Basically, every dog can hold their breath underwater. However, some dog breeds are very poor swimmers for anatomical reasons.
Most dogs will therefore not voluntarily go diving without training. The exception here are so-called “Water dogs” such as Labrador Retrievers.
Some of them can dive up to 2 meters deep without training. With a little training, 3-4 meters are also possible. However, humans are significantly better divers in comparison.
There are both ways to teach your dog to swim and even dive Diving toys and lots of treats are necessary. Some dogs can even dive for lobsters with a little training.
Then let's take a closer look at the topic.
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Can dogs dive?
The short answer first: In theory yes, in practice no. Now for the long answer:
Catch all dog breeds to paddle instinctively when they are held above the water. You've probably already seen some videos about this.
However, paddling does not automatically mean that all dogs can stay afloat. However, with a little training, it can be learned by anyone. [1]
Now about diving. Dogs can naturally hold their breath underwater.
You can see the proof of this when you drink. Because the snout is often under water here. Since this is about an instinct It doesn't have to be learned separately.
Further evidence of this is provided by animal photographer “Seth Casteel”, who became famous for his underwater photos of dogs and puppies. You can buy this on Amazon as a book and as a calendar.
However, the majority of dog breeds never dive. Most dogs are afraid of water and are only moderately good swimmers. [2]
To the “bad swimmers” and therefore also “bad divers” include, for example:
- Bulldogs
- Pug
- Dachshunds
The reason for this is in the Anatomy based. Because these dog breeds have a sub-optimal figure for swimming. Specifically, this means: short legs and a long body.
Every dog is able to hold its breath underwater. However, since diving also requires good swimming skills, most dog breeds rarely dare to put their head under water.
Which dogs like diving?
Some dog breeds are such good swimmers that they are also known as “water dogs”. These are also among the best divers:
- Labrador Retriever ← #1 Water Rat
- Golden Retriever ← #2 Water Rat
- Spanish water dog
- Newfoundland
- Otterhound [3]
My two Labrador Retrievers were also enthusiastic divers. It's not for nothing that some of these dogs become… Hunting ducks and lobster trained.
Because of their long and strong legs, they have the ideal physique for dogs to swim. They also have large lung volumes so they can stay afloat for longer periods of time.
As a rule of thumb can you remember:
- Larger dogs are usually better swimmers than smaller dog breeds.
- Dogs with dark and curly hair are usually less afraid of water. [4]
However, there are also large individual differences within the races. Because even some Spanish water dogs are of the opinion that water is an evil invention of cats.
Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers in particular are known for their swimming and diving abilities. These water dogs are also anatomically best equipped for the water.
How long and how deep can dogs dive?
People can usually dive up to 6 meters deep without training. With training, up to 12 meters are also common. However, the record is a whopping 102 meters without any equipment. [5]
Things are different with dogs. Water dogs rarely dive below 2 meters if untrained. However, with training you should too up to 4 meters be possible.
A man from Florida made headlines here after training his dogs to dive for lobsters.
He said the biggest challenge is the back two legs. Because of the instinctive paddling motion, dogs only come when diving very slowly downward.
Even for him, it took a full two years to teach his Labrador Retrievers to use their hind legs more actively. [6]
In addition, dogs can significantly shorter hold their breath underwater more than humans. Because this is where our consciousness benefits us:
- People can consciously take very deep breaths.
- People can train themselves on the surface of the water.
- People can consciously make slow movements to use less oxygen underwater.
- People can use swim fins.
These are all abilities that a dog does not have.
Water dogs can usually only dive up to 2 meters deep without training. With the appropriate training, twice the depth should be possible. However, compared to humans, dogs are rather poor divers.
This Labrador Retriever dives for lobsters:
How to teach dogs to dive?
This process basically takes place in three steps:
A dog that doesn't like being in the water and doesn't like swimming won't like diving. The aim of this phase is to get the dog increasingly used to it.
Basically: The earlier a dog is trained to water, the easier it is. [7]
In young dogs, this phase can only last a few days. In older dogs, however, it can last for several weeks.
If your dog is very afraid of water, go into the water yourself and lure him with a toy and a few treats. Under no circumstances should you force him to do this.
For practice, I recommend at least this three times a week a 20 minute workout.
Before moving on to the next phase, your dog should jump into the water without hesitation. It should also be able to stay afloat for several minutes without any problems.
What you need now are two things: Lots of treats and suitable underwater toys.
I recommend this set from Amazon. For less than €15 you can get several diving sticks and diving rings.
It's best to start with a shallow depth (~75 cm) and then work your way into deeper water step by step.
The only important thing is that you constantly encourage your dog, praise him verbally and spoil him with treats. Because dogs repeat behavior that is rewarded.
Once your dog has gotten sufficiently used to the water, swimming and diving, the reward phase follows.
Up to this point, diving was always accompanied by a treat. You should now go through this more and more step by step verbal praise substitute.
This ensures that your dog follows you even without a food reward.
For diving training Freshwater lakes otherwise the most suitable. However, the chlorine content in the pool should be negligible. So that works too if necessary. [8]
The sea or salt water is theoretically also possible. However, salt burns the eyes and some dogs tend to swallow a lot of water in the beginning. [9]
Before diving training begins, a dog must first be accustomed to the water and swimming. Afterwards, underwater toys and treats can be used to encourage the dog to dive.
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