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How do i teach my dog to swim?

I have two dogs that i would like to teach to swim. One is a golden retriever and the other is a chocolate lab. I know that they should love water, but when we first moved into our home with a pool, they both fell in a different day. As you can probably tell, they are both terrified of the water and now wont come close to the pool. How do i get them to like the water again and get them to swim with me? I also want to do this to train them as hunting dogs so any information on that would be helpful. Thanks!

Ditch the pool. Go to a lake with a sloping beach or bank. Not a quick drop off.

Put a flat buckle collar on your dog. Have treats. First leash walk through very shallow water giving treats. when comfortable, move a bit deeper, until you are heeling the dog through almost chest high water, but feet firmly planted on the bottom. Keep treating and encouraging and telling them you are having FUN.

Now get to a spot where if you stood in one spot and turned in a circle (keeping your feet in the same place, your dog would have his feet firmly on the bottom for half the circle and be just off his feet swimming for half the circle (sloping bottom remember?). With your arm straight, hold the collar and have the dog move in a circle around you. He will be off his feet just enough to swim a few strokes before he has his feet safely on the bottom again. Do this endlessly, encourage and give treats. If you bend your elbow, you will be hit by a thrashing paw, which leaves long thin purple bruises. Keep your elbow straight! We call this the "order of the purple stripes" as it's 4 long thin bruises together!

Anyhow, as your dog gets more confident, move out a little deeper. When he is much more confident, start "heeling in water" parallel to the shore but where your feet are on the bottom but he is swimming but every few strokes can feel bottom if necessary.

I had a dog that was so scared I had to drag her by the head down to the shore. She wouldn't come within 30' of the water! She turned out to be a water rescue dog eventually -- rescuing people and jumping off boats. It took a little while, but she really learned to love the water.

Now hunting training -- best to get involved with a club in your area. Look on the internet on www.infodog.com and look for hunt tests in your area (search by state). Go and watch, meet people and soon you will find some folks willing to help you out with hunting training.

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