But contrary to popular belief, not all dogs CAN swim. That includes dogs who are Brachycephalic. That’s your word for the day. It refers to dogs who have short muzzles and faces that are squashed in - or flat-faced. It includes breeds like Bulldogs, Pugs, Pekingese and even some Boxers. These breeds may have a hard time keeping their faces out of the water to swim. So they are not proportioned in a way to make swimming easy.
As well, dogs with short legs may also be unable to swim easily - like Basset hounds or Dachshunds.
When those breeds are near water, they should probably wear a life jacket. Better safe than sorry.
While on the topic of dogs and water, there is a cool sport that has developed since the late 1990’s, for dogs who like the water- and who like to go after a toy. It’s called Dock Diving. Basically, a dog waits on a dock-like structure in front of water. A toy is thrown into the water,and they measure how far the dog can jump into the water. There are actually competitions for distance and for height. As I understand it, there are even organizations that run dock jumping in a different countries.
I have seen that there are Picards who participate in this sport. But I haven’t seen any PONs. I’m not sure why. It seems that the breeds that are considered to be “naturals”for this sport include Goldens, Labs, and even Border Collies. It appears the record for longest jump is just over 31 feet. I vote that the FG try it. We’ll cheer him on. Better him than me.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Water safety. If you’re out boating this summer, and you’re not a great swimmer, don’t forget your life jacket. Personally, I think I should wear one at bath time. Like I said before, better safe than sorry. Or better yet...skip the bath. Safety first. That’s my new motto....
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 67
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