teaching a dog how to swim?

Seven of our eight dogs swim.  We've taught each of them the same way.

I do NOT force them into the water.  We play along the water's edge, where they are comfortable.  I usually use a toy to play fetch with them in the water.  As they gain confidence, I increase the distance that I toss the toy.  I also start everyone with a life jacket.  If, for some reason, they freeze or freak out, I don't want to have to go into the water to retrieve them.  For us, it's all about making sure that the dog is enjoying themselves.  If they enjoy swimming, great.  If they don't, I'll find something else that they do enjoy doing.

You also need to keep in mind that not all dogs can swim.  Here, Brutus can't swim.  He sinks, & tries to walk his way out of the water.  Even in a life jacket, he struggles.  I have had to swim out to him, more than once, to bring him back in because he can't make it.

I've done what Amanda suggested which is throw a toy or ball or whatever the dog likes to fetch into the water.  Increasing the distance each time just by a little bit.  If that doesn't work, I will get in the water and encourage the dog to come to me.  It sometimes takes a while before a dog is comfortable in swimming depth water.  I never force a dog or encourage a dog who seems frightened.   Of course, all this should always take place when the water temperature is not cold and the dog is warm from playing.  

 Thanks! I'll try it this weekend!

 I saw a clip on TV about a lab teaching her litter to swim.  She walked into the water, the 7 or 8 pups just followed her and when the water was deep enough, they were swimming.   I wished I could have done that with Piper.  She wades , and likes splashing, but never learned to swim.  I blame Rags, my previous Springer.  He owned the lakes and didn't want to share.

 Bugsy didn't swim for ages - even when we would go to the lake with his girlfriend a swimming fool Golden!  He would go to as deep as he could stand and whine and watch her retrieve - then take the toy and have a chase LOL

When we tried to get him in deeper water he sank  so I bought him a life vest.

Several weeks later (why try this before I buy a life vest LOL) we were away in the mountains and in a river, some kids came by in canoes shouting "hey puppy, hey puppy" and off he went swimming upstream in white water. I was happy and in a panic!

He has been swimming ever since although he, for ages, would only swim for certain items (a Dokken duck) but now he swims when he can - even in the ocean last time we went to the beach.  He has become a strong swimmer despite not having fully webbed feet and weighing more than a ton of bricks

 Ari took to the water quickly. Though I'm sure they exist, I haven't heard of any flat coated retriever who wasn't a quick study on swimming. The first time we took Ari to the river, she wasn't too sure. I went out with her and she followed me around until she had to paddle. We've been in trouble ever since lol (we simply cannot take her off leash anywhere where there is water in the late fall or winter time; she would try to go in for a swim).

 I agree with Amanda.

I got lucky & Zoey loves water, which I love since Akyra ( heart dog) was a huge swimmer. I took her out to a pond when she was a pup, there was lots of shallow water, and if she wanted to she could go to the deeper water. Now she loves swimming, and isn't even interested in fetching anything, she swims just to swim. Oh ya, and she wears a life jacket right now. And I have taken her in the pool but it's very controlled cuz it's not an inground ( with life jacket on) but basically she can swim in a circle then go to the ladder, thats bout it lol. But she loves the water.

Gaci has always been a natural water baby - there wasn't much *work* to it for her at all. She just loves to swim. Shimmer is a WBIT (water baby in training) - she will run into the water, and swim after Gaci, but never really initiates it herself. Zipper is anti-water, he hates all things wet over one inch in depth. He even jumps over puddles. We are at the point now where he'll walk through about three inches of water when we are out on the beaches, going from sandbar to sandbar, but if he has his way he'll just stay on the shoreline and run along it, which is fine by me. I wouldn't force him.

Amanda's suggestions are a great way to teach dogs to like water.