No, I didn’t get new dogs. Just turns out my big CHICKEN Aussies have some water dog in them. Or at least way more than I ever expected.

Bobbie asked me up to Unsinkable Dogs (www.unsinkabledogs.com) to join her and Joyce for some swimming. For anyone that doesn’t know about this place, it’s specifically for dogs and is rather like a large hot tub (jets and all) where you can exercise or re-hab your pooch in this Low-impact way.

I laughed at Bobbie when she suggested this for RRR. I mean, I’ve had the boys down in the river and various places and they rarely do more than splash. Ruben will go in, but it never looks like he enjoys it. Razor will go in for a stick, and even bring it back. But I never throw it WAY out in the deep and when I have in the past, some other dog always gets it before he does.

But she kept saying how awesome it is, how much her dogs get from it, etc. So I relented. I figured Ruben will probably “get in” for the cheese, and that Razor would bark like a maniac and never make it past the steps.

Can i just say I’m either an idiot, or my dogs need to get WAAAAAY more credit from me than I’ve ever given them.

Just check out Ruben here, in his very first moments at the pool. This was literally the FIRST shot at this for him, and see how he proves me wrong??

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6intIgqY0z0

I think Joyce said he was the most FOOD motivated dog she’d ever seen (yep, that’s Ruben) and that he had a wonderful natural swimming style. He went on from there to totally motoring around that pool like a champ, EVEN when it wasn’t his turn. We took him out for a rest and he proceeded to JUMP the side to get back in. He loved it. I’ve never seen him pant like that. Ever. He was a star.

Razor was a bit more reserved. But was SO UNLIKE himself I couldn’t hardly figure out if he was my dog or not. He did NOT bark once the entire time we were there. He let Joyce hold him like a baby to the point where she was beginning to fall in love w/ him! (lol) and he did eventually swim pretty well. He liked the cheese, but really wanted to play with the ball. Problem was, once he was actually swimming he couldn’t concentrate on the ball and his form at the same time. So yeah, he’ll need a few more sessions to get the hang of it all. Still damn cute…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGYOtPGj_GU

It was all really a blaster. And I’m so glad Bobbie twisted my arm. And I can’t help but be really floored at how much my dogs love me and what they’ll do if I ask them. Truly I’ve never imagined the places we’d go. And yet, here we are.

Love my boys. So much!

Joyce Biethan MPT, CPDT is the owner of Unsinkable Dogs. Her facility is a warm-water swim center built exclusively for use by dogs. All kinds of dogs swim here for all kinds of reasons. The benefits of swimming in warm, clean water and with a specially trained swim coach are numerous.

Having increased abdominal strength I am sure has helped too. Swimming is so great because ALL our muscles can work. And the cardio workout can’t be beat.

As opposed to myself, who will float if I’m not supported by the bottom of the pool, most dogs have to swim to keep from going under. So they work very hard. In fact, we have to impose rest on some dogs who are really avid swimmers or endless retrievers. Some of the older dogs learn to paddle along slowly and methodically. They are fun to swim too.

I also just found out that Rigel the Bulldog who has been swimming with Mindy for several months lost not 4, but 9 pounds! Awesome and heart warming, except I think it is possible that I gained them LOL!

Swimmingly yours

Joyce

We have a great variety of dogs coming this week.

Bulldog, Pit Bull, Sheltie, Labs in a variety of colors, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Pugs, Aussies, Border Collies, All Americans, and the list goes on.

Some come because their owners don’t know if they can swim or not. Many of those keep coming because the conditioning is so good for them, the owners love seeing their dogs have such a great time. The dogs can also build such confidence.

A big lab who had TPLO walked in on three legs a few months ago. His owner and I were thrilled when he walked back to the car after his swim, using all 4 legs. He is still coming so that he can continue to build strength and endurance.

One little dog that came last fall is back again. She has a significant neurological problem that left her back legs pretty useless. She was terrified last fall because someone in a pool in another state had been pretty rough with her in the water. Although she benefited from the relaxation the water afforded her muscles, she didn’t paddle much. This year, watch out! She is growing in confidence every time she comes, proud as punch that she can paddle herself across the pool. Her cores strength is improving, and the hope is that over time, the anti gravity environment of the water will let her show us that she does have more  muscle function in  those back legs than she can currently use on dry land.

In many dogs [and people as well] it’s hard to see that muscles are working when the muscle isn’t strong enough to fight the power of gravity. It’s one of the wonderful things about water. It provides support, allows movement and than as the muscles get stronger, moving faster in the water provides resistance.

Other dogs in the pool this week are those  recovering from orthopedic surgeries, dogs with arthritis, hip displasia, spinal injuries, peripheral nerve injuries, obesity, and for just plain fun.

Our youngest ever dog in our pool was about 16 weeks. So far the oldest I think has been 17. One thing I hope will happen as the idea of indoor warm water swimming for dogs take hold in the greater Portland/Vancouver area is that people will bring their older dogs BEFORE they are showing difficulties getting up from the floor, up to the bed, onto the couch, etc. Just like in humans, non weight bearing exercise can be used as much for prevention as for cure.

TAFN

Keep yourselves and your K9 friends cool.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy9WJjsE2Lk