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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Simon has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Psychology and specialized in Canine Behaviour. He was recently the first New Zealander approved for membership to the IAABC, and he is also a member of APDT Australia. Simon founded Dog Guru in 2002. Dog Guru has helped hundreds of dogs and their owners with training and specialist problems, and is also a dog trainer for the ministry of Education. Simon lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife Michelle and two golden retrievers. Sherlock is often used as a demonstration dog in schools and retirement villages. He was also used as a demo dog in the Auckland pet expo in 2004. Training is always using positive reinforcement.
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10/28/2005
Our rescue 2 year old Aussie came to us at age 7 months. I know very little about his past, BUT he has had an almost pathological fear of water (streams, pools, the Bay, etc,) since being with us. He has fallen into our friend's pool a couple of times and he totally freaks out. Since we are playing "Pool Ball" with two or three dogs and we are in the water, it is no problem to help him out. But he won't swim, he INTENSELY dislikes baths, and rebels at going out in the rain. The problem is still there after 1-1/2 years. Our previous Aussie loved the water after he was "shown" how to jump in by another dog in a local stream and swam any time he was able to. Is there a way to help our new dog to adjust to the water? (bwestheimer, California)
Well I have to admit in all my 8 years of dog training and thousands of dogs you have finally struck me with one that I have never heard of. It is not uncommon for a dog to be nervous of water and does not want to be washed but to be afraid of every type of water is just plain bizarre. So well down for that. Next time I can say I have heard of this problem and would be very interested in the things that I give you to try knowing how you went so please keep in touch.
Anyway. The first thing to do with dogs that are afraid of water is not to forc
e them into it. This will just make it twice as bad and you won’t have a case. It is hard to believe that he will willingly jump in water so I think you can give up hope of him ever loving water. However he has to bear it otherwise it makes your life very difficult.
The first thing to do is what is called desensitization. Basically we want the dog to get used to water. I want you on a fine day to go outside and turn on the tap or hose and just leave it running. Hopefully you are not on a water budget! Then go outside and play with the dog. Get closer to the water so that the dog can hear it but ignore the water just play with the dog. Don't say good dog if it is ignoring it and don't say, "don't worry" if it is nervous. This is a common trap that people fall into with dogs that are afraid of thunder. Just ignore and nervous behaviour.
Each day I want you to try this and get closer each time to the tap. We are only talking a few minutes a day. Also water the garden if you have one and try and play at the same time. We need to get the dog used to water if possible.
See how you go with this to start with. This could take weeks so get back in touch when the dog can actually walk straight past the water and we will continue with the rest. Alternately get in touch with a behaviourist in the area.
Simon Goodall is now a member of IAABC (International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants). This means the information you receive is the most up to date.
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