Swimming @ beach

[Itstangy]

Hello all!

Question with taking Spot out to the beach for the first time. I would like to try to get him into the water and let him swim at the beach. Would I need a long line or can I just let him get in and swim himself? Would he swim away and out to sea? I don't know how to swim myself so I wouldn't be able to save him nor would I be able to even catch up to him if I did...
What would be best? I'm really afraid he will swim out to sea....would dogs do that?

thanks!

[Abulafia]

We still have Hoku on a long line, but frankly it's not necessary.

I highly doubt Spot would swim out to sea. But if you are worried, do the long line thing first. Or can you try him first in a lake? Also, what is the sea like where you are? Big waves? Currents?

I did, years and years ago, witness a dog—a doberman—who swam way out far, and just played in the waves for half an hour or so. It was crazy. I was sure the dog was confused or in trouble, but he / she wasn't. They were just having fun.

That's not going to happen the first time a dog goes into the water, though.

Good luck! Hoku had not been in much water—she'd go in, but just wade to her belly—until a few weeks ago, when she jumped off a dock and swam around a bit. She came out happy and surprised at what she had done!

[TT120]

Your dog will likely want to keep you in sight so he/she wont swim out too far. Make sure there are no strong currents or rip tides where you go.

[Jeff]

I would honestly try a lake first. The waves can be very rough. It might actually scare her to the point where she won't go in to water ever again. Since she has never been swimming, while it is instinctive, she kind of needs to get a handle on it first before fighting waves. Hemi is a great swimmer, but I have seen some waves knock him for a loop, I have seen him get a mouthful of ocean water and puke it back up. Puking while swimming is dangerous. Luckily I was there grab him and support him. However I remember his first time, I will never forget it, he sank like a stone before he came up swimming. Had he done this and had to fight with waves at the same time. I am not sure this would have gone all that well.

[Annette47]

I agree with trying a lake or other calm water first.

Chloe LOVES to swim in the lake, and will do water retrieves for hours. I had her on the ocean beach yesterday and she didn’t want to go in past her belly ... I think she was afraid of the waves. I suspect if I had thrown something for her to retrieve she would have gone further, but I didn’t. The other issue with salt water is that if they swallow enough of it, they can either puke, or have explosive diarrhea until there is nothing left but sea water coming out - kind of like a colonoscopy prep. Chloe has done this from swimming on the bay side beaches. She tends to swallow water when she has a bumper in her mouth, but my friend’s Doberman used to bite the waves and had the same problem.

[arentspowell]

Another vote for lake first. The current can be a little much sometimes even for an experienced swimmer.

[Georgia]

Sam is a strong swimmer. He loves the beach but only swims when the ocean is calm. It is totally his choice. He scares me on occasion by going out too far but returns when called. He likes to frolic on the shoreline and play Chuck-it if he decides the waves are too big. We often go over to the sound when we are at the beach for swim time if the ocean is too rough. Frank is not a swimmer. He chases sea gulls and plays with Sam on the shoreline but won't go in. I wish Frank would swim but he won't. We have tried different places to get him to swim. Pools, lakes, the ocean. No dice! You can just play it by ear. Start with the long line and see how it goes. Hold onto it at first. If all is going well drop it and use it as a drag line you can grab if you need to. If that goes well, then take off the leash. Experiment and find your comfort level and most importantly, have fun!

[Snowshoe]

I would never use a long line unless I could somehow know there was nothing under the surface for the line to catch on and trap the dog. Or I didn't mind swimming out with a knife to cut the line if I had to. The latter of course being a very poor idea and possibly dangerous to dog and person.

Oban learned to dive before he learned to swim. He followed another, adult, Lab who was retrieving off the bank at the pond. I don't recommend the diving first thing part but another dog to play in the water with is an idea to introduce swimming, or at least enjoyment of the water.