Check Out Our Shop
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 67

Thread: Yellow Lab That can't Swim

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    4,153

    Yellow Lab That can't Swim

    So, i picked up this rescue lab in Denver last Novmeber. He is 5. Very athletic and skied with me all winter. I have been taking him to the river with my golden and the dog barely gets in the water.

    So yesterday I was tossing the stick in and he wallowed in and stuck his entire head underwater. Then he tried to do teh doggy paddle and it was apperent that this dog can not swim and has probably never been in the water. He was flailing around splash but could not figure out how to move forward. It was pretty funny but sad as well.

    Anyone see a lab that was not able to swim or that had never been in the water by this age?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    east of west
    Posts
    3,010
    My aunts Golden is like that. She never let him swin with my dogs and now he's just a spectator. I saw a dog whisperer episode where he taught a dog to swim. You just have to get in there with him and hold him till he gets the stroke down. After that he should be fine. It's in their blood to be swimmers.
    Took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to change this shit

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Flavor Country
    Posts
    3,032
    I've never heard of a dog who doesn't actually know how to swim. I always assumed it was instinctual for dogs, just that some of them don't like to swim or have coats/body types that make it very difficult. I've got a lab/german shepard mix who can swim but refuses too. She loves the water but won't wade in past where she can stand. I used to go in to try and temp her with toys and treats but eventually gave up.
    "They don't think it be like it is, but it do."

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Fuck me
    Posts
    727
    We had a lab mix rescue that wasn't a swimmer when we got her at about 2 or 3. We pushed her in where she couldn't touch bottom a few times and she figured it out pretty quick.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Up the Canyon
    Posts
    1,876
    Wow....My lab was a natural swimmer and she's in the water anywhere she goes. It's kind of a pain in the ass really...

    I'd say give him time and more practice in shallow water retrieving sticks or tennis balls until he gets more comfortable. Take it slow and he should figure things out.
    Bush got C's.... Obama probably failed lunch

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    The Cone of Uncertainty
    Posts
    49,304
    Quote Originally Posted by Ccard257 View Post
    We had a lab mix rescue that wasn't a swimmer when we got her at about 2 or 3. We pushed her in where she couldn't touch bottom a few times and she figured it out pretty quick.
    If you feel it's important for the dog to know how to swim, throw it out of a boat or push it off a dock, I guarantee it will learn instantly. If there's no real need for it to swim and it's a pretty good dog just the way it is and you don't feel like freaking it out for a few minutes, just bag it.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    co
    Posts
    2,299
    Kick it off a boat=awesome. But yeah just throw it out there man, it will come around pretty quick.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Mid-Atlantic
    Posts
    1,144
    Quote Originally Posted by Stone-Free View Post
    Wow....My lab was a natural swimmer and she's in the water anywhere she goes. It's kind of a pain in the ass really...

    I'd say give him time and more practice in shallow water retrieving sticks or tennis balls until he gets more comfortable. Take it slow and he should figure things out.
    Same here, my parent's dog actually. The only time she's disobedient is when shes out on a walk and hasn't had enough "swim time" yet...even in the dead of winter she'll run right in and just wade there until you throw her a ball or a rock to dive after.
    Before big games I shoot Rabies, it gives me the edge I need and it’s undetectable. Only idiot losers do steroids anymore...

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Jongistan
    Posts
    5,307
    Quote Originally Posted by Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo View Post
    She loves the water but won't wade in past where she can stand. I used to go in to try and temp her with toys and treats but eventually gave up.
    This is how most dogs I've owned have been. They'll go in just past their legs and love it, any deeper, not so much.

    Quote Originally Posted by iceman View Post
    If there's no real need for it to swim and it's a pretty good dog just the way it is and you don't feel like freaking it out for a few minutes, just bag it.
    X10 If your dog can't swim and doesn't find it fun, who cares? Most dogs just like to wade anyway.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tunco perfectly summarizing TGR View Post
    It is like Days of Our Lives', but with retards.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    working or playing
    Posts
    1,720
    my buddy had a golden that could swim just fine but didn't have enough sense to bring his head back up if you pushed him under water. He'd just keep swimming along, about 2 feet deep until you grabbed his collar and pulled him back up. Might want to leave the leash on if you go the "kick him off a dock" route
    The killer awoke before dawn.
    He put his boots on.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Duluth
    Posts
    2,696
    Its quite common for a dog that has'nt had exposure to swimming. He went vertical and paddled toward the sky. The quick fix is a stick in the mouth, Appox 24" x 2" should do it, it will help keep his head parallel to the water. Try it works. Throw it and and when he fetches it up he'll be good in no time. A small stick will not work.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Where babies are made
    Posts
    2,339
    Quote Originally Posted by bushman View Post
    A small stick will not work.

    ...That's what SHE said!
    Of all the muthafuckas on earth, you the muthafuckest.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    3,774
    I had a german lab mix that as a puppy hated the water. Wouldnt go near it. So one day while at a softball tournament I decided it was time for her to learn to swim. Tossed her happy ass right in the deep part of a pond. Stupid dog was right, she couldnt swim. Rescue ensued.
    Goals for the season: -Try and pick up a sponsor.--Phill

    But whatever scares you most... --Rip'nStick

  14. #14
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Fuck me
    Posts
    727
    Quote Originally Posted by gonehuckin View Post
    I had a german lab mix that as a puppy hated the water. Wouldnt go near it. So one day while at a softball tournament I decided it was time for her to learn to swim. Tossed her happy ass right in the deep part of a pond. Stupid dog was right, she couldnt swim. Rescue ensued.
    I just about fell out of my chair laughing at the thought of that.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    EC
    Posts
    2,333
    Myfirst lab couldnt swim. Yellow as well, she would walk around in the water but not swim.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    champlain valley
    Posts
    5,826
    Quote Originally Posted by bushman View Post
    Its quite common for a dog that has'nt had exposure to swimming. He went vertical and paddled toward the sky. The quick fix is a stick in the mouth, Appox 24" x 2" should do it, it will help keep his head parallel to the water. Try it works. Throw it and and when he fetches it up he'll be good in no time. A small stick will not work.
    my rescue yellow lab did this also, had enough instict to swim though. She would just try to get her front legs out of the water until she was tired or had a large stick in her mouth. She's come around. That said, if she is really excited, she will still try to get her front legs out of the water. it's hilarious.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Missoula, MT
    Posts
    22,981
    give it time
    No longer stuck.

    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    Just an uneducated guess.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
    Posts
    33,874
    my X-wife had a fully grown pure bred chocolate Lab named " Trouble " who never did take to water ,she had a second lab who did take to water so its not like Trouble never got exposure and they lived in the HOT okanagan so water would have been nice and cool for a dog BUT maybe my anecdote shouldnt count because my ex-wife was a certifyed hypochondriac and the 3 dogs she raised herself could only be described as ... neurotic



    I would keep taking the dog to the water ,the lab cheasapeake I raised didnt really like water till she was 5 months ,one day her instincts took over and she was water crazy till the end

    BTW:I had a cockapoo way back in the day who didnt like water ,the 1st time in a canoe she tried to jump out in 3ft of water when she seen the rocks on the bottom ...this didnt seem to make her like the water anymore

    one day I left her on a shore and started paddling slowly away in a canoe , the dog followed and she DID seem to like swimming after that ...perhaps a better way??

  19. #19
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Eagle County
    Posts
    12,637
    My Malamute LOVES the water but will not get in the water where it is deep enough to touch her ribs, underside. I saw her swim once so I know she can but she does not like it at all. Loves to romp around in the shallows however.
    ROLL TIDE ROLL

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    4,153
    Quote Originally Posted by bushman View Post
    Its quite common for a dog that has'nt had exposure to swimming. He went vertical and paddled toward the sky. The quick fix is a stick in the mouth, Appox 24" x 2" should do it, it will help keep his head parallel to the water. Try it works. Throw it and and when he fetches it up he'll be good in no time. A small stick will not work.
    Exactly paddling for the sky. He just must have never been around water growing up.
    I tossed my golden in the water when he was around 8 months. We cant get him out of the water now.
    Rafted from Catherines store in carbondale to Glenwood Springs about 7-8 miles. the fucking dog swam and ran the entire way.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    33,935
    When I was a kid we had a boxer dog who was negatively buoyant.

    He'd sink like a rock and and walk along the bottom.

    Only problem I've had with swimming and our Goldens apart from getting them out of the water is with one who took a while to figure out how to steer. He'd just take off in a straight line like a motor boat only stopping when he hit the other bank or shore.
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Montana
    Posts
    74
    Chances are, as everyone has said, he CAN swim. If you want him to like water though, I wouldn't just throw him in off a dock or a boat. You are likely to just make him hate water by doing that. I have 2 blue heelers that both love to swim, not nearly as common a trait for that breed as labs. Both dogs sucked at swimming at first, but with practice and the right toys to fetch, they both love it now.

    If you are headed out on the water and are worried he can't swim, put a doggie life jacket on him. My dogs wear them when we raft or fish in case they get tossed out of the boat and can't make it back.
    Moonlight Basin Navy: Slow. Loud. Shallow.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Bottom feeding
    Posts
    11,722
    My rescue cattle dog couldn't swim. She kept trying to go straight up, as, (I think), she was trying to feel for the bottom. It actually wasn't too cool, since you'd see she was scared out of her mind as her head would start to go under. I put a dog life jacket on her and walked out with her at a beach, and pulled her around by it, so her front paws would stay IN the water. A couple of times doing this, she got the hang of it, and now will water retrieve, swim with us, etc.

    The thing that DID make us laugh, though, was after swimming across a lake with us she got "swimmer's tail". Apparently she pulled a muscle trying to keep her tail up.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Verdi NV
    Posts
    10,457

    Since its a rescue dog

    I would not throw him in the water.

    Sounds like the dog spends alot of timw with you. want to please you and all that.

    I suspect that when you go swimming the dog is gonna go swimming. and it will work itself out.

    Let the dog swim on his terms. This will be a short lived issue
    Own your fail. ~Jer~

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Denial
    Posts
    2,734
    Quote Originally Posted by gonehuckin View Post
    I had a german lab mix that as a puppy hated the water. Wouldnt go near it. So one day while at a softball tournament I decided it was time for her to learn to swim. Tossed her happy ass right in the deep part of a pond. Stupid dog was right, she couldnt swim. Rescue ensued.
    I'm laughing my ass off right now

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •