Water Dog Training and the Right Timing

Although most adult dogs love the water, puppies are a different story. You cannot just throw the puppy into the water and hope that his natural swimming instincts will kick in before he starts drowning. Introducing your dog abruptly to the water will leave a bad impression on him, so be careful.

You need to introduce your little puppy to the water gently. Always remember that water dog training is a very important task. If you want your dog to enjoy the water later on, you need to do things slowly and gently.

Water dog training should be done at the right time and at the right place. Your puppy needs to be at least seven to eight weeks old before you attempt to introduce him to the water. Even Golden Retrievers, who love to swim, should not be forced to go into the water before they reach this age.

Note that very young puppies do not have properly developed limbs and muscles, so you might cause injuries if you try to introduce them to water dog training at a very young age.

Another thing that you should remember about introducing your puppy to water dog training is the climate of the place where you live. If you live in a tropical place, you can introduce your puppy to water dog training anytime. Tropical weather is usually very friendly and mild, so you need not worry about exposing your dog to extreme weather conditions.

If you live in countries where seasons change four times a year, you better be careful about introducing your puppy to water dog training during the winter or fall. You should preferably wait until the summertime before you introduce your dog to water dog training.

Yes, your dog will probably be more than seven or eight weeks old by this time, but you do not have to worry about his age. Older dogs are more familiar with water.

Training Your Puppy with an Older Dog

If you have an older dog who is already a good swimmer, take your older dog with you when introducing your puppy to water dog training.

If you are doing water dog training on the river or the beach, allow your puppy to run for a while with the older dog.

After a few minutes, slowly wade into the water and signal the older dog to follow you. In most cases, your puppy will just follow the older dog and you will not have a problem getting him into the water.

As with all forms of training patience and a gentle manner will have your puppy trained more effectively than with a bad temperament and impatience. A little understanding makes a huge difference when training your puppy. It is very difficult to erase any incorrect training administered. Take it slowly and enjoy the rewards.