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My Dog & My Pool
My dog barks like crazy when I go in the pool with my 8 month old son.
I understand that this is probably a protective instinct - however, I'm not sure if the neighbors do. How do I either - A. Get my dog to come into the pool (she's afraid) and join in on the fun - or - B. Get her to stop barking. Thanks! |
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How do I either - A. Get my dog to
come into the pool (she's afraid) If you want to teach your dog to swim, you'll need to do that *completely* seperate from any activity with your child involved - you'd need to have 100% focus on the dog. Personally, I would never try to teach a dog to swim in a pool, unless the pool's low end allows the dog to stand with all four feet on the bottom and head and chest above water. I've taught several adult dogs to swim- one of whom had a literal phobia of water - and it takes time. With a dog who was only a little unsure, it took 4-5 sessions spread over two weeks, and he's now an enthusiastic swimmer. With the phobic dog, it took about 2 MONTHS of 3-4 sessions a week, and it's still extremely rare for her to swim voluntarily. In any case, the idea is to GRADUALLY desensitize the dog by first having it simply stand in the water for a short period, feeding little bits of treats and praising, then allowing the dog to retreat. When the dog is comfortable with simply standing in the water, there are two ways to proceed- one for a fairly confident dog, one for a fearful dog. With a confident dog, I'll stand in the water just past the point where the dog's feet will leave the bottom and coax with a treat or toy, possibly tugging GENTLY on the leash to encourage the dog to come forward into the deeper water. NOTE: it is crucial that the leash be attached to a FLAT collar, preferably a martingale, adjusted so there is NO choke action. I'll get the dog to take one or two swimming strokes, praising like crazy, then allow the dog to swim back to the shallows. As the dog becomes confident, I'll very gradually increase the time I ask the dog to actually swim. If the dog's going to be a good swimmer, s/he will usually quickly transition into going after the toy or treat independently. If the dog's NOT inclined to swimming, then the appropriate thing is to get him to the point where he's comfortable, then leave well enough alone. With a fearful dog, I've found it better to CARRY the dog into water just deep enough for the dog to swim, support the dog in the water so that s/he can paddle in place, feed treats and talk soothingly until the dog calms, then let the dog paddle a foot or two back to the shallows. Note: with either method, be prepared to get scratched accidentally, and DO NOT scold, punish, yell, etc. no matter what happens. and join in on the fun I'm going to agree here with the person who said dogs and kids swimming together in a pool isn't a good idea. It's easy for the dog to accidentally scratch a child. Also- you should NEVER teach or allow your dog to swim in your pool unless there's a way the dog can get out on its own - and you need to TEACH your dog how to get out, and make sure s/he knows how to do it independently. There have been numerous cases of dogs drowning in backyard pools because they couldn't figure out how to get out. B. Get her to stop barking. Put her in the house, unless and until you can take the time and trouble to teach her a "settle" command in training sessions completely seperate from activities with your child. |
#8
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How do I either - A. Get my dog to
come into the pool (she's afraid) If you want to teach your dog to swim, you'll need to do that *completely* seperate from any activity with your child involved - you'd need to have 100% focus on the dog. Personally, I would never try to teach a dog to swim in a pool, unless the pool's low end allows the dog to stand with all four feet on the bottom and head and chest above water. I've taught several adult dogs to swim- one of whom had a literal phobia of water - and it takes time. With a dog who was only a little unsure, it took 4-5 sessions spread over two weeks, and he's now an enthusiastic swimmer. With the phobic dog, it took about 2 MONTHS of 3-4 sessions a week, and it's still extremely rare for her to swim voluntarily. In any case, the idea is to GRADUALLY desensitize the dog by first having it simply stand in the water for a short period, feeding little bits of treats and praising, then allowing the dog to retreat. When the dog is comfortable with simply standing in the water, there are two ways to proceed- one for a fairly confident dog, one for a fearful dog. With a confident dog, I'll stand in the water just past the point where the dog's feet will leave the bottom and coax with a treat or toy, possibly tugging GENTLY on the leash to encourage the dog to come forward into the deeper water. NOTE: it is crucial that the leash be attached to a FLAT collar, preferably a martingale, adjusted so there is NO choke action. I'll get the dog to take one or two swimming strokes, praising like crazy, then allow the dog to swim back to the shallows. As the dog becomes confident, I'll very gradually increase the time I ask the dog to actually swim. If the dog's going to be a good swimmer, s/he will usually quickly transition into going after the toy or treat independently. If the dog's NOT inclined to swimming, then the appropriate thing is to get him to the point where he's comfortable, then leave well enough alone. With a fearful dog, I've found it better to CARRY the dog into water just deep enough for the dog to swim, support the dog in the water so that s/he can paddle in place, feed treats and talk soothingly until the dog calms, then let the dog paddle a foot or two back to the shallows. Note: with either method, be prepared to get scratched accidentally, and DO NOT scold, punish, yell, etc. no matter what happens. and join in on the fun I'm going to agree here with the person who said dogs and kids swimming together in a pool isn't a good idea. It's easy for the dog to accidentally scratch a child. Also- you should NEVER teach or allow your dog to swim in your pool unless there's a way the dog can get out on its own - and you need to TEACH your dog how to get out, and make sure s/he knows how to do it independently. There have been numerous cases of dogs drowning in backyard pools because they couldn't figure out how to get out. B. Get her to stop barking. Put her in the house, unless and until you can take the time and trouble to teach her a "settle" command in training sessions completely seperate from activities with your child. |
#9
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How do I either - A. Get my dog to
come into the pool (she's afraid) If you want to teach your dog to swim, you'll need to do that *completely* seperate from any activity with your child involved - you'd need to have 100% focus on the dog. Personally, I would never try to teach a dog to swim in a pool, unless the pool's low end allows the dog to stand with all four feet on the bottom and head and chest above water. I've taught several adult dogs to swim- one of whom had a literal phobia of water - and it takes time. With a dog who was only a little unsure, it took 4-5 sessions spread over two weeks, and he's now an enthusiastic swimmer. With the phobic dog, it took about 2 MONTHS of 3-4 sessions a week, and it's still extremely rare for her to swim voluntarily. In any case, the idea is to GRADUALLY desensitize the dog by first having it simply stand in the water for a short period, feeding little bits of treats and praising, then allowing the dog to retreat. When the dog is comfortable with simply standing in the water, there are two ways to proceed- one for a fairly confident dog, one for a fearful dog. With a confident dog, I'll stand in the water just past the point where the dog's feet will leave the bottom and coax with a treat or toy, possibly tugging GENTLY on the leash to encourage the dog to come forward into the deeper water. NOTE: it is crucial that the leash be attached to a FLAT collar, preferably a martingale, adjusted so there is NO choke action. I'll get the dog to take one or two swimming strokes, praising like crazy, then allow the dog to swim back to the shallows. As the dog becomes confident, I'll very gradually increase the time I ask the dog to actually swim. If the dog's going to be a good swimmer, s/he will usually quickly transition into going after the toy or treat independently. If the dog's NOT inclined to swimming, then the appropriate thing is to get him to the point where he's comfortable, then leave well enough alone. With a fearful dog, I've found it better to CARRY the dog into water just deep enough for the dog to swim, support the dog in the water so that s/he can paddle in place, feed treats and talk soothingly until the dog calms, then let the dog paddle a foot or two back to the shallows. Note: with either method, be prepared to get scratched accidentally, and DO NOT scold, punish, yell, etc. no matter what happens. and join in on the fun I'm going to agree here with the person who said dogs and kids swimming together in a pool isn't a good idea. It's easy for the dog to accidentally scratch a child. Also- you should NEVER teach or allow your dog to swim in your pool unless there's a way the dog can get out on its own - and you need to TEACH your dog how to get out, and make sure s/he knows how to do it independently. There have been numerous cases of dogs drowning in backyard pools because they couldn't figure out how to get out. B. Get her to stop barking. Put her in the house, unless and until you can take the time and trouble to teach her a "settle" command in training sessions completely seperate from activities with your child. |
#10
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How do I either - A. Get my dog to
come into the pool (she's afraid) If you want to teach your dog to swim, you'll need to do that *completely* seperate from any activity with your child involved - you'd need to have 100% focus on the dog. Personally, I would never try to teach a dog to swim in a pool, unless the pool's low end allows the dog to stand with all four feet on the bottom and head and chest above water. I've taught several adult dogs to swim- one of whom had a literal phobia of water - and it takes time. With a dog who was only a little unsure, it took 4-5 sessions spread over two weeks, and he's now an enthusiastic swimmer. With the phobic dog, it took about 2 MONTHS of 3-4 sessions a week, and it's still extremely rare for her to swim voluntarily. In any case, the idea is to GRADUALLY desensitize the dog by first having it simply stand in the water for a short period, feeding little bits of treats and praising, then allowing the dog to retreat. When the dog is comfortable with simply standing in the water, there are two ways to proceed- one for a fairly confident dog, one for a fearful dog. With a confident dog, I'll stand in the water just past the point where the dog's feet will leave the bottom and coax with a treat or toy, possibly tugging GENTLY on the leash to encourage the dog to come forward into the deeper water. NOTE: it is crucial that the leash be attached to a FLAT collar, preferably a martingale, adjusted so there is NO choke action. I'll get the dog to take one or two swimming strokes, praising like crazy, then allow the dog to swim back to the shallows. As the dog becomes confident, I'll very gradually increase the time I ask the dog to actually swim. If the dog's going to be a good swimmer, s/he will usually quickly transition into going after the toy or treat independently. If the dog's NOT inclined to swimming, then the appropriate thing is to get him to the point where he's comfortable, then leave well enough alone. With a fearful dog, I've found it better to CARRY the dog into water just deep enough for the dog to swim, support the dog in the water so that s/he can paddle in place, feed treats and talk soothingly until the dog calms, then let the dog paddle a foot or two back to the shallows. Note: with either method, be prepared to get scratched accidentally, and DO NOT scold, punish, yell, etc. no matter what happens. and join in on the fun I'm going to agree here with the person who said dogs and kids swimming together in a pool isn't a good idea. It's easy for the dog to accidentally scratch a child. Also- you should NEVER teach or allow your dog to swim in your pool unless there's a way the dog can get out on its own - and you need to TEACH your dog how to get out, and make sure s/he knows how to do it independently. There have been numerous cases of dogs drowning in backyard pools because they couldn't figure out how to get out. B. Get her to stop barking. Put her in the house, unless and until you can take the time and trouble to teach her a "settle" command in training sessions completely seperate from activities with your child. |
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