Swimming.......

[lokdog]

Lokie is a rock for now

Hello glad to see this information my Boxer Lokie jumped in the water off my ski boat and was heading straight for the bottom. We had my son and his girlfriend with us she jumped in lokie had a fit and went in right behind her.We had to jump in and put him back in the boat he still goes out in the boat and acts like he wants to get in the water but doesn't. We bought him a lifejacket and headed back to the water today my Husband has to get in the water and hold Lokie like my baby he gets a little excited and them calms down. We are taking baby steps for now don't want to scare him again. The first dive shook him up pretty good. Hope he learns to like the water because I take my Baby everywhere.
Kellie

 

[AndyandSonny]

Andy hates swimming when his feet don't touch the ground.

We took him as a baby and he did a great job swimming back and forth between Mike and I. A year later and he had to be carried out into the water and held close to go any further than chest-deep. He can swim back to shore pretty fast though!

We have a doggy-life vest for him. We'll get Sonny one too next time we go up and see how well he does.

 

[Roxy Music]

Im taking my 5 month old baby swimming on saturday
Its Hydrotherapy as he's got soft tissue damage in his back left leg, his lost sooooooo much muscle in the space of 2 weeks becasue he wont put any weight on it

The vets said to let him rest for the next six weeks but i thought well thats silly he's a boxer and their made of muscle and he already lost so much so i thought what would be relaxing none strenuous way to build muscle...........swimming

lets hope it works xxxx

 

[mmichaelson]

Good vibes and well wishes to Roxy! Good luck!

 

[SOBE]

Just an update......
I previously wrote that my 14 month old swam like a lab, but I failed to say that she swam like a lab at 10 weeks.....just strange I guess, but she is an awesome swimmer. My older boxer, just about 4, just started swimming....maybe learned from the youngster??? I really do keep my eye on her (the older one ) because her swimming is not as good.....getting stronger though....just met a Rhodesian Ridgeback that can swim like a fish........boxers are not meant to be good swimmers, I guess, the retrievers are tops!! I didn't ever think my first one, the 4 year old would ever swim, and that was o.k with me would still be as I now have to watch her like a hawk!!! The younger one was just an odd-ball water boxer, I guess...boxador or laboxer......(yikes!!!!!) no way!!!!. the Ridgeback was a surprise too...not bred to water retrieve.....but fast. fast, fast in the water....a great swimmer!!
Someone at the park said some dogs do not have webbed feet and cannot swim...boxers have webs, but I think they also have more weight in the front of their body and swim with more power in the front to keep their heavier chests afloat....(or maybe it actually is the back legs that keep the chest afloat) Labs can even it out with all four feet because they don't have the barrel chest to keep equal...that's what makes them good, even ,swimmers in the long run.

 

[SOBE]

hey Roxie Music,

just wondering what the muscle damage was caused from...
all dogs have muscle, it's just the boxer is lucky enough to have a short coat to show it off..
don't comprimise the potential healing of your boxer by impateince...although I know how vets can be.. everything is six weeks.
what did your vet say...about the hydrotherapy?
Take care, and
best wishes for a speedy recovery for you boxer!!!

 

[Roxy Music]

Hey every one,

Ty's swimmin went brilliantly, at first he did sink like a lil brindley rock but he got straight back in after shakin himself off & he swam like a lil fish, he loved it sooooo much an its done so much good for his leg, cant wait till we next go back. He teacher said he'd done so well.

We dont really know what he did to damage it, he jus woke up early one morning yelping, they said he could of done it the day before playing with Roxy and then when hes slept he hasnt moved it and its stiffened.

the vets said they wish they thought of that them selves ha ha ha

 

[haleyandmark]

Asia is a great swimmer -- better than her daddy! View my homepage for proof!!

I don't know that I have ever personally met a boxer who couldn't swim, although I do understand they are out there ...

 

[Queenmum]

Wilma swims like a fish with her life vest on! We did buy an orange vest by Outward Hound. Wilma has used it everyday since May and yes it is fraying,,,but considering I only spent $19 for it at Petsmart...I feel like I definately got my money's worth.
Getting back to the whole swimming thing,,,Wilma is a great swimmer,,,she jumps in (usually on someone's head) and is fast. We regularly race and she is great with retreiving her swim toys.
Good luck with the swimming thing...it is very worth it!

 

[wiippu]

I have to disagree, that boxer's can't swim good. I've had five boxers and all of them have been great swimmers. I know a lot of boxers, and they all can swim great.

Actually in hot summers, swimming is the greatest way to keep the dogs in good condition. At my place, we have a small pond, where our dogs swims every day.

My first boxer, which is now dead, was an excellent swimmer. Our hobby was water rescue. The excercises in that hobby were, that dog had to jump from the boat into the water and take a rope to it's mouth and pull the boat back to the shore. Also the dog had to rescue drowning people, to grab a persons arm and drag him to the ground from water. The distances were like 25-50 meters. It was very interesting hobby and my dog was very good at it.

Now I'm more focused in agility.