Golden retrievers are known for being great summertime companions because of their love for the water. If you want to take your golden retriever puppy swimming for the first time, you may be wondering when can a golden retriever puppy swim?
8 weeks. Golden retriever puppies can be introduced to water at eight weeks of age by putting their paws in just a few inches of clean water. It is important to use a kiddie pool with clean water. Below we explain why.
In the article we’ll go over a few key points that we have learned along the way.
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Avoid Lakes and Ponds
Our first tip is to avoid lakes or ponds until your puppy has had the full set of shots. It’s best when your puppy is young not to let them swim in any dirty water especially if your puppy hasn’t had a full set of vaccinations. They are just too susceptible to picking up anything at a young age. Just how it’s not recommended to take them to a dog park young or before vaccines.
Also, avoid ponds or lakes that are known for blue-green algae bloom growth. It’s important not to take the risk with your puppy. Certain algae blooms are toxic to dogs when ingested.
Signs of blue-green algae poisoning in Dogs
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Disorientation/weakness
- Breathing difficulties
- Drooling
- Seizures
- Blood in stools
- Coma
- Shock
How To Introduce Puppies To Water
Play it safe until your puppy is fully vaccinated, it’s best to start with a kiddie pool and just a few inches of clean water. Also, make sure the weather is ideal for swimming for a puppy. It is likely your golden retriever puppy will take to playing in the water, right away. Your puppy should display some pawing with one paw to full-on digging motion at the water. This will soon turn into running around and laying down in the water. Your puppy will be in love!
If your puppy is not interested, no worries, you can try to coach them with some toys and see if that works. If not, that’s okay too. You may need to give them a little more time. Remember not to rush or force the puppy into the water; this will make the whole experience bad. Give it a week or so. Try again and bring lots of toys to coach your puppy but let them go in on their own terms.
Most goldens take to water very quickly, but there are a few that don’t like swimming. The key is to consistently expose your puppy to water and make it a safe, fun experience.
Swimming At 10 Weeks
If your puppy is taking to water as most golden retrievers do by 10 weeks, you can introduce them to a bigger pool or fill the kiddie pool up and let them practice paddling. To practice safety, always get in with them when introduction your puppy to a deeper pool. This will help give your puppy the confidence to get in the big pool with they see mom or dad get in. Bring some toys and make it a fun experience. Remember, not all dogs are born knowing how to swim. You may need to hold your puppy until they get their paddling down.
Our Experience
With our little golden puppy, the breeder had introduced the litter to water around 8 weeks of age using a kiddie pool. We picked him up shortly after that but didn’t put him back into a pool until around 10 weeks of age. If your puppy has taken an interest in his water bowl it’s a good sign he will love swimming.
Our golden retriever puppy was constantly playing in his water bowl. When we tried swimming with him he immediately took to water pawing and playing. Very excited. He was in love. He would lay in the pool bite at the hose and even sneak in the shower and bite at the water. In fact, he loves to be in the bathroom laying by the tub or shower when it’s running.
We have progressed his swimming over time into deeper water and jumping into the pool. He’s a very strong swimmer and uses all four paws to get around. He loves water and it’s hard to keep him out of the pool during the summer months.
10 Tips For Introducing a Puppy To Water Safely
- Do not throw or force your dog into the water. The could be a traumatic experience for the dog and ruin any chances of teaching your dog to love water. The consequences could also be worse if you toss your dog into deep water and they do not know how to swim. Dogs can drown. It’s important to take the time to teach your dog to swim and be comfortable in the water.
- Purchase a Dog Life Jacket. It’s a good idea to have a dog life jacket on hand, especially if you plan on spending a long amount of time at the pool with your dog. Golden retrievers do great when they first hit the water, but they do become tired. They also want to continue to swim, so having a life jacket on hand will help your dog work less and stay afloat when they tire out from swimming.
- Start at a swimming pool. Swimming pools are ideal for teaching your dog to swim; most have a swim ledge your puppy can walk around while getting used to the pool. Most pools are confined to a yard or fenced-in area; this will ensure your puppy doesn’t venture off and get lost. This is important with a young dog that doesn’t know basic commands just yet, so starting in a fenced-in area is ideal.
- Buddy System. Bringing a dog that already knows and loves swimming can help encourage a young golden to swim. It’s likely the older dog can teach your puppy it’s safe to get into the water, and your puppy will follow the older dog into the pool. Make sure this is not the first time you introduce your puppy to a new dog. This could be a little much for your puppy when meeting an older dog and the pool together. You will want to make sure the two get along great before meeting at the pool.
- Water Commands It’s important for your puppy to learn the basic commands and some that will apply at the pool. Like the command “out,” if you point towards the pool’s steps and say “out,” your dog should know it’s time to get out and head toward the steps. Otherwise, good luck with getting them out. As time goes on teaching you puppy basic commands will go along way at the pool or later when you head to the beach or lake.
- Get In. Please take the opportunity to bond with your dog and teach them it’s okay to get into the water. Your puppy will be looking for reassurance from you when they are first introduced to water. If your dog is unsure, you can put the life jacket on them to help them gain some confidence while swimming.
- Don’t Rush It. Remember to take it slow, especially if your dog is showing signs of fear. Talk softly and gently coax your puppy into the water on their terms. If your puppy is too fearful of getting into the water, you can try to hold your puppy securely to build its confidence.
- Reward. Once your puppy gets into the water, remember to give praise every time. Praising is a very effective way to train your puppy to swim. You can reward them with a toy and coax them in once they show some interest in getting in the pool. Remember to make it fun they will forget their fears and enjoy playtime.
- Be supportive. If your dog shows signs of fear, it’s important to calm them by petting and talking in a soothing voice. If you are holding a scared dog in the water, remember to give the proper support or use a life jacket. You can play your hand on your puppy’s belly, holding them up some while they start to learn to use their front paws to paddle.
- Swimming Technique. At first, a puppy will use its front paws to doggie paddle, but your dog will need to learn how to use all four paws for swimming over time. Once they are comfortable in the water and paddling with front paws, you can tickle their back legs to get them kicking. They will learn they are faster and more efficient at swimming and start to use their hind legs. Golden retrievers that swim with all four paws are incredible swimmers. They are fast and very efficient at swimming.
- Weather When introducing your puppy to water for the first time, make sure the weather is ideal and warm enough. Young puppies are still learning to regulate their body temperature. Taking short trips to the water and drying your puppy off, making sure they are warm after swimming, is important.
After Swimming Care
If the weather is warm and your puppy is older it’s still important to completely dry your golden retriever after a trip to the pool. This can become quite a task if your golden loves to swim as mine does and he takes multiple trips in the pool a day. It can also add up to a lot of laundry. Really as your golden gets older it will get harder to get them completely dry with their double coat. If swimming is a daily activity you will need to come up with a better drying method. Read our article below for the best methods for drying a golden retriever.
Related Article: How To Dry A Golden Retriever Fast
It’s important to get your golden retriever completely dry after they get out of the pool. Do not let them lay around wet outside on a hot, humid day. This will lead to skin breakdown and can turn into a skin infection. These are not pretty for anyone.
A common sign your dog has a skin infection is the odor. You will notice your pup smelling a little ripe. Do some investigating if you find some brown, oozing crusting fur it’s likely your dog has a skin infection. It’s a miserable situation for everyone luckily most of the time the infection is easy to treat and best of all it is preventable.
Related Article: How To Treat Skin Infection In Golden Retriever
It’s also super important to dry their ears when they get out of the pool. Just as the skin can develop an infection so can the ears. In my experience, the ears are more likely to be a problem before the skin this is why it’s important to dry them out as best as your can when your golden retriever gets out of the water. Their ears are floppy and furry, which means not a lot of air circulation with the combo of moisture can lead to a nasty ear infection.
Golden retrievers are prone to skin and ear infections. However, with the proper precautions in place both are avoidable. They are also pretty easy to treat at home most of the time in the event your dog developes one.
Check out our related article where we go over what has worked for us for treating skin and ear infections as well as general ear care.
Related Article: How To Treat Ear Infection In Golden Retriever
Take Away
These are a couple of key factors in teaching your puppy how to swim the most important is to be patient and not force your dog into the water before they are ready. Always make the visit to the pool a fun experience for them. Remember to bring toys and give praise when your puppy is brave enough to get in. In time they will learn to love the water as most golden retrievers do!
Resources: https://www.vets-now.com/pet-care-advice/dogs-blue-green-algae-poisoning-treatment/