# Hates water?



## Mcunnin4 (Jan 15, 2013)

Hey all,

So my 5 month old male vizsla seems to dislike water (I guess hate was a strong word in the title) he will come to the shower when me or my boyfriend are finished and poke his head in (improvement) but once he goes into the tub the scrambling begins and we put him in a swimming pool (with me up to my thighs) with him in it as well...he swam straight to the edge but I am afraid I have scared him from a young age on..

Can this be reversed? Spring break is coming up and I'd like to bring him to the dog park if its warmer since we live in Florida. Also, I'd like to be able to give him a bath when necessary without a fight and claws scrambling to get out. Any help would be great! I take him everywhere with me and want him to be able to eventually go on hikes and stuff and have him jump into a lake or pond if he's hot. Wishful thinking?


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Take him to lakes, rivers, dams, ocean. Trust me, let him go at his own pace and soon enough he will be hassling you for swims.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

If you know another dog that likes water this will sometimes speed up the process. You can also put on some waders and and walk in the water yourself. Go to a place that has a gradual slope, not a steep drop off.


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

We live in Florida and went through the same thing. We got Ruby 2 yrs ago in Feb so we didn't get her in water until she was 7-8 months old. She hated baths or even the baby pool he got for her. 

Now she is fine. Go to the dog beach and I'm sure it will get intrested. Ruby was in the water and swimming (badly) within a few minutes.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

When in Fla - love Desoto dog beach = pups in the water yours will join in


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

My oldest V Sophie used to hate water and still hates when it rains and snows. I actually taught her for about 6 months how to swim by taking her to a local pond on daily basis. I'd throw sticks and she'd retrieve, then she'd get a treat. Started out barely touching water with her paws....and later in the summer couldn't get her out of that pond. Just keep trying! You'll see - with time they all love water


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

I had a similar experience as others have posted. When Kauzy was younger, he hated the water. It took me about 4-6 months to teach him the joys of swimming. He'd only go as deep as he could stand. We took him to the beach often and I used a dog float vest to teach him to come to me in the water. He quickly graduated from the float vest. Back home we go to the river everyday. I noticed every week that I'd throw the stick a little bit further for him to retrieve. One day, about 4 monthes later, you could see the light bulb go off in his head. Now I can't keep him out of the water. He now does 20-30 x 40 meter retrievals for an hour and a half per day. He actually gets awnry if I don't throw the dummy quick enough. On our last duck hunt, Kauzy and Beaux (my hunting buddy's lab) were racing each other for retrievals and Kauzy won about 60 % of the time. They even starting competing to see who could carry the most ducks per retieval. Kauzy brought back 2 at a time, then Beaux would somehow bring 3 back. The 2 of them brought back 36 birds from the bayou. 

Your pup will learn how to love the water. It just takes time, repetition and reinforcement. As for bath time, he hates baths but loves showers and the hose. Try putting him in the shower with you. Life will be easier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njv8gvWcKm4&feature=youtube_gdata_player


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## VictoriaW (Mar 16, 2011)

Gracie avoided water for her first year...I was sure that I had scarred her for life by plopping her in a pool at 8 weeks. :-[

Then we got a big group of forum Vizslas together on a hot day near water last summer. That did the trick! Now she swims her little heart out whenever she gets the chance, as long as it is not too cold outside.

She is still not a big fan of the bath, though.


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