or exposure to birds and water. This season he was ready, and has retrieved ducks and geese without difficulty. Yes, he's a nice dog. But he did this well because he was both a nice dog, and was trained for the job. I strongly recommend not hunting this dog until he's at least had a full course of Basics.

As a pro, I have advised many of my clients to do the same.

The components of Basics in order​

1) “Here”​

2) “Heel & Sit”​

3) “Hold”; automatically evolves to Walking “Hold, Heel, Sit”
4) “Fetch”; ear pinch, which evolves into Walking “Fetch” & “Fetch-no-fetch”, e-collar conditioning to “Fetch”
5) Pile work, including Mini-pile, Nine bumper pile; AKA Force to pile
6) 3-handed casting; teaching the 3 basic casts – “Back” and both “Over’s”, including 2-hands “Back”
7) Mini tee; includes collar conditioning to all basic commands, transferring to the go, stop, cast functions in micro dimension as preparation for the Single tee. Also includes De-bolting
8) Single tee
9) Double tee
10) Water tee with Swim-by

EvanG

 

[bjones93]

Thanks Even. I hate to say it but i don't know what some of the basic commands you're talkin about are. I would love to have my dog trained, but im 16 and can barely afford to pay for my truck and my parents can be a little tight sometimes. How much would a course like you suggested run me?

 

[AquaClaraCanines]

Since he does like water, clearly, I would suggest you find another dog that loves to swim, and a place where YOU can swim, if possible. Few dogs can resist the temptation to follow their mom or dad, or another dog, into the water. Once he realizes it's safe and fun, you'll probably not be able to keep him OUT of the water.

My Whippet hates water, but in his old age, since I quit pushing the issue, he often swims- wades and takes a short swim. Then rolls in the sand

My GSD puppy doesn't love it as much as I had hoped, but if it's hot out, he'll swim, follow me or the others, etc. He will go in for a ball, but only if he believes he has a fair shot at getting to it before any of the Goldens do. Starlite is a little this way- if he sees Holiday is ahead of him, he'll just give up LOL

 

[EvanG]

What part of the country do you life in? Perhaps I can put you in touch with someone to train with.

EvanG

 

[danni's_girl]

Different approach

Hi! I would suggest clicker training if you haven't already given it a try. It's a different approach than what has been suggested, but it's probably cheaper & I think more likely to create a more positive bond between you and your dog.

The key to clicker training is to break down the desired action into very small steps. First thing you want to do is clicker association to make sure your dog knows what's going on (if it were me, I would train him to do a simpler task with the clicker first). Get high-value treats (Natural Balance food rolls are almost always a hit!)

Once your dog is excited about clicker training-- doesn't take too long for them to begin to l-o-v-e it-- you can bring him to the pond and start shaping the behavior.

Let me know if you want to know more-- I'm supposed to be doing hw right now :uhoh:

Good Luck!!

 

[DNL2448]

If you would like some good instruction in clicker training, check out the website I posted with this thread. I downloaded the training sessions and the site is safe with some good information on starting to train with a clicker.

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=66552

Also, I would suggest the waders, as was posted earlier, and getting in the pond with the dog, this will help ease their worries. Good luck!

Hi! I would suggest clicker training if you haven't already given it a try. It's a different approach than what has been suggested, but it's probably cheaper & I think more likely to create a more positive bond between you and your dog.

The key to clicker training is to break down the desired action into very small steps. First thing you want to do is clicker association to make sure your dog knows what's going on (if it were me, I would train him to do a simpler task with the clicker first). Get high-value treats (Natural Balance food rolls are almost always a hit!)

Once your dog is excited about clicker training-- doesn't take too long for them to begin to l-o-v-e it-- you can bring him to the pond and start shaping the behavior.

Let me know if you want to know more-- I'm supposed to be doing hw right now :uhoh:

Good Luck!!

 

[EvanG]

You have a 2 year old dog, and want to hunt with him. The wader idea has real merit. But clicker training will tend to under whelm your 2 year old for hunting preparation. It's going to take real training, and it should begin soon!

EvanG

 

[danni's_girl]

. But clicker training will tend to under whelm your 2 year old for hunting preparation. It's going to take real training, and it should begin soon!

EvanG

lol... what does that even mean?? Clicker training is meant to get the dog to think--much more work than having someone do it for them. The hardest part is that the handler also has to think hard on how to get their desired behavior...:

Why not use a clicker to tell when they're doing something right rather than using an e-collar for when they do something wrong? It makes logical sense that the dog will understand faster and better with clickers.

To the OP-- check out that link from DNL2448/Laura. It is worth it

E-collars...choke chains...prong collars...these can cost you lots and lots of money. Ecollars are like $100

Clickers are like $1. :bowl:

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

[Loisiana]

The quickest method I've found for a dog reluctant to swim is to throw out an object they really want to retrieve, take them by the collar, and then guide them out to the object.

Might not work for all dogs, but has worked for all of mine.

By the way, I don't think many trainers would suggest using an e-collar, choke chain, or prong collar to get a dog scared of water to accept it, and I'm willing to bet Evan isn't one of them either.

 

[danni's_girl]

The quickest method I've found for a dog reluctant to swim is to throw out an object they really want to retrieve, take them by the collar, and then guide them out to the object.

Might not work for all dogs, but has worked for all of mine.

By the way, I don't think many trainers would suggest using an e-collar, choke chain, or prong collar to get a dog scared of water to accept it, and I'm willing to bet Evan isn't one of them either.

I did get a little off topic, but in another of his posts where he suggested a list of pre-training, he did say that he used e-collars. I may have gotten a little offended when he implied that clicker training has less merit than his methods, too...
It's a matter of personal preference, really...so the OP has a lot of options to choose from.

using an ecollar in water probably would be a bad idea though :doh:

 

[Swampcollie]

I did get a little off topic, but in another of his posts where he suggested a list of pre-training, he did say that he used e-collars. I may have gotten a little offended when he implied that clicker training has less merit than his methods, too...
It's a matter of personal preference, really...so the OP has a lot of options to choose from.

using an ecollar in water probably would be a bad idea though :doh:

You may perhaps wish to gain some actual hands on experience before you begin criticize that which you do not understand. :uhoh:

For the OP, get in the water with the dog. Bring a favorite toy or bumper for the dog to chase and swim after. In most cases once you're in the water the dog will follow. If you're in the northern areas, you may need to wait until spring to try this as it's no fun to learn to swim in icewater.

 

[IowaGold]

If he jumps in from the boat, why not use that to your advantage? Start out in good swimming water and move the boat closer and closer to shore, then eventually on shore a little ways. Of course you'd definitely want to make sure the lake bottom was soft and debris-free as you wouldn't want your pup to hurt himself.