I don’t know about you, but my three australian shepherds LOVE the water.
I don’t blame them, spending time playing fetch and swimming in the water is loads of fun! Especially on a hot summer day.
If you own an australian shepherd and enjoy being in the water, you might be wondering if your australian shepherd can swim.
I wondered the exact same thing when I got my first aussie pup, which was nearly 9 years ago. Since then I have owned close to 11 australian shepherds.
And to answer the question, in my personal opinion, most Australian Shepherds can naturally swim very well.
Out of all the aussies I have owned in my lifetime, not one was unable to swim at the lake or river.
The reason?
Australian shepherds are very athletic and built very proportionate which allows them to handle the water pretty well.
I currently own three Australian Shepherd dogs as of now, and all of them love to go swimming with me. Not only are they good at swimming, but they can actually retrieve objects from the water.
Meaning, they can swim out into the deep parts, fetch a stick and then swim back to shore while holding the stick in their mouths.
In this post I will be discussing how you can slowly introduce your australian shepherd to the water, so they can be comfortable enough to play marco polo with you sometime!
…Okay, maybe not marco polo, but comfortable enough to play fetch or simply play in the water.
Can my Australian Shepherd Swim?
You might be thinking, “your australians shepherds can swim, but can mine?” And to that I say, the only way for you to find out is to try it.
Below, I will be discussing a way you can safely find out if your dog will be able to swim. This strategy can also be used to teach your dog to become comfortable in the water and it will also teach him how to be a better swimmer.
But before I get into that, let me give you a little bit more of a reason why I think australian shepherds are natural born swimmers.
What were australian shepherds originally bred to do? They were bred to herd animals, right? In order to do that, they needed to be an athletic dog who could handle a strong workload. Also, they needed to be agile and quick enough to manage a herd.
These natural athletic abilities translate well to the water and gives them the ability to hande swimming pretty well. Now, not all dogs can naturally swim. Take the bulldog for example, you often hear of these dogs having difficulty swimming.
The reason is because they are built top heavy making it difficult for these dogs to stay afloat in the water. Australian shepherds on the other hand, are built proportionately and this is the reason they don’t have this problem.
But, I don’t think it is all genetics. I think a lot of it has to do with the particular dog and it’s personality. I honestly think most aussies have the capability to swim, but will they enjoy it is the real question.
The only way to find out is to go and try it with your dog.
How to Slowly Introduce your Australian Shepherd to the Water
In the beginning, if your dog has never been swimming before, what you want to do is slowly introduce them to water.
Our goal is not to force it on them. We want to make water seem fun and enjoyable because it is!
Secondly, we want to find out if our dog can naturally swim while keeping them safe.
Here are the steps I take to train my australian shepherds to swim and be comfortable in the water:
- First Step: I start off by finding shallow areas of water at nearby lakes and rivers. I make sure that the water level is no taller than the belly of my dog.
- Step Two: This is the point where I get my dogs in the water. There are two ways I usually go about doing this. One option is to step in the water myself to run around and eventually my dogs will join me in the water. The second option is to get my dogs favorite toy and I throw it in the shallow water for my pup to retrieve. Both of these work pretty well in my experience.
After you get your dog in the water, make sure you let him spend enough time in it so he will start to get comfortable.
- Step three: Repeat this process while gradually getting in deeper and deeper waters. Eventually, your pup will be swimming on her own in no time!
It is important that you keep this process fun and treat it like a game with your dog. She will learn to enjoy the water this way and will look forward to going more with you.
Safety Tips for your Aussie
It’s important to always keep an eye on your dogs, especially the younger pups when you first start getting them around the water!
In the beginning, if your dog isn’t very accustomed to swimming, he may not know how much he can handle before he tires out. I noticed some of my younger pups will sometimes tire out if they are in deeper water. I made sure to prevent any accidents by staying close by in case I needed to jump in and be a lifeguard for a moment.
After you take your dog swimming enough times, he will begin to learn what he can and cannot handle in the water and this won’t be such a concern.
Still, it is important to not tire them out completely. Some dogs will play till they until they are too tired to swim, so again, always keep an eye on your dogs near any body of water.
Benefits of Taking your Australian Shepherd Swimming
Taking your aussie swimming can provide many benefits. Here are the most notable ones in my experience:
- Great exercise
I think the most important thing you can do is to exercise your dog. This does so many things on so many levels. I find it disciplines my dogs very well even though I am not actively disciplining them.
For some reason, exercise will make my dogs more obedient and smart. My guess is because when you exercise a dog it gets them tired enough to quit reacting and to start thinking about certain situations.
Also, we all know how healthy exercising is for the body. Another benefit I notice is after a hard swim, my dogs are usually more alert and less hyper throughout the day. And that leads me to my next point…
- A manageable and happier Dog
This kind of ties up with the first point, but australian shepherds were bred to herd animals. This means they naturally have a lot of energy throughout the day that was supposed to be used to do work.
When an aussie has no physical work to do all day, it can get restless and maybe even depressed. Taking your buddy swimming gets all that energy out of them, so they can come home, relax and feel happy.
- A healthy bond
Taking your best friend swimming builds a stronger relationship between you and him. All this time you are spending with him creates a certain connection that I am unable to explain.
I find doing physical activities with my dogs makes them respect me more and vice versa. They listen to me more in other situations which can be great for many reasons.
Wrapping Up
Now it is time for you to start taking your australian shepherd swimming! Remember, your dog can most likely swim in the water naturally, but it is best to slowly introduce him to the activity until he gets the hang of it.
Start off slow and make it a fun experience for the both of you. Sooner or later you will be enjoying a fun time at the beach, lake or river with your best buddy and what could be better than that?
Thank you for reading!