Swimming

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brick1

Boxer Pal
Hi,
I have a 18 month old male Brick . 81 lbs, very good condition .
Yesterday we took him swimming for the first time , what an expierence .
I thought that all dogs could swim well , do Boxers have difficulty?
He made it around the lake OK , but it seemed to be touch and go for him to keep his head above water.
 
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bjjc23

Boxer Buddy
def not swimmers

Ha Ha. Sounds like yours is just like mine. We put life jackets on ours when in the canoe and such, but they definetly don't like swimming. One of them will sit in the water to cool off but thats about it. I don't think they have webbed feet like most dogs so they don't have quite the paddling ability. It's cute to watch though!!



brick1 said:
Hi,
I have a 18 month old male Brick . 81 lbs, very good condition .
Yesterday we took him swimming for the first time , what an expierence .
I thought that all dogs could swim well , do Boxers have difficulty?
He made it around the lake OK , but it seemed to be touch and go for him to keep his head above water.
Click to expand...
 
gmacleod

gmacleod

Elusive Moderator
Staff member
brick1 said:
Thanks,
I bought him a life preserver but because of my embarassment I haven't used it.
Click to expand...
Better a bit of embarrassment than a drowned dog ;) Boxers in general swim rather like bricks. There are a few exceptions (mine swims surprisingly well - and I do mean surprising! LOL) but the majority, frankly, just sink. They're just so top-heavy.

Even amongst those who don't sink, it's a big effort for a boxer to stay afloat and head-up. Most cannot keep it up for long, so it really wouldn't take that much in the way of adverse conditions for the dog to be overwhelmed. Better to just put on the life preserver and then everyone (dog included) can relax a little bit ;) Nobody died yet of embarrassment...

And besides, you have more to be proud of in taking good care of your dog than in his particular swimming prowess.
 
catcrazy56

catcrazy56

Boxer Insane
Foreman can swim but he has a life jacket anyway he has fallen so many times out of our boat missing docks etc misjudging so he wears a life jacket. Harley on the other hand sinks like a rock he is very large since we just got him he won't be out in the boat until we buy him a life Jacket Foreman's jacket dosen't cover Harley's weight class.
 
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RonaldMM

Boxer Pal
The are called "fido doggie vests". Petco, and all the major pet shops sell them. You can also buy them online. Drake had a size L last summer and I had to buy an xl this year. I don't use it every day, but when we have kids in the pool or go to a lake I make him wear it. He doesn't have to work as hard to swim and it allows him to exercise in the water longer. He is a very good swimmer and has been swimming since about 5 months old, but I don't want to take any chances. :)
 
Alex C.

Alex C.

Super Boxer
sidhewlf said:
Boxers deep chests tend to make them top heavy and prone to sink. Some swim well and others dont. ;)
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It makes me wonder why labs and retreivers can swim so well (besides their instinct), dont they tend to have a big chest also? or top heavy? I know they are bigger than boxers.
 
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