New fear of water
I learned today that my friend's dog has developed a fear of going swimming. He's a lab and pit bull mix and still fairly young, maybe around 1 year old or so. My friends have a pool and from the time the pup was 8 weeks old, he had loved going for a swim in the pool. Then they had a cookout recently and some people and other dogs were there and they were all in the pool at some point too. After that day, the dog will not get into the pool and acts scared of getting in. He still loves the water and I can tell he wants to get in but just won't. Even taking him by the pool, the dog tenses up and starts showing signs of fear. No one knows what happened or if anything happened at that gettogether to change his behavior. Any thoughts on how to help the pup get over his newfound fear and start enjoying swimming again?
Laura Napier
Thank you for the feedback. I'll share with my friends and I hope that they can get the pup to enjoy the water again. I was thinking that maybe setting a baby pool out in the yard and allowing the pup to start back small may on his terms may help.
Melanie Dawes
A baby pool is a really good idea, even a lake where there is a gradual slope leading into the water to ensure it can get in and out easier. Starting with just walking toe-deep in the water