The other week I was in a harbor and was watching a young girl pull her dog into the water. The dog clearly did not want to go in the water although the girl was insistent the dog join her. This struggle went on for some time trying to get him to jump off the dock, pull him in through the beach, etc. I attempted to approach the young lady and tell her this was not in the best interest for her canine companion to no avail. After several attempts to communicate with her I decided it was best to leave the area rather than become as frustrated as her dog.
Remember that all dogs may not like to get into water the same way you do. Maybe the water is to cold, the rocks or shells hurt their paws, or they just do not like water.
Never force your dog to do something they do not want to do!
There are many ways to teach your dogs new tricks or even to swim. Try using the reward system rather than the force system. Here at Ashford Manor Labradoodles we like to teach our dogs with clicker training. The way we do this is to click and treat when they do something that we like. This is what the scenario would look like:
- Your Australian Labradoodle walks towards the water = Click and Treat
- Your dog steps foot in the water = Click and Treat
- Your canine goes up to their knees = Click and Treat
This is a constant reward system. Dogs don’t need to be pushed into doing something. Reward and praise so they will enjoy it much better and learn much faster.
Rewarding your doodle goes a long way!
Cheryl Sabens
Ashford Manor Labradoodles
Australian Labradoodle breeder in Indiana
765-714-1436
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