How do I teach my lab puppy to swim?
Start Young There are a number of reasons to teach your Lab to swim while he’s still a pup. For one thing, it’s easier on the dog. A large dog has a lot of body weight to manage in the water, and for a dog new to swimming, this can increase the slope of the learning curve. Puppies, because of their small size, have an easier time. Teaching your Lab to swim while he’s still a pup is easier on you, too. With a puppy, you’ll be able to do all your training while only getting your hands and lower legs wet! With an adult dog, you’ll have to get deeper in the water and will most likely end up soaked from the dog’s initial attempts to doggy-paddle. There’s also a safety concern worth noting when working with a very large dog. When a dog panics, he may try to plant his back feet on the bottom and his front feet on you. A large dog can knock you over when he does this, and if he ends up on top of you in doing so, there is a risk of him holding you under the surface. Probably the most convincing
