From izod.
Even in dogs with moderate feathering, the feathers tend to collect a lot of water. This increases drag as the dog swims, making it less streamlined. This dog isn’t a slow swimmer in the least. It’s actually got excellent working conformation.
However, you can see what James Lamb Free wrote about the golden’s pelage in his classic text, Training Your Retriever: “Like swimming in a coonskin coat.”
Coat isn’t everything, however. A coated dog with more moderate bone and good legs is still going to be faster in the water than the English show- type Labrador. Here’s an example of an English Lab trying swimming slowly. It also has TERRIBLE water entry for some reason. The English Lab has poor working conformation, and virtually no English Labs are trial dogs (and this is THE retriever trial breed.)
To understand why this is so, watch this bulldog swim.
(Note: It’s not a good idea to let bulldogs swim withouth any kind of buoyancy device.)
Bulldogs have shorter hair, but they are all bone. They have a much more exaggerated frame than the English Labrador, but the English Labrador is closer to the bulldog in build than the the working golden retriever in the first video. Lots of bone is really just loading a dog with muscle. Muscle tends to sink in the water. If you also have shorter legs on that dog, it’s not going to be able to move as well in the water.
That’s why Dachshunds, Bassets, bulldogs, and French bulldogs should not swim with out any kind of buoyancy aids.
Think of an Olympic swimmer. Every analyist of these sporting events says that the best Olympic swimmers have relatively long limbs and relatively large hands and feet. They have oars and paddles.
You want good oars and paddles on a water dog, not lots of coarse bone that sinks and short legs that have no reach in the water. It is really silly to breed lots of bone and really short legs on a retriever. It might look good in the ring, but it’s terrible in terms of working ability.
Goldens can get away with their long coats, but I don’t think they can really do well with lots and lots of feathering. It’s just that simple.
The points you make are valid, and could explain the slower swimming style of heavily coated dogs. But I think you’re stretching by using video of a dock diving dog to make your point.
I’ve watched DockDog (& SplashDogs) competitions, and played around training one of my dogs in the “sport” — at the time, his brother was ranked the #1 FCR in one organization and in the top three in the other, and lives nearby.
The whole point of the event is the jump (either distance or height.) In training for the event, initial placement, building speed on the dog’s approach, placement of the push-off, angle of the jump, timing and placement of the throw are all emphasized. Training for events are done in many different venues (from someone’s fishing dock or pier to specially made platforms.) Points of exit vary widely. Training for and competition in these events are usually held in warmer months. The events are usually well attended, noisy, with loudspeakers and cameras. They’re frequently held at fairgrounds during fairs, and accompanied by the sounds and smells of carnival rides. The tank itself is often an unfamiliar space, usually lined with dark plastic that is very disorienting for a dog that is accustomed to jumping into clear water.
After the dog jumps, his/her turn is over until the next round.
So a slow swim to the exit might be a result of swimming style, but also may be influenced by the dog not wanting the game to end, not being sure where to exit, enjoying his time in the cool water, adjusting to the noise and chaos around him.
Even the best, moderately coated golden that I’ve seen work is still a slow water dog. Usually, goldens don’t care about loud noises or crowds, especially if they are dock dogs. But the cool water issue could possibly be true. Goldens hate hot weather.
But every golden I’ve had has always been a bit slow in the water. I’m not talking Newfoundland slow, but just slower, compared to the Labs and Chesapeakes.
I thought you were going to take more of an issue with me using the worst water dog in the world for comparison– the bulldog. In fact, you probably could be charged with animal cruelty for making a bulldog swim. My dog that was half golden/half boxer was a terrible swimmer, and she wasn’t even that exaggerated in build. That’s why her main purpose was pet and skunk killer.