[Rick_503]

So,
We spend A LOT of time on the boat and in the water during the summers here (all day long). Diesel was really terrible at swimming, even with his life jacket on (seemed totally uncomfortable, struggling right of the bat). He always wore his life jacket on the boat and when we were on the beach we could take it off because he never wanted to go in any deeper than his chest. (so we gave up on swimming forever and didn't want him getting any ear infections) I'm wondering if there is a special floatation device that he could have moved easier while in the water and yet still keep his head up? I would never push it as that would be so horrible to something happen...

I'm guessing they just suck at swimming in general....
Seems like some fins would have really helped the poor guy Lol

 

[Lindar51]

American Boxer Club: How to Teach Your Boxer to Swim

www.americanboxerclub.org

Seems they can be taught in a pool, the ocean not so much. Something to do with lack of tail and being deep chested. Growing up my family was big into boating, but my husband never was so I don't think I've been boating in 40 years. It was nice, I remember loving the wind and waves. When we had a small boat, which was most of my time on the boat...we would race thru the wake of the bigger boats. We ate a lot of fish when I was young. LOL

 

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I had one exception to that rule my first female Boxer was a water nut! I would take her to the farm with me where I had my horse and she would be in the pond constantly loved to swim! Her little nub was like a periscope sticking up out of the water. Didn't matter to her what water she got in she loved it. When we got a male later we took them to a shallow river side pool and she jumped right in and he went in after her and panicked he could not swim at all so there you go! I haven't tried it since with any of the others but she was definitely a swimmer!

 

[Rick_503]

Ha, yes there always is the exception! From what I saw, the few times he actually tried to swim he would bring his front paws all the way out of the water and slap them down trying to swim, which just created a ton of splashing. (watching a Lab swim they are very smooth and their front paws never break the surface) All that extra water just went everywhere (eyes, ears, mouth, nose) and made the entire situation so much worse. Poor guy. I guess we will see what the new pup thinks about the water, we use our rivers here like lakes and they do stay pretty calm, but there is always a bit of current. It's just such a great way to spend an entire day out of house, fishing, skiing, getting some sun (free of electronic devices)!

 

[Rick_503]

American Boxer Club: How to Teach Your Boxer to Swim

www.americanboxerclub.org

Seems they can be taught in a pool, the ocean not so much. Something to do with lack of tail and being deep chested. Growing up my family was big into boating, but my husband never was so I don't think I've been boating in 40 years. It was nice, I remember loving the wind and waves. When we had a small boat, which was most of my time on the boat...we would race thru the wake of the bigger boats. We ate a lot of fish when I was young. LOL

Thank you for that link! Looks like training early will help a ton! Just being comfortable and calm would go a long way (even if the swimming thing never caught on) (something I failed at with Diesel)

 

[chip18]

Boxer's can swim, I just think they don't much care for it?? It's a lot more work for them, then say a Lab or a Golden?? Boxer's are built like me a very low percentage of body fat. I can swim but I can't float. I have to take a big breath of air to float and when I exhale, my leg's sink first and I go down.

My Stru went swimming by accident on one occasion. Chasing ducks at the duck pond. It was a large pond with about a 5 foot or so bank. The Duck's cheated of course when she went after them. Cuz you know, Duck's can fly!

So she chases the Duck. The Duck skims the ground to get to the pond. With Stru in hot pursuit (a Duck is not a Rabbit) the Duck, sail's off the shore. With Stru in hot pursuit after it! And she sail's of shore and way, way out into the pound and sink's like a stone!! She has never been in water deeper than a small wading pool and she won't lay down in those. But there she goes and down, down down??

I scrambled down pondering going in?? And she finally pops up and she is not done with that duck just yet! So she swim's after it and of course the Duck is still cheating even more now, cuz he is in water! But she try's a minute or two longer and then gives up and swims back to shore. She was fine but I don't think she liked it much???

She continued to chase Bunnies in the Desert. But after (she got schooled by a Duck) when we went to the Duck Pond, she left the Duck's alone. Cuz Duck's don't play fair.

 

[Rick_503]

Too funny! Glad it turned out OK.
Yes the Ducks are Cheaters for sure! It makes sense what you say with the body fat, I go through the same thing swimming on the surface (especially in fresh water). The warm salt waters of Hawaii and Mexico are a completely different story, the salt water makes you so much more buoyant, float like a cork. Our new puppy will never see that warm salt water so there's that, the ocean here in Oregon is nice to look at but I won't get more than waist deep (and there is no way I would never allow any dog to swim in it, even if they were good swimmers). We have so many drownings here with the rip tides and loose logs and sneaker waves.
Rabbits! The first camping trip we took with Diesel was in the high desert of eastern Oregon. Pretty remote area so we allowed him to roam around the junipers and explore, he never went very far away. One time he was gone a little to long and when I found him he had the hind quarters of a huge freshly killed Jack Rabbit in his mouth, trying to gulp it down.... I was shocked! I thought rabbits were way too fast for a dog, but apparently Boxers are not a fan of Bunnies? Needless to say, he never got a hold of anything again, only bad result this was a case of the fleas.

 

[chip18]

I have heard about the salt water and buoyancy thing?? But never experienced it?? And rip tides sound frightening! Diesel actually catch a rabbit?? LOL, Stru never did. They would alway's try and outrun her on the straight and that never worked she'd get closer and closer, they would always break hard right into the brush and Stru would track them like a guided missile! Then immediately, the "rascally," would come out of the brush and sail down the straight, Boxer Free!

I would watch the Rabbit sail off in the distance while Struddell, searched the brush for them?? It happened every time.
She never figured there "trick," out but it was fun to watch!

 

[Rick_503]

I didn't see him catch the rabbit so I'm not sure how he managed. Maybe it was already lame somehow or maybe Diesel is an expert rabbit hunter? I dug and hole and buried what was left of the poor RR and cleaned the blood off Diesel's snout, just to help with the family shock factor... It's OK D, it can be our little secret LOL

 

[Joeponds]

This subject brings back funny memories, My first boxer Bonkers learned about water the hard way. We were in the pool area, bonkers was not allowed there. Some one threw a ball and in a heartbeat he was airborne ! Right into the middle of the pool. He sank like a stone straight down to the bottom. Standing on the bottom (you know that look when your boxer turns his head back and looks up to you?) He did not understand just standing there with bubbles coming out of his mouth. Instantaneously everyone jumped in and rescued poor Bonkers. He never went near the pool again.
He was a rescue, I adopted him about two years of age. Wonderful crazy dog that lived up to his name.

 

[Matt74]

Zuke will go in the water up to his neck. Never actually seen if he could swim yet. I was trying to get him used to the water as a puppy because the end of my block is a beach. Nothing I did could get him to go in the water. Finally just walked in myself and he followed. If I only knew it was that easy. Ughh



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[Rick_503]

This subject brings back funny memories, My first boxer Bonkers learned about water the hard way. We were in the pool area, bonkers was not allowed there. Some one threw a ball and in a heartbeat he was airborne ! Right into the middle of the pool. He sank like a stone straight down to the bottom. Standing on the bottom (you know that look when your boxer turns his head back and looks up to you?) He did not understand just standing there with bubbles coming out of his mouth. Instantaneously everyone jumped in and rescued poor Bonkers. He never went near the pool again.
He was a rescue, I adopted him about two years of age. Wonderful crazy dog that lived up to his name.

That is too funny! I can totally visualize! "Dad, what now? I'm not feeling any gravity?"

 

[chip18]

This subject brings back funny memories, My first boxer Bonkers learned about water the hard way. We were in the pool area, bonkers was not allowed there. Some one threw a ball and in a hea/tbeat he was airborne ! Right into the middle of the pool. He sank like a stone straight down to the bottom. Standing on the bottom (you know that look when your boxer turns his head back and looks up to you?) He did not understand just standing there with bubbles coming out of his mouth. Instantaneously everyone jumped in and rescued poor Bonkers. He never went near the pool again.
He was a rescue, I adopted him about two years of age. Wonderful crazy dog that lived up to his name.

LOL, Ok I guess I did get lucky?? As a Ball, is one thing, but a freaking Duck?? Is quite another ... apparently?? I did feel Stru was under there a bit too long?? And I was about to go in after her??? But she "popped up! High Prey Drive, keep your eye on the prize??

Despite the sudden immersion in water and lack of air??? The Duck, was up there?? And by God ... I'm gonna get!! She was under a bit longer then I'd have thought?? But she did pop up! And by God, she's still gonna get that freaking Duck!

So she did pop up and to my surprise??? Still tired to get him!! But she quickly realized, that a Duck in water is not a Rabbit on land?? She gave it up and came back to shore, no worst for the effort. So I dd see "accidently," that Boxer's can swim .They just don't seem to much like it??

It almost makes me wonder, can a Boxer/Pit swim?? Spring is coming and the "Duck is still there.

 

[Rick_503]

And Mr. Duck will be waiting, confident as ever
One of the worst parts of the entire boating day was the start.... Diesel absolutely HATED walking down the gang plank from the ramp to come out to the dock where I was waiting in the boat after we launch. He desperately wanted to get to me and the boat but there was the problem of the "see through" walkway. It was so funny to watch him, if you can picture a Boxer awkwardly walking on their tippy toes, freaking out the entire time, wish I had filmed it once, makes be laugh just thinking about the poor guy.

Once in the boat he was at home waiting for us to find a beach! We hit the shore and he wants out right now. Good times.

 

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I like his life jacket!

 

[Sodamo]

Ahhhh, the memories. Our 1st boxer loved the water. Don’t know that he actually could swim but if we went to a lake or the ocean he wasn’t timid about running in. Can’t say for sure his feet ever left the ground through. He also never met a mud puddle he didn’t love.

when we built this house, a pool was part of the plan. One of the first priorities once filled was to introduce our boxers to it. The main point was to instill a bit of confidence should they happen to fall in accidently. They all learned to swim from increasing distances to the steps. We wanted to be sure they knew where the steps were. Every boxer since had gone thru the same training. usually did a video their 1st time or two. All did well and if we were in the water even acted interested, but none ever just jumped in on their own, except 1. Flash actually went in twice. He was maybe a year old and I happened to notice a piece of debris in the deep end. Beautiful summer day, just wearing shorts, I just dove in. Apparently Flash must have thought I was in trouble as there was an immediate splash after mine and as I was coming up Flash was sinking down. Quickly, I got a breath, dove back down and brought him up. Thank God it was near the ladder so I had something to grab. Like Chip, he didn’t have any built in floatation. Another time, early evening and he had licked a toad, something we were always watchful for, but sometimes he was quicker than me. Anyway, he got a bad dose, flushed his mouth, benedryl and watching as he staggered about and fell into the shallow end, sinking immediately. Shallow end is only 3 ft deep but still too deep. Of course I immediately reached for him, fell in, drowning my iphone in the process, but I saved my boy.
we had the good fortune of our granddaughter spending summers with us. If she was in the pool, she had boxer lifeguards on duty, running along the edge as she played. No doubt in my mind that had they sensed she was in danger at least one would have been in there too. One thing that was interesting is they seemed to take turns being on watch.
They have all treated the pool like their big drinking bowl. I caught 2 on camera using their feet to coax the pool vac close enough to edge they could grab the hose and play tug. Makani likes to splash on the top step, even step down to second, but just his front feet. I no longer have any expectations any of them will swim, just to swim.

 

[chip18]

Hmm, yet another "Good Save!" So far Boxer's and water it's not really looking good?? It appears thus far that yes they can swim. But so far with two out of four, I think. The real question seems to be "Will they??"

Only Matt's dog actually made a choice to go in the water and swim. So his dog is the outlier. So out of the three that found themselves, immersed accidentally. Only my Struddell saved herself and that was, Duck assisted. Interesting and I'll bet a Greyhound, would not do much better?

It look's like Lab's, Goldens and Newfoundlands, and Poodles, easily take the Water Dog category, among others it seems.

 

[Rick_503]

Yep, I would agree! Good thing I still have the life jacket. I am going to make a concerted effort with the new puppy and swimming, I think it will have to be on those 100 degree plus days when it just feels so good to be in the water.

That is terrible that your frogs are poisonous? Diesel always would find frogs (pretty sure he munched more than one) most of them just sail over the fence with my assistance because. Our frogs here in Oregon are harmless luckily (it's funny he never got any human food so he felt the need to sneak in the occasional frog and/or bunny)

One thing we now know, Boxers and Bunnies (arch enemies)

 

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Its toads around here that are poison to dogs its a gland on their back.

 

[owenowlsnest]

My Boxer fished. He loved the beach, and would go up to his neck in Lake Michigan when the Smelt were running in schools. He'd paw the water, put his head under, and have a small fish in his mouth. He'd go to the sand and lay it there. I never knew if he thought he was saving their lives, but confused for sure. He was very gentle with them! We bought steps for our boat, and different life preservers, but never got ours to swim in deep water.