# My Springer Hates Water



## maanjus11 (Nov 17, 2006)

I have a 6 month old Springer that absolutely hates the water. She'll jump in my boat and loves that, but when it comes to actually going in she keeps her distance. A couple of months ago I made the mistake of holding her while wadding and slowly put her in the water. She panicked and ever since has hated it. I wish I would have let her get accustomed to it on her own because I think I may have ruined her. It's not the end of the world for me if she doesn't swim because I mainly plan on hunting upland with her, but there will be times were she would be required to get wet. I do duck hunt on water occasionally and if she would swim, I'd take her with considering she has such a strong desire to retrieve.

I'm planning on introducing her to birds in the near future and am hoping that her natural bird instinct outweighs her fear of water and will actually go in it if a dead bird is thrown in the water.

Does anyone have any ideas? Is it a lost cause?

Thanks.


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

You screwed up by not letting the dog get comfortable before it was ready. That said, throw a ball/dummy in the edge of the water so she will not have to get wet to pick it up. Do this once a day for 3 days while also doing land work. Day 4, throw it 6 inches further in the water... keep on doing a little bit more every day until the pup is swimming on her own. It will also help to have a lab along that LOVES water for her to watch. Just a little at a time until she is comfortable... it may take several weeks.

If you can't do it, go to a trainer.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

If possible try to find a water hole with a gentle slope and just keep working her deeper. I couldn't keep my first springer out of water but my current one still show some discomfort with deep water at 16 months old. She will splash through water all day long as long as it is only up to her chest. It takes some coaxing to get her to go deeper. What I did with mine is worked her in a ditch with about 6" of water. She got comfortable with that and would run right in. Then one day it rained and the ditch got about 18" deep. I tossed the dummy and she headed for the ditch as she had done hundreds of times before...not realizing it was now deep. Before she realized it she had to swim. Only a few strokes but enough for her to realize what she needed to do.

Another option is to get a floatation vest or even a neoprene vest that will add some boyancy.


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## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

For the first two years my Shorthair would not touch any water but one day while pheasant hunting she took off into the water after a duck and she hasn't stayed out of the water since.


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

I would try the shallow water method mentioned earlier. My in laws did this with their german sheapherd mix who walked off a dock and got freaked out by it.

Once you get him in the shallow water, I would try to introduce a bird in the water, that will drive him nuts.

Also, he's 6 months. He is just a pup still.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I just wanted to add that I had mine out fishing this week. I beached on a bar and tossed the dummy for her a bit. That all went as it normally has, with a bit of resistance to the water. After I quit tossing the dummy I fished off shore for about 20 minutes. During that time she started to venture out into the deeper water on her own being tempted by whatever was peaking her interest out in the water. I take that as a good sign. When they wan't to do it they will.


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

I had this same problem with my GWP last year. Got him at 10 weeks and had him swimming in the water almost immediately. I was thinking "sweet, problem averted," until the next time I brought him out. For some reason he suddenly wouldn't go in the water (looking back now, I shouldn't have pressured him as much as I did...there were a ton of dead fish and clams, etc. on shore and he was much more interested in that than swimming). By the time duck season came along, Remy wouldn't even walk through a puddle anymore. I figured I was doomed.
Then came this spring. When the Red River flooded, and before they put up the clay dikes, I took him down to our favorite park for a walk. The park was flooded, and the road leading into it went right into the water. Well a whole bunch of ducks were making a rukkus, splashing around, quacking, taking off and landing. It drove him bonkers. Before I knew it, he had jumped to a floating "ice berg" right off shore, and after a couple tentative seconds, leaped into the nearly-above-freezing water after the birds. I was tickled! Luckily, I was able to call him back right away (I was worried about him getting into current), but ever since then he's been an absolute water magnet.
So if you are able, get yourself a duck of some kind and either pull out it's flight feathers or tie it up so it can't fly, If your springer is as nutso about birds as my dog is, one swimming a few feet from shore ought to send her into a frenzy. If that doesn't get her into water, nothing will!


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

One more quick idea would be to get together with a bunch of other hunting dog owners and take the entire pack out to a pond or slough. If the whole lot is out splashing and playing in the water, it might be enough to get your Springer to jump in along with them.


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