Swimming Pool Safety Tips from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Yippee, Pool Party! Your dog may take these words as an invitation to jump into the middle of kids playing "Marco Polo" or as her time to scout for...
Swimming is great fun and exercise for your dog. Swimming can also be used to rehabilitate injuries, and is good exercise for older dogs with arthritis and hip dysplasia. I think all dogs should learn how to swim. Dogs need to learn so that you have an alternate way of exercising them, especially if you live in a hot climate, and in case your dog falls in water your dog won't drown.
Last year, I was discussing swimming lessons for a student's Doberman. A friend of hers came home to a tragedy one day: her pit bull was dead, floating at the bottom of the backyard pool. This kind of thing happens more frequently than you might think. Dogs need to learn basic swimming skills in order to be safe around water. Dogs know nothing about water safety, so it is our job to train and supervise them around water. It is also mandatory to construct a safe environment if we are to have a backyard pool. And if we live near a natural body of water, whether a lake, ocean or river, to ensure our dogs will take commands, and if we are not around, to for them to have some skills so they can get back to safety. None of this comes naturally. It is our job to make sure all this comes together.
Training Your Dog To Swim