We got back from Flagstaff and as everyone knows summertime in Phoenix is hot hot hot, so I decided to introduce Lila to the pool as soon as possible. My daughter got into the pool first and tried to coax Lila in from the side to no avail. I thought that since nothing phases this dog I would just drop her in and let her swim. She sunk below water level for just a second and swam right to my daughter. I got in and Lila spent the next 20 minutes or so swimming between us and finding her way around the pool. She went up the step and over to the yard where she peed and came right back to the pool for more swimming. Unlike some people dogs don’t pee in the pool.
Over the course of the next 3 months Lila learned to love the pool and get in and out by herself now. It is always pleasant to have a 60lb Rottweiler come in the doggy dog soaking wet and jump into your lap. I have to say that in the pool has been some of the best training and exercising that Lila has gotten. I took her every single day for at least an hour. It didn’t take long to see that se could not only swim very well but also very quickly. Lila loves to race across the pool, but more than that she loves to chase me down and climb on my shoulders in victory.
Some of the exercises we did in the pool:
- Swimming across the pool from person to person
- Racing and chasing
- Fetch both toys and treats (the Kong Wubba is Lila’s favorite in and out of the pool)
- Diving for treats
- Jumping into the pool
I want to stress that the way I introduced Lila to the pool was a very bad idea for most dogs. Normally you would want to gently coax your dog into the pool and let them make the decision to get in on their own. It takes a dog with a very strong constitution to be able to be put into that much stress as bounce back. Most dogs today will not bounce back from that and will be forever afraid of the pool. You also need to make sure that your dogs know how to get out of the pool on their own. One of the first things I taught Lila was “STAIRS”. On that command she knows to swim right to the stairs where she can choose to get out or stay in. Normally she just lays down on the second step and stays cool while getting some sun, but she knows how and where to get out of the pool always.