Sonny M asked:
I have a Golden Retriever/Chow mix female, she’s about 3 years old now. we’ve adopted her from the SPCA when she was 1. She hates water, we took her to the aquatic center for an even called “Bark n Splash”. There were a lot of dogs there and we were hoping it would cure her water shyness if she went and played with other dogs in the pools. It didn’t work I even pulled her in and showed her it’s fun, she didn’t like it. So i’m still having problems, I like swimming and I want the dog to get exercise too, but she wont go swimming. Can anybody help?
Go out in a boat and throw her in.
You should carry her in there yourself. She trusts you. She might panic a little at first…when she does, just comfort her. Try to do it about 3-4 times a week. She’ll get used to it eventually.
We had two labs, one loved the pool and the other hates it. Like people dogs may not like swimming. Nothing we did EVER helped.
Think she is just not destined to be a swimmer.
You can’t “cure” water shyness, it’s just the way some breeds of dogs are born, especially furry ones likes chows. Find other ways to get your dog exercise that aren’t torture for her, like taking her for a run. Try doing things your DOG likes for a change!
First of all you need to be shot. What the hell is the matter with you?? Did you wake up and say I’m going to be an a&&hole to my dog today? Use some common sense – Everything you’ve done so far would make any dog even more afraid of the water. Pushing someone or something to do something does NOT make them want to do it.
Take your dog to a behavior specialist. Seriously – you need real help. Take it easy on throwing her in the water, especially when she’s already scared of it. The worst thing you’ve done is throwing her in with other dogs.
ignore the answer above mine… whoever said that…well, that’s dumb advice. anyway, i highly doubt she’ll ever be really into water. when she’s around it though make it really fun for her. don’t force her into it. just give her opportunities to and let her choose to take them or not. praise her lots… let her know this isn’t a punishment. if she likes fetch try throwing the stick into the shallow water. try playing with her in a small swimming pool that’s really shallow at home. she may be intimidated by an unfamiliar setting. also, you can try making the water slightly warmer. if the water is really cold she might not like it… though that’d be odd. she’ll probably never love it, but don’t force her and make it fun and she might open up a little more.