Natural History

Posted in Flat-coated retriever | 7 Comments

7 Responses

1. on July 29, 2010 at 11:32 am Reziac

   Um… no. It used to be very much the norm that puppies just got in the water and swam off, no thrashing around. Flailing in the water comes mainly from poor shoulder structure, usually too short in the upper arm and the whole assembly being set on too far forward (no forechest). Front-end structure has deteriorated in most breeds over the past 3 decades or so, including many working dogs, even tho their form should be dictated by function. I see very few dogs today that can move as well as the average when I started, over 40 years ago, and good movement depends on functional structure.

   
   
   • on July 29, 2010 at 1:11 pm retrieverman

     Not golden retrievers.

     Even field lines.

     
     
   • on July 29, 2010 at 1:14 pm retrieverman

     Actually, it has to do with nervousness in the water. Once they develop a swimming posture they are fine.

     My first dog had an excellent swimming posture, but the first three or four times she flailed a bit.

     She could swim longer and harder than any dog I’ve been around.

     
     
   • on July 29, 2010 at 1:15 pm retrieverman

     But I should note that the first time she swam she was about 5 months old and all legs, as they often get.

     
     
2. on July 29, 2010 at 2:27 pm blkgldn-n-labmix

   I don’t doubt there’s some structural component to swimming well, but I think there are other factors as well.

   It can also be a matter of desire–sometimes they are so excited to get to a bumper or whatever that they don’t understand the swimming part and try to “run.” Once they have something in their mouth, they flatten out. They almost always get the hang of it. The younger, the better, it seems, but they all get it.

   I was just with a litter of five flat-coat puppies, about 7 weeks old, on their first swim–all got the hang of it in one trip out with Papa and his waders. Two had to have their rears held up until they flattened out a bit, but they were swimming in no time.

   Fun, fun, fun!

   
   
3. on July 30, 2010 at 2:09 am Judi

   I put my Australian shepherd in the pool for the first time when she was about 3 months old. She swam flat like that right away. Never flailed. She’s 18 months old now and still a beautiful, and flat, swimmer. My older Aussie swam well at 8 months, but I don’t know what exposure she had before I got her at that age. She dragged me down to the Columbia River and nearly into it the first time I walked her near it.

   
   
4. on July 30, 2010 at 5:16 pm Birgitta

   My lab pup swam for the 1st time at that same age (ab. 3 months), and in the same, clean style. It was late autumn, and water was cold already, but the dog went for it voluntarely.

   
   

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