Great Dane, how to teach them to swim?

Question

ok i have a Harlequin Great Dane, he isn't absolutely terrified of the water but he is such a coward that he won't even go in past 1ft of water but when he is mad at me or my brother, he can swim all the way across my pool, what is a good way to make him not so scared of the water?

any help is appreciated

thanks :)

Answer 1

wow i have a Harlequin and he loves water so much he jumps off my diving board!

well maybe stand on the other end of ur pool and hold a treat while someone ushers the dog into the water. and then call ur dog and hold out the treat maybe he'll come.

or u can get ur dog mad all the time ;)

Answer 2

Does he enjoy chasing and retrieving toys? If so that's a great way to get him into the water, just by playing fetch. If he's a puppy and hasn't played it yet,get him into the game on land first, and reward him with cuddles and a treat when he chases after and brings back his toy. having said that some dogs, like people, just don't like water. I have 2 dogs who are sisters, one who loves water and swimming,the other who refuses to even dip into the water, but it's not an issue as she finds other things to do.

Answer 3

For our pool there isn't

lower or deeper levels of water.

For Pharaoh I help him in and he swims as much as he likes and of

course I swim near him and supervise the whole time.

When he goes to the edge of the pool it's clear he's done so I help him out. I'm trying to teach him to use the ladder.

When Pharaoh was first introduced to water I made sure to keep my hands under his belly and support him in case he didn't keep himself up.

Since your pool advances in depth you should gradually introduce him to deeper levels..he'll get more comfortable as you take it step by step, depth by depth Make sure you are near and try supporting him until you're sure he'll swim properly in the deeper areas. A lot of encouragement and sweet words. Treats after or in the middle of sessions are good too.

Pharaoh took quite naturally to swimming in water. He probably wouldn't of ever gone near water if he hadn't been introduced to it. He's the first Labrador I've had that enjoys water, kind of funny.

Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Well I take my dane to the dogpark almost every weekend. The last time I went I took my boxer mix as well. My dane has always been afraid of the water she would go to the edge and it looked like she really wanted to but was too scared. But when we brought them both my boxer mix (who had never been around water deep enough to swim) she loved it! So then my dane got up the courage and finally went in. She didn't go too deep. But she will get deeper eventually

So I guess have one of your friends bring his/her dog over and you can see if the other dog makes ur dane wanna swim more

You should add a pic!

Answer 5

My Great Dane hates bathes or swimming pools but she loves to run around in lakes and rivers but i guess some dogs don't like water !!