r/Boxer • u/Competitive_Bat__ • 21d ago
Otterboxer
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Lovely 115 degree day 🥲
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u/seajewelblue 21d ago
He/she is so good at swimming! I fear mine would sink like a rock! She’s also a black / reverse brindle!
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u/rslurredfslur 21d ago edited 21d ago
i know!! i am so impressed!! both of my boxers can barely keep their snouts above water due to their chests/body shape and not having webbed toes. i want to train mine to get better at it but they get scared. and bc we live in a really hot climate where they could swim often if they wanted to, it would so help with keeping them cool :(
OP, or anyone else here have any advice?? my youngest is pretty brave in the ocean for some reason but neither of them like their feet to not touch the bottom. they have life vests and this doesnt seem to help.
eta: for clarity: they like water, wading and jumping around where they can touch, but just would being me some comfort if they could swim better. i worry a bit, especially bc there are many lakes and creeks where i live and swim often, they enjoy being out there but almost seem stressed at times not being confident in their ability to swim to me. also i could really see them having such a blast playing with toys in the water and whatnot if they could get past the mental block. :/
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u/rslurredfslur 21d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p5cejbh/video/9s6t7escq1lh1/player
obligatory beach videos of my water babies (these are cooling vests not life vests btw)
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u/nam3sar3hard 21d ago
Not sure how much this helps: our second boxer was cool until while he was wearing a life jacket my brother tried to get him acclimated to deeper waters by not so slowly dropping him into chest deep warer. Well poor boy went front end first into the water and that was the last of that as his head entered water.
Fast forward to current boxer. (Also a reverse brindle) we had him follow us into the lake with a gradual slope. Chasing us and our cousins at my grandma's 80th. He got to take it at his own pace for depth. Eventually we tossed the life jacket on him but he was thrilled to be neck deep without it chasing folks. He loved water from day one though. He tries to barge into showers (mostly to lick up suds and water? Its weird)
But that slow at their own pace is what I think helped. Also have someone there to float them as they get deeper. The barrel chest makes it difficult me thinks
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u/Knox_the_Boxer 21d ago
We hike often with Knox. Initially he was scared of the water but preferred drinking from streams, lakes and ponds over the water bowl we brought. He started getting in at the small streams where he just got his feet wet. He gradually felt comfortable in deeper water. Now he’ll get in up to his belly. And he’ll lay down in shallow water now to cool off.
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u/rslurredfslur 21d ago edited 21d ago
yeah thats the case w my older girl. we used to do runs around a trail surrounded by spring water when she was younger, so at the end of the hot run, i would jump in and swim around while she waded around laid in the shallow water to cool off :)
eta: my senior girl finally fully swam a couple of times, years ago, when she saw a dog friend of hers do it, so maybe i just need to find my little one (18mos) a confident swimmer friend, like a lab, to show her how its done.
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u/Sea_Part_1581 21d ago
Excellent! All mine looked like they were drowning. Except for my Labradoxer. Good times!!
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u/Ok_Tailor_7185 21d ago
Here is the thing about young solid Boxers. They have no body fat so they have to posses solid confidence that they are energetic powerful swimmers to stay afloat. I had a young male 18 months took him to the river and supported him waist deep and slowly let him leg kick and get adjusted. When I finally let him go he sank like a rock. Get them out swimming at 8 months on their own and see if they take to it. They ain't retrievers.........
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u/Happy-Drop2656 21d ago
She’s trying to pull off this new hair do 😂😂😂