Why is that dogs fear water?

Answer 1

Dogs fear water??????

Not at our household...Bathing is an afternoon family adventure and as for the summer...We all have swims (we have a pool in our backyard), including our 2 dogs.

1 of our dogs (Tasha) is very sensible and only goes for a swim with us in the summer,
Jack (the other dog) on the other hand is a nutter. He takes himself for a swim all year around, even when it is only 4 degrees. Good thing we don't get snow here!!!

And before you jump out of your seats...Both dogs (and our one that passed away) have been taught to swim by:
First: Being picked up and held in the pool
Secondly: Being picked up and placed in the pool, then directed to a step and helped out.
Thirdly: Being picked up and placed at the deep end and then carefully watched until they get to the stairs and jump out.

The LOVE it and will now hop in and out with no worries in the world....

Answer 2

If your dog fears water then you need to see a trainer because it shouldn't. Someone must have been mean to it in the past to get it afraid of water as even the dogs I've had that have never seen a big pool of water before I adopted them jump right in after just a few seconds.

Try getting a small kiddy pool for your back yard, fill it up with water and then let your dog see you toss in some hotdog slices. I've yet to meet a dog who could stay out of the water when hotdog slices were tossed in.

Answer 3

Not all dogs fear water i think it depends on when and how they are introduced to the water i have a staffy that i started taking to the lake at 9 weeks old and he loves the water but i have a staffy that i got in the winter time and could not take to the lake until it was 5 months and she is very afraid of the water.

Answer 4

I had the same problem! My dog is a poodle/labrador, so it was a complete mystery to me why she didn't like water seeing how her breeds are all water-loving breeds. So what I did was bring her to a local lake where other dogs were going into the water. We put her in gently, and then she comes back out and goes charging off cause she's afraid we're going to put her back in. Eventually, she plays with the other dogs, and then she sees them going in. Then she goes in. Since then, I've had such an easier time trying to bathe her because she's not that afraid of the water anymore. It's like seeing other dogs go in, relieves her worries. Hope that helps!

Answer 5

Normally dogs do not fear water, but if your dog is afraid of water like standing water (ie pool) something might have happened to him in the past where he fell into a pool or was tortured by being held under water in a pool. If he is afraid of like the hose or being sprayed he could have been sprayed constanly by it by a previous owner. Traumatic situations would make a dog afraid of the water.

Answer 6

Dogs do not fear water. I've owned over a dozen dogs over the years and not one was ever afraid of water.

The 3 that share our home now love to swim in the pond. They fly off the dock and jump right in. The older (and smaller) Sheltie plays tag with the 2 Rotties, nipping at their hocks until they turn on him and chase him down. They consider it great fun!

Answer 7

Not all dogs fear water... just some do!

Answer 8

All dogs don't fear water. In fact, many breeds love water, and many dogs of other breeds still enjoy swimming and/or splashing around.

Answer 9

As far as I've seen, big dogs love swimming and small dogs are afraid of the water.

Answer 10

I've never had one that did. We had a German Shepherd that used to go lay down in the stream behind our house whenever he was hot. Our current dog is a lab, and they're bred to be water dogs, so she loves it. I give her a bath in the tub, and she knows when I tug on her collar that she's getting one, so she just walks into the bathroom, hops in the tub, and waits.