Dogs and swimming

aj55 · #1 Apr 6, 2006, 12:31 PM

I take my lab swimming regularly and was wondering how long can he swim for without coming back. the reason i ask is that he sometines cant find the ball but will not come back without it and i worry that he might not make it back. any info is appreciated.

fredg · Apr 7, 2006, 03:16 AM

Hi, aj,
Your dog should be trained to come back to you when you call him! They can get "overly tired".
Here is a link about training dogs to swim (I know yours already can), but scroll down about halfway to "tips for swimming".
It even suggests having a "doggie life jacket", if out in a boat far from shore.
http://www.triplecrowndogs.com/train...Tip=16&Topic=2

I would be concerned if he doesn't come back to when you call him. Best wishes.

aj55 · Apr 7, 2006, 10:06 AM

thanks for the link fredg. he comes back when i call him and i am carefull not to throw the ball too far. We usually take him to a small lake as he gets really sick when swimming in the ocean with all the salt water. I am hoping he will be able to handle the slat water as he gets older. He is 11 months old.

fredg · Apr 8, 2006, 08:11 AM

Hi, aj,
You are quite welcome.
I'm glad he comes back when he is called.
I really don't have any experience with dogs in salt water; never took one of mine to the Gulf Of Mexico, when we lived near it.
I also lived in FL, and never took one to the ocean either.
Best of luck.



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