It’s fascinating to see the progression of dog services over the past few years – one new one that we recently tried was dog swimming lessons.
I got Ella in early 2016 and like most dogmoms – my goal from the very beginning was to give her the best life possible. That included bringing her along whenever I could, planning road trips to check out new sights and smells, treating her to daycare where she could play while I was at work, always making sure the barista knew to include a pup cup with our order, taking her to dog events, trying all the new, latest and greatest toys and treats, creating a bucket list of activities and travel destinations to complete together, and always ready to add more to the list!
Ella has traveled and explored many states – New Jersey, Missouri, Florida, Arizona, Utah and California. We’ve taken her cross country skiing, rollerblading, paddle boarding and on the plane with us. She’s dipped her paws in the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf.
Now while she’s always been a strong swimmer, she’s was never really taught how to swim. It came natural to her one day when she was about 8 months old. I took her to a dog park that had a lake and it was our first time there. I honestly did not know what to expect. I saw other dogs jumping in the water but didn’t know if she’d be brave enough to try. I thought maybe she’d dip her toes or wait until we’d at least been there for five minutes. Boy did she surprise me! She quickly followed this Golden Retriever right into the water and started to swim out. And for a second – my heart stopped. I remember walking very quickly toward her thinking I was going to have to jump in to save her. But she paddled around and circled back, just like her new golden friend. I was so relieved!
And she just kept doing that. Going out and swimming a little further each time and turned right back around. She was having so much fun and it made my heart so happy. From then on, I’ve trusted her in the water.
And for the most part, she had only been in lakes. Then we moved to St. Louis, Missouri. And most of the pools there do this awesome thing where they host an “end of the summer pool party” for dogs! It’s right before they drain the pools and they invite dogs to come swim. Ella’s had a blast her first time. The second year, we went to a different pool and decided to run around to the other side of the pool. She didn’t realize it was the deep end and fell right in. I had to scoop her out and she was completely soaked. From then on, she was more cautious around the pool.
When we moved to Arizona, I was excited to see her swim more since it is the best way to keep cool here and it really is such a great way to exercise. We were invited to swim at a pool and she wouldn’t even go in. She was afraid. I had never seen her react that way and it made me feel bad that she couldn’t enjoy the water like she had always in the past.
Fast forward to this summer (2022), I found this dog swimming facility called Splash Town and we met with the owner/trainer, Sandy. My goal was to work with someone who could teach her how to properly enter/exit a pool to build her confidence back up and not be less afraid of pools. We were told to bring pool toys and treats that don’t crumble easily (if your dog is not toy motivated). I also purchased this waterproof collar and leash.
Sandy has a large dock dividing pool with a ramp into the water. I stood in the pool while Ella’s other human was at the top of the ramp and we worked with getting Ella comfortable with jumping off the ramp into the water. She did so good! 👏🏻 Ella went from being a little nervous and staying up top of the ramp to hanging out at the lower end of the ramp more and she even swam out to fetch her toy. I think she swam out at least 10 times! I was so proud of her!
We had so much fun, we booked a second lesson. We went a few weeks later. Ella got tired quicker this time around and we tried a new technique. Sandy asked me to swim alongside her and interact with her while she’s in the water to make it more fun. I carried her and gave her an extra little turbo push from behind just as she was getting closer to the ramp. It was a very wonderful bonding experience.
These videos of her swimming live rent free in my head haha! I would definitely recommend dog swimming lessons to anyone because it’s fun and a great workout. Hope you and your pup(s) get a chance to try it!
MY PUPVENTURES 