swimming - teaching the pup to love the ocean

Hi All

We will soon be getting our staff bull terrier/pitt bull terrier(here in Brazil, pure staff bull terriers are hard to find, the few breeders around charge aprox 1500.00 GBP, on the other hand Am Staff bull terriers, as they call them are easy to find and dont come with the big price tag, so were going for the Am Staff...have to say looks just like the staffies I got to know in the UK, only leggier) so we live along the beach, and we like to run/swim there...its important to us for our puppy to get comfortable with the ocean as soon as possible, ultimately we’d be very happy if I could get her swimming with us...if not swimming alongside us, then at least have her enjoy the water and be unafraid to go in.

Any training tips to achieve this would be very welcome, thanks.

Wish I could offer advice but Suki just hates the water. We took her to a pool once and she just didn't like it. I imagine she would get used to it but we don't live anywhere near the water. Some of them just love the water though.

I have 2 SBT and they are both scared of the water I'm afraid . It's something you cannot train a dog to do I know some members who are real surf dogs. Some love it and some hate it. To give the dog there best chance then make it small and gentle , dip the toes in and then progress from there

jstaff wrote:Wish I could offer advice but Suki just hates the water. We took her to a pool once and she just didn't like it. I imagine she would get used to it but we don't live anywhere near the water. Some of them just love the water though.

I can remember the pictures

Moo just took to swimming like a dog in water

I found using a retrieve toy thrown in helped at first, now I have to stop her going in, far too cold for it this time of year.

You just have to build up there exercise gradually Xx

thanks Janey, Dave, Jstaff...we’ll take it easy and work with the retrieve toy.

Best of luck , would love my 2 to be water babies like my last dog but you get what god gives you (for me its no bed space and sleepless nights )

Can't help either. No way would I go into The North Sea, dog or no dog. Even in summer you'd die of hypothermia
Walked him along Aberdeen beach yesterday and couldn't think of anything less inviting than going in the water.
A cup of coffee and a bacon roll afterwards at the Inversneckie Cafe ( yes that's a real place ) which faces onto the beach. Now that's inviting

Can't offer any advice sorry, Steffi just loved water right from the start, baths, shower, puddles, pools, hoses, sprinklers and any other water source she spots she is straight in there, including the local duck pond But if it is even sprinkling rain she refuses to go out Strange dog

Kylie wrote:Can't offer any advice sorry, Steffi just loved water right from the start, baths, shower, puddles, pools, hoses, sprinklers and any other water source she spots she is straight in there, including the local duck pond But if it is even sprinkling rain she refuses to go out Strange dog

You can't fool us!!! Everyone in Britain knows it doesn't rain in Oz. You have blue skies, golden sands, you eat only at barbies,drink tinnies,are all beautiful and live in Ramsay Street.

reuben wrote:

Kylie wrote:Can't offer any advice sorry, Steffi just loved water right from the start, baths, shower, puddles, pools, hoses, sprinklers and any other water source she spots she is straight in there, including the local duck pond But if it is even sprinkling rain she refuses to go out Strange dog

You can't fool us!!! Everyone in Britain knows it doesn't rain in Oz. You have blue skies, golden sands, you eat only at barbies,drink tinnies,are all beautiful and live in Ramsay Street.

wanna bet You would have had a finer day than we had Xmas day.. It didn't stop raining ALL day. Xmas eve 40 degrees and sunshine, Xmas day torrential rain and 20 degrees I now have a cold in summer

Dogs either like swimming or they dont, its no good forcing them. We had Solly as a rescue when he was about 1 year old, he hated the rain, hated puddles, but as soon as my OH went swimming there was Solly doggy paddling behind him. No stopping him now, he'll plunge in anytime, but he still doesn't like the rain or puddles

thanks all. well i suppose we have a good chance of having a water/ocean loving dog as its warm here all year round and right now in summer averages at 35-40 degrees...so its a fair bet our babe will enjoy cooling off in the water.

Sorry no advice from me either. Obi loves a bath. He even tries to get in the shower when i'm in there lol. Rain doesn't bother him at all. Ponds are a different matter lol he takes one look and all you see is his wiggly bum going in the other direction. We don't live near a beach so he's not had that experience yet but once the warmer weather is here i'll take him to see what he does