Can boxers swim?

[Pierpoint]

YES! they can swim & fast too!

Yes they certainly can swim! I always thought boxers didn't like water much as none of mine ever did. But from the time we got Bailey (he was 5 months), we have gone to the lake in the summer with friends who have 3 retrievers (big-time water dogs). Well, there was no way these three were going in, having fun, retrieving the frisbee, etc while Bailey stayed on shore and watched so in he went!

But that's not the best part. Boxers definitely can swim as good, if not better, than even water dogs. Bailey can outswim all three of these dogs - I think because he doesn't have all that fur and tail to hold him back. He only uses his front paws - he tucks his back paws up underneath him. And he just motors - full head and neck out of the water. The retrievers look like they can barely keep their heads above water. And he beats them to the frisbee every time. No wonder he's one big muscle.

We bought him a "Kiddie" pool for the back yard and he goes and lies down in it when he's hot. He just loves the water.

We also live fairly close to a large river. Fine in the summer but in spring and fall, he can get pretty muddy.

He's so funny.

 

[Chief's Pappy]

Originally posted by juju
we even thought of buying a life jacket but have no clue on where to find them!so if anybody has bought it please let me know where!thanx.

If you are anywhere near a Petsmart they have them or if not you can check petsmart.com:D

 

[Charlotte]

Hi All~~
I used to think that Boxer's had a more difficult time swimming because they are deep chested dogs. That was, until we took Sigmund to the beach this week-end.
He's been around water alot and enjoyed jumping through it as long as he could touch the bottom.
His experience surprised me. He wouldn't get out of the water and was *swimming* to fetch sticks we had thrown in the water for him.
We tried throwing many sticks in the lake at one time to see what he would do and he swam after each one, picking it up, trying not to get his face too wet and then systematically brought each one back to the beach. I was amazed. He's a great swimmer!!! :D
As Sigmund is only 2 yrs. old, I think he just didn't have enough confidence or experience.
I would reccomend life jackets if one chooses to take their little ones in choppy or uncertain water and on boats, as well as, to supervise them as you would children.
Enjoy your summer everyone

Charlotte &
Sigmund brindle, natural ears 7/19/99

 

[Chief's Pappy]

We are very exited for Chief. Today we went down to the lake to see if our boy could swim. The first thing I did was to see if he would go in on his own but he didn't so I went in first up to my knees to show him that it wasn't that scary and he came in up to his chest, he seemed to like it. I know that one of his favorite things to do is play frisbee so I had gone out to buy a water frisbee to take with us, and I started to toss it around in the shallow part at first then gradually got a little deeper, Chief really loved it he couldn't get enough of it. After a couple hours of playing in the shallows he was swimming out to about 20-30 feet and loving every minute of it. He would bring the frisbee to my feet and then go stand in the water up to his chest and wait for me to toss his toy back into the water. I had to make sure to give him a breather every so often so that he wouldn't be to tired out, he seemed to never run out of energy. He slept soundly all the way home. We are so proud of him he found something he really loves to do that tires him out so well. By the way he is going on 6 months next week.

fiesta1ico

 

[Tucker's_mom]

doggie life jackets

Originally posted by Chief's Pappy


If you are anywhere near a Petsmart they have them or if not you can check petsmart.com:D

I bought Tucker the life jacket from petsmart on July 4th because we are out in the water alot. He can swim, but it's not really his favorite thing to do. I'm more concerned with him falling overboard and then being so shocked that he sinks instead of trying to swim. Anyways...the point of my post is the life jacket I bought at petsmart is HUGE (because it has to fit around his chest) and more than a little awkward for him to wear, not to mention $30. I found a post that someone else had written about the life jackets at www.overton.com and went and looked at them. I'll be returning the one I bought from petsmart and ordering one from Overton's. It's not so big and will still keep his head out of the water if he falls out, which is all I'm really worried about anyways.