Professional guidance on a proper water introduction for hunting dogs
If you have a Labrador, Golden or Chesapeake Bay retriever puppy, one thing you may have not even thought about is the need to introduce the pup to water. You may think these breeds will just swim naturally and love water, but that is not always the case. And a poor introduction to water can be devastating, especially if you are an avid duck hunter.
Labs are affectionately called water dogs, and for good reason. Most Labs love to swim. But as a professional trainer, I can attest, some don’t. And often, this is because they had a bad experience when they first encountered water.
Every year we get one or two dogs in for training that have had a bad experience when they first encountered water. Most of time, if the dog has a very strong retrieving desire, we can overcome the poor introduction and teach the dog to love water. But not always. Here is the proper way to introduce your retriever puppy to water.
Why do I need to introduce my dog to water?
It may sound strange, introducing your dog to water. But it is important to understand that each puppy comes into this world a clean slate. They do not understand anything in this world without being introduced to it. Whether that is ground, weeds, other dogs, water, birds or anything else.
The goal is that much of this introduction is done very early in life. Good breeders often take a lot of this introduction on themselves. The more socialization (introductions) the dog has very young in life the better equipped they are to handle new things later in life. Socialization is so important. Learn more about socialization here.
If a breeder, for instance, exposes their puppies to a kiddy pool with water, the puppies have a chance to encounter water and learn about it with their litter mates in a controlled environment. If as puppies they do not get exposed to water, then the first time you take your dog to a lake or stream, the dog needs to learn about water – how it moves, how you sink into it the shore, how you can walk into it and wade around. These are all things the puppy needs to learn.
One way or another, every dog must learn this information. Our suggestion is to formally introduce your puppy to water in a very thoughtful way.
Benefits of a positive water introduction
Allowing your dog to learn about water in a non-threatening way can help your dog approach water with confidence and enjoyment, rather than fear and trepidation. If you want to hunt ducks or geese with your retriever, it is very important that your dog learns to love water and swimming. A positive water introduction can help you get closer to this goal.
At what age should I introduce my pup to water?
The best age to introduce your puppy to water is as young as possible. Sometimes this is very difficult, especially if you live in colder climates because the water in lakes, ponds, and streams will be too cold for puppies for many months out of the year.
Do not make your puppy’s first introduction to water be cold water. This would result in a very poor water introduction and could cause problems down the road. If you live in a cold climate, wait for the water to warm up before attempting a water introduction with your Lab pup. Even if this means your pup is much older when they get their first introduction.
A late introduction is better than a negative early introduction.
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Preparing for the Introduction
Here are some things you need to consider when you are ready to introduce your pup to water:
- Is the weather outside going to be warm? It doesn’t have to be 90 degrees outside, but it should be no colder than 60 degrees, and hopefully even warmer.
- Is the water warmed up? In Wisconsin, we often don’t have warm water until June. Make sure the water temps are not frigid and are a temperature that will be comfortable for a young puppy.
- Where are you going to do the introduction? This can take some time to figure out. The ideal location is a small shallow pond. Shallow ponds warm faster and you want a location where your pup can wade in, not fall in due to a steep slope. Rivers are not a good option due to the currents.
- Does your pup have good retrieving desire? If your dog loves to retrieve, this is going to help you immensely for your water introduction. If your dog is weak in retrieving desire, you may have to wait longer or use other means to get your pup into the water.
Introducing your dog to water
When you are ready to introduce your dog to water, follow these steps:
- Go to the area where you intend to introduce your dog to water. Before approaching the water, do a few on land retrieves with your pup. You want to heat your dog up a little. Don’t over do this. Just 3-4 hand throws on land with a bumper will work.
- After the retrieves allow your dog to explore the area and the water’s edge on their own. If they venture into the water, say GOOD DOG.
- If your dog seems okay with the water’s edge, take your bumper, tease your dog with it and do a short throw that lands just at the water’s edge. Let your dog run to it and figure out how to get the bumper. If it is a couple inches in the water, that is fine. Just encourage your dog by saying, GOOD DOG, GET IT.
Most dogs that have a strong retrieving desire will work hard to figure out how to get the bumper. Often this requires them to put one or two feet into the water. Once they retrieve the bumper and bring it to you, say GOOD DOG and repeat step 3.
4. Once your pup is retrieving the bumper from the edge of the pond, you can start throwing it out a little deeper – maybe a foot into the water. Each time allow your pup to figure out how to get to it by him/herself.
5. Continue increasing the distance of your throw into the water until your dog is entering the water and swimming to the bumper.
Most puppies will not swim smoothly at first. They often do what we call puppy swimming, their feet are coming out of the water too high and there is a lot of splashing going on. That is okay. This will even out as they have more and more water exposure.
Once your puppy is swimming, even a little bit, that should be the end of the day. Don’t overdo water exposure on the first day. Your goal on day one is simply to exposure your dog to the water and swimming. Once you have tackled that, you can work on it more and more through the upcoming weeks and months.
What if my dog won’t enter the water on his own?
Some dogs won’t have the retrieving desire necessary to pull them into the water on their own. For these dogs, you may have to don some waders or boots and enter the water with the dog. And sometimes, it is just a matter of waiting until the dog is a bit older. Not all dogs mature at the same rate and some dogs may need a little longer to get more confident to take the plunge.
We had one dog come for training that had a poor water introduction when she was young. She had fallen out of a boat and, as a result, she was very fearful of the water. She wouldn’t even go near the water’s edge. After several weeks of training, and exposure to birds, we found the missing link. If we threw a bumper into the water, she wouldn’t go, but when we threw a dead duck into the water, she quickly overcame her fear. From then on, she had no fear of the water and became a great duck dog.
Will my dog drown?
Some puppies are very poor swimmers. We have had a few that when we watched them swim the first few times, we were sure they would drown. But they didn’t. It was painful to watch but they eventually were able to figure it out and get themselves back to shore.
We have even had some dogs that can’t swim well after months of training. These dogs are just a little slow on learning how to swim. Often these are dogs that are super high energy, and they want to swim as fast as they run. But swimming doesn’t work like that. The faster a dog tries to swim, the slower they seem to go.
Over time even these poor swimmers become excellent water dogs.
Consistency and practice
Once your dog has learned to swim, the key is to practice this skill on a regular basis. For retrievers, this can be as easy as throwing a bumper for your dog in the water a few times a week or month. But whatever practice you decide, the more time your dog spends swimming, the better he/she will swim.
Final thoughts on introducing your Lab to water
Retriever breeds generally love water and swimming, but you must take the time to introduce your pup to water in a proper and thoughtful manner. If you do this, your dog will learn to love the water and swimming and then you will be on your way to having a great water dog.
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