Hello. For those of you knowing the Great Pyrenees breed, you are aware that they are a water-loving breed. Not mine! He will not go anywhere near a puddle without being scared out of his mind. If I try and entice him to go near a body of water, he throws himself on the ground and just lies there. Even a squirt of the hose makes him go running. My husband and I wanted to take him camping and swimming in the lake this summer. Is there someway to teach him to not be afraid of the water? Thanks.

I used to have 2 great white pyrenees(M/F) littermates and they were afraid to get into the SUV, afraid of the dock, afraid of the water, but they were great at eating all the blackberries, eating a whole bag of d-con, eating the tires off the riding mower, but best of all they were great molers. We had no moles in our back yard after a month of them residing with us. I miss them dearly. I had to carry them into the shower, to keep them clean. It was exhausting, but they will steal your heart. Gradually, introduce them to new things, one at a time, getting them used to one thing before trying something else. That worked the best for us. I had to carry them always when they were afraid. It worked though. One thing at a time.

With my dogs when I was training them not to be afraid of water I would go in the water first and coax them into swimming to me... They didn't like being left out. They were chow/lab and chow and a bit of a mutt... eventually they learned to love the water if not a bath... lol

Hi,
Get rid of the water hose! Your beautiful dog may be associating the water hose with not like it, to other water.
Give him a bath, whether inside or out, not using a water hose. Use a shower sprinkler in the bath tub, gently, to rinse him off. You will have to show him there is nothing to fear about water.
If you are interested, here is some information on a Great Dog Person:

I highly recommend a video by Ceaser Millan, a Professional Dog Behaviorist. He rehabilitates dogs, and trains people.

He has his own TV program, the Dog Whisperer, on the NGEO (National Geographic) channel, on Friday nights mainly, but also comes on some other days. This video is available from:
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/
I also ordered his new book, "Ceaser's Way", from Walmart online, around $15 US, and it's very good!

There are other good videos available on the web, but this one is really worth your attention.

I do wish you the best, and good luck. Remember; Persistence and following through is the best when training a dog, or trying to rid him of fear.

When my Pyr was a puppy he LOVED water, as he got older, he disliked it more and more. This might sound cruel, but its not; I had to shove my pyr into our lake. I'm not saying that would work with your dog, but I had to remind my dog he liked water lol.