Best not Try This In The Winter, But Once They Can Swim It Looks Fun
When you first introduce your gundog to water, it can be a joy and a frustration. You have a dog that should in all intense and purposes love the water. You are expecting your dog to jump right in and start swimming but then, when you finally get out to the water; your dog not only refuses to go in but also behaves as though you are trying to dip him in acid.
This is where the frustration can come from. You want your dog to enjoy himself but you also want him to enjoy himself in the water. Still, some gundogs are just not willing to get into the water and this can put many of them at risk for a negative experience. Some owners, especially novice owners, will simply place their puppy in water, regardless of their dog’s stress. This should never be done since it has the potential to ruin your gundog.
Instead, introducing your gundog takes the same patience and fortitude that introducing your gundog to anything in their training. If they don’t go in the first time, just try again and again until they go into the water.
Even with that thought in mind, there are a number of ways that you can introduce your gundog to water to make it both enjoyable and easy.
Use an older dog.
If you can, bring along an older dog that loves water. This will give your young gundog someone to learn from. When the older dog goes in and is enjoying himself, your younger one will begin to wander in simply to be with the older dog. J
Start in a lake or other slow moving (still) water
Starting in moving water can be a big mistake for several reasons. First, the gundog puppy could be pulled under by a strong current or taken too far downstream. Safety is important when introducing your gundog to water.
Second, the gundog puppy may be more hesitant about entering water that is moving. This can create a negative experience from the start and will make other trips to water much harder.
Lastly, your gundog puppy may become distracted by the noise of the water and will have more difficulty focusing on you and also on what you are trying to do.
Make it a game
The last tip that I have for introducing the gundog puppy to water is to make it fun and make it a game. When you puppy first gets to the water, throw out a dummy for him to retrieve, if he does retrieve, a few inches from the shoreline. Your puppy will only get his feet wet but if he wants the dummy, he will have to touch the water.
When he is comfortable retrieving from a few inches away, throw the dummy a little further. Go slow with this process and make sure that your puppy is comfortable with the new depth. Before you know it, your gundog puppy will be more than happy to dive in after anything you throw out.
It is important when you do introduce your gundog to water that you never correct or punish him for not going in the water. This is a different feel, smell and overall experience for your dog so let him dictate the length of time it takes. If you do, you will be overjoyed with the result.
For a overview of training why not try our beginners guide to gundog dvd avaliable at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk