Pup hesitant to jump in water from Place

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Pluffmud
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Pup hesitant to jump in water from Place

Post by Pluffmud » Sat Dec 17, 2022 6:04 pm

My little Boykin Franny is 8 months old now. She is collar conditioned to sit, here, heel, and place. She is mostly a confident, high prey and retrieving drive puppy. She has no issues with gunfire, boat rides, exploring new areas, interacting with other dogs, etc... She has a noticeable weak point however, her willingness to jump in the water. She enjoys the water, but I just haven't been able to expose her to it as much as I like. When throwing marks into water, she runs full speed to the water and then walks in slowly before swimming out to the bumper. I've placed her on the hunt deck of my mudboat and thrown marks, and she is mostly confident retrieving from there. I got her a dog stand and have begun placing her on it and throwing marks, however even when the stand is low to the water, she will whine, bark, and lean over it and paw at the water, but is afraid to jump off. She will eventually do it, sometimes. Any tips or pointers on how to build her confidence in this area?

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gonehuntin'
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Re: Pup hesitant to jump in water from Place

Post by gonehuntin' » Sun Dec 18, 2022 10:17 am

Really, you have answered your own question. Great water dog's aren't made in a bath tub. Usually, it's a question of exposure to water so the dog becomes comfortable in it. There are a couple of parts to this. One, some dog's will just NEVER JUMP into the water. They run in, but they won't jump. You can't make them jump if they don't want to. Two, it's safer if a dog doesn't jump in. I once had a dog jump, hit a log under water, rupture a kidney and die. Jumping is not mandatory for a great water dog.

Finally, nothing promotes excitement in a water dog like live birds. I used to use clip wing pigeons. Throw them in a pond and let the pup chase. The clip wing will swim with it's wings. The shorter you make the throw, the harder entry you will build.

Remember though, that for any confident entry, the dog needs a lot of exposure. Without confidence and comfort in the environment, you will never build a great water dog.
LIFE WITHOUT BIRD DOGS AND FLY RODS REALLY ISN'T LIFE AT ALL.

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deseeker
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Re: Pup hesitant to jump in water from Place

Post by deseeker » Sun Dec 18, 2022 10:58 am

gonehuntin' wrote:
Sun Dec 18, 2022 10:17 am
Finally, nothing promotes excitement in a water dog like live birds. I used to use clip wing pigeons. Throw them in a pond and let the pup chase. The clip wing will swim with it's wings. The shorter you make the throw, the harder entry you will build.

Remember though, that for any confident entry, the dog needs a lot of exposure. Without confidence and comfort in the environment, you will never build a great water dog.
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