Zara was a hopeless swimmer - back legs sunk, front paws thrashing the water etc. If we threw a stick into the surf she would wait for the waves to bring it back into shore. She looked to all extents and purposes like your typical winter born boxer trying to swim by boxing the water, surely a recipe for a whirlpool of dysfunctional activity. You can teach an old dog new tricks and you can teach boxers to swim!! We spent time coaxing her into the pool to chase a plastic bone that floats on the water and now she glides through the water like a platypus. She does this big leap and dive into the pool and actually swims like a normal dog! She will now swim out in the surf to chase a stick and quite by accident has caught a wave or two in. She loves the water and we now have a water-baby.