Late Bloomer

[Kevin & Katherina Bailey <krbtrans@mtaonline.net>]

Sam is 1 1/2 years old and he has just started to really swim.  Last
summer he would not go any further than his belly in the water even if
we were in the water.  He would run along the shore and cry but he would
never go over his belly.  I had even tried to support  him up in the
water and that did not work.  I had gotten this idea from a book called
Retriever Training by Robert Milner.  I do not recommend this book
because everything in it is so opposite of how Sam learns.  A couple of
weekends ago we were out on a river(slow moving) and some people were
playing with their lab tossing a bumper into the water.  Sam was very
intrigued by this other dog.  I told him to take notes because that is
how you swim. We moved up river and beached the boat on the shore and
low and behold Sam decided he was going to swim.  Well  you know the
rest of the story we can't keep him out of the water now.  The whole
point I am trying to make here is that we thought he was just going to
be a dog that did not like swimming. If your dog does not like swimming
know he might in the future.

Have a great summer,
Katherina