I got Drake at 12 weeks, and for all I know he had never been in water before.

At 14 weeks,  I took him to a pond with a friend's labrador. It was December, so it was pretty cold out. After watching the Lab swimming and retrieving, Drake would bark and whine and he dipped his front paws in the water twice, then wanted nothing to do with it. Once, I picked him up and set him down in about a foot of water and he swam back to shore. It was nothing dramatic or freightening to him. He would not come back around the water for the rest of the day.

From then on when hiking, whenever we would come around water he would not go near it and was very hesitant.

Yesterday, right at 6 months old, was the first time since then he went around it, and again, it was very cold outside. It was with a friend's GSP, Mally. Mally was retrieving and swimming, and Drake was barking and whining so loud to get in the water, but it was like he had a mental block. Then, only one time, he got so wound up, he ran and dove in the water, took about 3 strokes, then sped back to sure! I was so ecstatic. Unfortunately, he would not do it again no matter how much coaxing. About 4 times I threw him in and he would swim back and have his tail wagging, excited, but would not willingly go back in on his own.


My question is, have any of you other GSP owners had a pup that came out of his shell with water later in life passed 6 months old? I know the breeder should have had a kiddie pool for him to introduce him to it. Is there anything I could do now to promote it?


NOTE: When I bathe him, he just stands with me while I take a shower, then I just soap him up and scrub him, then hold him in my arms directly under the shower head, and he is totally relaxed and almost goes to sleep and has a good time!

My recommendation is to let him get in at his own pace, try to make it fun for him and only try to do it when the weather is warmer.

My GSP (Bodi) was exactly the same way, but I introduced him to it gradually using toys,sticks (what ever he was in the mood to fetch) to keep it fun.  He was 3 years old before he actually started actually swimming... The final straw was one warm summer day at the dog park he watched all of the other retrievers out in the pond having fun.... He couldn't handle it any longer and just jumped right in!  Bodi  now duck hunts with me and has retrieved at least 20 birds including a pair of greater canadians... I never thought my GSP would be my duck hunting buddy too!

I guess it's the weather.. Mine started swimming at 5 mouths.

This was taken last summer at 6 months of her age..

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=391086740944760

 I don't advocate trying our methods, but it worked for BOTH of our GSP's.    I first took Maybrie to the dog park when she was 6 months old.   She did so much running around, and it was super hot outside, so she just gravitated towards the swimming hole.   She saw others swimming around, and chasing balls into the water, she attempted to do the same.  She fell in the first time, and it took her a couple of more trips to the dog park to get comfortable getting in.  FINALLY, she pawed at the water a bit, and crouched down and started swimming.    She LOVED the water, and would stay in there a good 45 minutes just swimming in circles.     Kaido was 8 months old, and he got hot, saw Maybrie swimming, and decided to try it out as well.  He too fell in the first time, but unlike Maybrie, he decided to be cool about it and just kept swimming!   He doesn't enjoy swimming as much as Maybrie, but neither will pass up a cool water hole on a hot day!    We no longer frequent the dog park due to our high prey drives.....from BOTH, including a bunny kill at the dog park, and a kitten kill in our back yard......and numerous squirrels they've chased up the tree, and a predatory drift incident with our own smaller family dog.    At the dog park, small -medium size dog (under 35 pounds) = PREY!!    Don't take yours to the dog park to learn how to swim!   

 If he loves the tub, he'll be a natural in the water!

 Gsplover thats actually a great way to get them into the water! They are hot, want to cool down, AND see other dogs having fun in the water. What puppy doesnt want to get left out of that!

 Thanks Ryan GSP.....yes, I agree about the "initiation by association" concept! Lol!   I just meant I wish there was another place besides the dog park.  We have had several close calls with our two both being attacked, and attacking smaller dogs.  Ours were both attacked because they would run like lightening.  Other dogs thought a "chase"  game was on.  Maybrie accidentally ran to fast and too close to another dog's territory and got attacked.  Not bitten, never a bite, just pinned down and growled at until the owner removed their dog.  My dogs cannot resist a tiny dog.  Kaido tried to swim on top of and drown a smaller dog.  Ours are NOT dog park safe and I don't trust the other dogs around my dogs.  Nothing bad has ever happened to my dogs or the other dogs that were victims of my dogs' prey drive, as there were attentive handlers.....LUCKILY!   I'm glad they know how to swim, and wouldn't change the experience of the dog park for the world, but just too chicken to play Russian Roulette! 

 Wow!!   That is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!  We used to live in Colorado, no longer do.  We are in Houston, Tx now....HOT!  

That looks like SO MUCH FUN!!   I remember all the wonderful places we used to hike and bike in Colorado.  Lots or really wonderful creeks, but all too cold for us!   I bet the dogs did enjoy it though!!   Brings back SO many memories!  Thanks so much for sharing!  

Regarding dog parks. Yes, my breeder cautioned me on the SEVERE problem with Parvo, and said that we could even bring it back to our other dogs, one of which cannot be vaccinated due to her vaccine reaction and the fact that it caused her HOD.  So, every time I went, I took a risk.   I did it for about 5 months, (only because of their extreme energy level) but by the time they were 11 months old,  they were really showing extreme prey drive.  They kept to themselves and didn't mingle with the other dogs, they just hunted the massive amount of birds, rabbits, squirrels, and let's not forget the butterflies!   So, for the MOST part, I didn't have to worry about them getting attacked....UNLESS they ran too close to a dog that was territorial, OR, they spotted a small dog from afar.  Then "game on" for them!  Unfortunately, people did not listen to the "smaller dogs on the small dog side" sign.  When I wrote to the city and asked who would be liable if my prey happy dog bit into another smaller dog, and they said that I would be.  They said the sign to keep smaller dogs on the small dog side was simply a suggestion, and that many families are of the blended family type!  (small dog, large dog) so they didn't make any hard and fast rules other than ALL dogs must maintain control of their dogs at all times.  After the bunny kill and the kitten kill, and their pack hunt mentality, I no longer trusted THEM!!   I could not live with myself if they killed another person's dog.    I had also heard of two GSP's getting attacked just after entering the park gates.  Supposedly a Saint Bernard was the culprit!   We had issues with German Shephards and American Boxers, and Malamutes. One of the GSP's required stitches after the Saint Bernard attacked.  It was a great place to go, and several GSP owners, about 6 GSP's in total, which is A LOT, would go up to the park.  Our dogs were great together........the others, well, not so much!  It was enough to keep us away..sigh.  In a perfecdt world, a dog park would be a great place for dogs to run....but we live in the real world!  

Please feel free to share more pics!!  LOVE THE PICS!