Labrador

　　Summer is here again. Besides enjoying delicious ice cream, you can also put on a cool swimsuit and jump into the pool. It’s even better if you can swim together with your beloved dog. Taking your dog swimming in summer not only helps heat-sensitive dogs cool down but also exercises their body, achieving multiple benefits at once. However, many owners think that dogs, the inventors of the “dog paddle,” must be natural swimmers, but that’s not always the case. Let’s take a look at how to train your dog to swim.

　　1. Preparation before going out. Prepare enough drinking water and an appropriate amount of dog food. Apply external medication to your dog in advance to prevent parasites. Bring a large towel to dry your dog after swimming, motion sickness medicine, and emergency wound treatment supplies.

　　2. Choose a suitable location. The place must be clean, with no debris on the bottom that could scratch. You can choose a private pool or a clean stream, but the water should be shallow.

　　3. Always fasten the leash before entering the water to prevent your dog from drowning. If your dog heads to deeper water, it’s easier for the owner to control. Owners can gently splash water on the dog first, use toys to entice the dog to swim forward slowly, and give timely encouragement. After your dog gets used to the shallow water area, you can gradually take it to deeper water.

　　4. Most dogs love to play, especially puppies, which will learn to swim quickly. But if you encounter a dog that’s really afraid of water, owners need to be patient, continuously lure and encourage it, and give it breaks to hydrate appropriately. Do not rush, or your dog may resist even taking a bath later.

　　5. During training, owners should also watch if the dog is struggling with the movements, which may mean the swimming posture is wrong. Owners can lift the dog’s front legs and teach it to move them rhythmically. Once it gets used to the correct motion, it will swim like a fish in water. Of course, owners shouldn’t expect too much; the dog only needs to learn the dog paddle. Other strokes like freestyle or butterfly can be practiced on their own.

　　American photographer Seth Castile has taught over 1,500 dogs how to swim and taken many adorable swimming photos of them. Each one has become a popular internet dog star. It seems that to become a famous dog, you first have to know how to swim. This summer, take your dog and learn to swim well. (Source: PetsZone)