For many fur parents, getting their dogs to like the water is one of the biggest hurdles their pets face. Some pets never get used to it, and thus end up panicking when they get wet or need to go in the water. But if you do it right, you can teach your dogs how to be comfortable in the water. You can even get started on training your dogs how to dive – like in this video.
Dogs can be trained to be comfortable in the water, but you will have to do it right.
In this article, we’re going to discuss how you can train your dogs one of the most impressive tricks of all – to dive straight into the water without hesitation.
Can Dogs Dive?
All dogs can swim – but diving is a little bit difficult. While swimming is instinctual, diving is a learned behavior. Dogs don’t dive in the wild, and you’re going to have to train them on it.
Some breeds of dogs are more amenable to diving and retrieving items from the water, such as the golden retriever, spaniels, and hounds. However, other breeds are not as interested, or even able, to dive into the water as others.
It’s also important to note that not all dogs are comfortable in the water and some may not be able to swim, dive or retrieve items from the water.
Being a responsible pet owner means that we should respect your dog’s preferences and not push them to do something they are not comfortable with, especially if they don’t exactly need to do it.
How to Train Your Dogs to Dive
Diving can be a complicated skill to master for many dogs. But with the right skill progression, you can make excellent progress in a relatively short amount of time.
You can do that through these steps.
- Introduce them to the water. Start by introducing your dog to the water in a safe and controlled environment, such as a pool or shallow area. This is a foundational skill that will help them become comfortable and confident in the water.
- Teach them basic commands. Once your dog is comfortable in the water, start teaching them basic commands such as “jump” or “dive” while they’re near the edge of the pool or the dock. For exercises, encourage them to jump in and retrieve a floating toy or a ball.
- Always use positive reinforcement. Use rewards, such as treats and praise, to encourage your dog to perform the trick correctly.
- Increase the difficulty. Over time, you need to gradually increase the difficulty of your training by having the item deeper in the water or by having them retrieve it from a dock or a boat.
- Introduce training variety. As the dog progresses, you can introduce them to diving from different heights, such as a diving board or a pier.
Those are the basic steps, although you have to keep in mind that it might take some time for your dog to make progress.
Remember to always be patient with your dog and take the training process slowly. Diving is a challenging skill for a dog to learn, and it may take several weeks or even months for them to become proficient at it.
Training Your Dogs to Drive Properly
Dogs can do all sorts of things, and as unbelievable as it might seem, they are capable of a lot of impressive feats – such as diving or jumping into the water. You do need to patiently train them for that, though, which we’ve helped you within this article.
Now that you know the basics of training your dogs how to dive, there are a whole lot more things you can do! Be sure to read our PetFitness blog to know more.
