# Took the dogs swimming today :]



## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)




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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)




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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

So so fun, I love them, they wear themselves out but never stop. ;__; I'm so tired.


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

LMAO these are adorable. They look so happy xD


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

Looks like everyone had a blast!


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Yes, lol they do have a blast, I found them at this lake...Whenever we go, which is like once every two days to burn them out, they act like they're in heaven. 
Thanks Janet, swimming and retrieving is their favorite activity of all time.


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## RaisingWolves (Mar 19, 2011)

They look like they are in heaven! Beautiful pictures!!!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

That is just so darn cool.


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

Great photos! I'm jealous; Wallaby is terrified of water.. Looks like you guys had lots of fun!


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

Wow, that is some amazing scenery you have where you are. Absolutely gorgeous. GORGEOUS! One day....one day....I'll get to move to beautiful scenery like that.

Your dogs look like they are having so much fun! I love watching dogs swim. One day....one day....we'll get to swim, too, without worrying about gators.

Believe it or not, this thread is an inspiration to me to keep going. This is what I'm working hard for....to save up, move up north and let the dogs swim like that. (Is it weird that I think of moving to where my dogs will have the most fun?)


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Aww, Silverbeat, I am starting a Water Works classes this summer hopefully. It entails getting nervous dogs used to the water, showing them how to use ladders to get out, retrieving on land first (if they don't normally) and in water, recalls in the water and recalls on land and across shore, safety protocols with the dogs on entering and exiting docks (like wait before getting onto the dock, and "easy" for no slippage), getting onto boats and teaching them how to remain safe and calm on boat rides, etc...Just out of curiosity, I know you're far away and all so it would be impossible for you to do the class, but is that something someone with a dog fearful of the water would want to do to get their dog used to it? Of course I know it depends on the individual dog when it comes to their level of fear with the water and as a teacher it would be my responsibility to work extra with those dogs. :] Austin has a giant dog community and boating community so I hope I can combine boating+dogs in a training sense for people here. Then of course I'd like to make our shoreline open to students to come practice on certain days and have doggy play days. ;p

Thanks for the compliments Raisingwolves and Xelil.

Serenity, I want to move up North in the summer. D: It is SO hot and being at the lake is the only way I can possibly stay cool without raising our electricity bill into the heavens. Do you ever take the pups to the beach? I'd be scared of gators too. Those darn reptiles. >:[


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

CavePaws said:


> Aww, Silverbeat, I am starting a Water Works classes this summer hopefully. It entails getting nervous dogs used to the water, showing them how to use ladders to get out, retrieving on land first (if they don't normally) and in water, recalls in the water and recalls on land and across shore, safety protocols with the dogs on entering and exiting docks (like wait before getting onto the dock, and "easy" for no slippage), getting onto boats and teaching them how to remain safe and calm on boat rides, etc...Just out of curiosity, I know you're far away and all so it would be impossible for you to do the class, but is that something someone with a dog fearful of the water would want to do to get their dog used to it? Of course I know it depends on the individual dog when it comes to their level of fear with the water and as a teacher it would be my responsibility to work extra with those dogs. :] Austin has a giant dog community and boating community so I hope I can combine boating+dogs in a training sense for people here. Then of course I'd like to make our shoreline open to students to come practice on certain days and have doggy play days. ;p
> 
> Thanks for the compliments Raisingwolves and Xelil.
> 
> Serenity, I want to move up North in the summer. D: It is SO hot and being at the lake is the only way I can possibly stay cool without raising our electricity bill into the heavens. Do you ever take the pups to the beach? I'd be scared of gators too. Those darn reptiles. >:[



I actually loved Texas in the summer when I went. It's a different kind of heat, I can't explain it.

I would be interested in something like that. We don't have a boat or anything but where I live is called the Finger Lakes region, there is seriously a lake everywhere you turn. So I'd love to be able to take him swimming with us. 

You're welcome to come see what I mean about the heat difference!


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

I actually go to upstate New York (Salamanca) and the last time I went it was during the summer. I was in love with the weather!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

you make me so homesick. Texas has THE BEST summers. Of course maybe not this year, everything is drought-ridden and burning up. But most summers!


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Omg, D: Yes we've been having tons of fires lately Xelil.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Yes, we had property in West Texas burn but it's not developed. I just can't believe how dry it is down there. It seems like it's been droughty forever, and then the wind. just crazy stuff.

Which is what makes the lakes that much nicer - I hope they can keep water in them!


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Lol, I know it's hard to keep water around here. Tucker's rubber kong ball sunk yesterday and he freaked out about it for a good 20 minutes...He was neurotically swimming circles and standing at the same spot whining forever until we gave him something else to obsess over. :[ I told him not to worry, the water line will just drop in the next few weeks so he'll get it soon enough.


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## Northwoods10 (Nov 22, 2010)

Great pix!

Swimming is our all time favorite thing to do with the dogs in the summer. Ice is finally off the lakes here, just need it to actually warm up a bit. Last year we had the dogs swimming by the first part of may, I think it may be later this year!

We head over for at least an our on work nights and we go for a few hours on weekends. They get soooo tired out and have so much fun!!


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

CavePaws said:


> Aww, Silverbeat, I am starting a Water Works classes this summer hopefully. It entails getting nervous dogs used to the water, showing them how to use ladders to get out, retrieving on land first (if they don't normally) and in water, recalls in the water and recalls on land and across shore, safety protocols with the dogs on entering and exiting docks (like wait before getting onto the dock, and "easy" for no slippage), getting onto boats and teaching them how to remain safe and calm on boat rides, etc...Just out of curiosity, I know you're far away and all so it would be impossible for you to do the class, but is that something someone with a dog fearful of the water would want to do to get their dog used to it? Of course I know it depends on the individual dog when it comes to their level of fear with the water and as a teacher it would be my responsibility to work extra with those dogs. :] Austin has a giant dog community and boating community so I hope I can combine boating+dogs in a training sense for people here. Then of course I'd like to make our shoreline open to students to come practice on certain days and have doggy play days. ;p
> 
> >:[


Good on you, what an awesome idea. It had never entered my mind to have a school for teaching dogs about water and boats but in a boating area I'm sure it would be a huge hit. I guess I do something similar to this by default with my friends dogs. Teach them to swim in our pool, teach them about the steps (where to get out), just stuff like that. We often take them out on the boat to a beach accessable only by water to let them play and run in the shallow water. Its a awful lot of fun and once the dogs get over their terror of the water, they love it.
It really opens up a whole new world of fun and enjoyment for a dog. 
Awesome photo's by the way. You give your dogs a happy, fulfilled life.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

ahh, labs and water, you'll never get them out of it..lol


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Yep, lol, I introduced all the puppies I found to water at about 8 weeks. I took each one floating with me and let them test the shoreline. Some of them were reluctant, others took to it like they were little fish. All of them love it now though! It is sort of hard to get them out of the water, but they think they're going for a hike as soon as we start heading for the drive way so it's not too difficult. 

Mollywoppy, it took forever to teach my dogs how to use the steps at one the dock. They would always struggle and hurt themselves trying to pull themselves out of the water...:| What little dumbos.


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## hcdoxies (Sep 22, 2010)

What lake were you at CavePaws? Lake Travis? We live about a 5 minute stroll from Lake LBJ, which is a constant level lake (except for every 4 years when they drain it so people can clean their slips and docks and such). We have been here for 3 years and have only swam in it once -- but when we did, we realized we needed to have water shoes... because unbeknown to me, lakes have leaches! When we got out there were tiny little leaches all over our feet! So I've been hesitant to go back -- and we don't have a boat to go out into deeper water. But the dogs do love it when we take them swimming!


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Yep, we have property out in Volente at Lake Travis. Dang, there are leaches in LBJ? We had a leach problem a couple years ago too! It was the first time I had ever seen anything like that...It was so freaking scary. Haven't seen any in years though, thankfully, because I wasn't doing much swimming the year Lake Travis had them. O_O


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

CavePaws said:


> it took forever to teach my dogs how to use the steps at one the dock. They would always struggle and hurt themselves trying to pull themselves out of the water...:| What little dumbos.


 I agree, its so much easier to introduce them to the water on a shallow shore line. Not many of the dog's that I've know have taken to the pool as quickly as the beach. I guess its something to do with the smallish steps then the sudden drop off straight into deep water. 
I always try to teach the dog to head for the steps and where the steps are so if any of them fall into a pool, they automatically know where to head. Well, thats my theory anyway!
I've been told that dogs, if they fall in, will automatically try to get out at the point where they fell in. I don't know if this is true or not, but the one and only day (so far) that Mollie fell in, I was surprised when she began clawing at the side of the pool right where she fell. I had to say to her, "Mollie, steps' and you could literally see it dawn on her face and she swam straight to the steps and got out.
I understand that it would be a totally different story with labs though!


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Yes, the shoreline was the best place to teach the pups. They had to get used to the wake. The only reason it was pretty hard for me to teach them how to use steps on our dock was because I had to be in the water to show them where the steps were as it is pretty deep where the steps are attached to the dock. Teaching them to swim to shore was easier, but they never wanted to because they could see dry land on the dock and saw that as the quickest route out.  I don't have a pool...I bet that would be the most ideal place to teach dogs about water though.


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## pandaparade (Dec 29, 2010)

Great pictures. Your dogs seem really happy 

I love finding new places my dog can go off leash for an adventure!


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