Have you ever made the mistake of throwing your dog into the pool without knowing if it is able to swim? Indeed, it is a common misconception to assume that all dogs are born to swim as not all of them can do so. While if you throw them into the water, they will most probably try to paddle and stay afloat, but a vast majority of them might not be able to do so effectively.
Why can’t all dogs swim naturally or effectively?
There are several reasons why certain dog breeds can’t swim naturally. If you think along the line of body shapes and weight distribution as a measure of how well a dog can swim by itself without aid, then it might be clearer which type of body characteristics are not enablers to being a natural swimmer.
1. Shorter legs
This can be a relative thing, but typically dogs with shorter legs will have issues swimming since they are not able to paddle effectively in the water. One such example is the Basset Hound as they are not known to be great swimmers.
2. Longer body shapes
If you think that dogs with elongated bodies can swim well because of buoyancy, then you are wrong here! While you can train dogs such as Dachshunds to swim, their body shape might not allow them to swim effectively as they might need more energy and effort to keep itself afloat. When you couple in the dog’s short legs, it can be pretty tough for them to swim on their first try.
3. Short or flat muzzles
Even if your dog has relatively longer legs, it doesn’t guarantee them to be natural swimmers. For instance, Brachycephalic breeds will surely have a tougher time swimming simply because of their flat muzzles. The flat muzzles ensures that these dog breeds have a tougher time swimming because they cannot breathe as well as other dogs with a longer snout. These dogs will need to stretch their neck upwards so that a majority of its head is above the water to allow them to breathe. Unless your dog is a super dog, it is more likely that it will struggle in the water.4.
4. Muscular upper body
If your dog has a muscular or chunky upper body, then it is very unlikely that it can swim naturally since the weight distribution ensures that the dog might sink into the water even before the legs can start to paddle on the water. Breeds such as Pugs, French Bulldogs might have this issue. Pit Bulls do have this issue too, even though they have muscular legs.
Dog breeds that have issues swimming naturally.
If you combine the snippets above, then it is clear that not all dogs can swim well. Here are some of the dog breeds that might struggle in the water.
Dog Breed | Problem |
Pit Bulls | Muscular upper body |
Corgi | Short Legs |
Shih Tzu | Weak legs, Brachycephalic breed |
French Bulldog | Muscular upper body, short legs, Brachycephalic breed |
Basset Hound | Short Legs |
Pekingese | Short Legs |
Pugs | Short legs, Brachycephalic breed |
Boxer | Brachycephalic breed, Muscular upper body |
Dachshund | Elongated body |
Dog swimming safety tips
If your dog belongs to any of the above dog breeds, or if they have similar characteristics, it doesn’t mean that you cannot bring your dog to the pool for some fun in the waters. All you have to do is to follow our dog swimming safety tips that your dog can equally have fun in the water as other dog breeds too.
- If possible, choose a swimming pool than the beach first: Whenever possible, try to bring your dog to the swimming pool first as opposed to the beach. This is to allow you to reduce the margins of error lest something untoward happens to your dog. You are in more control when you are in the pool than at the beach.
- Put a leash on your dog: Make it a point to put a leash on your dog. This allows you to rein the dog in whenever you sense danger.
- Getting the dog acquainted to the water: As per all activities, always make it a point to get your dog acquainted with the activity itself. For this, bring your dog closer to the pool without bringing them into it.
- Choosing the shallow end of the pool: This is the same step as when you wish to introduce your child to the swimming pool. Always choose the shallow end of the pool as it affords you more control as opposed to when you are at the deeper end.
- Be in the water first: Jump into the pool first! This will allow your dog to build up its confidence since the alpha (which is you) in already in the pool.
- Slowly bring your dog to the pool: Bring your dog to the edge of the pool so that its feet is in contact with the water. This will help the dog to build familiarity with the pool. Once the dog is displaying interest in jumping in the pool, allow yourself to carry the dog into the pool.
- Let the dog paddle: Once the dog is in the pool with you, and if the dog isn’t resisting or showing signs of fear, allow the dog to start paddling! if you notice that the dog is paddling just with its front foot, you should lift up the rear foot as it can enable or remind the dog to utilize their rear legs to stay afloat too.
- Keep an eye: Once the dog is paddling, you can afford to let the dog move away from you. Once the dog seems to be comfortable away from you, you can begin to teach the dog basic commands such as coming over to you while they are in the water.
Wrapping things up
As you can see, even if not all dogs can swim, you can certainly teach them to do so! You can also purchase items such as the dog’s life jacket or even the pool ramp so that the dog can climb up the pool by themselves.