How to deal with weak pasterns? - Page 3

Hi! The day before yesterday occured a problem with swimming. She wasn't tired or sth. She got to the stick that I threw, took the stick in her mouth and started swimming towards me. Then she started like coughing and swallowing water. It wasn't the normal swallowing dogs do while swimming, she was like drowning and when she got out of the water she puked. Yesterday I didn't took her swimming at all. Today I threw her a ball in the lake instead of a stick. Again she had no problem swimming towards the ball to get and the coughing occured after she took the ball in her mouth. She puked as she got to the shore.
She has never had such accidents while swimming even the first time. What could be the problem. She is willing to swim, she's active and playful. I haven't changed her diet or sth.

1. Do not throw sticks for dogs. Too dangerous, in or
out of water. Google it !

2. She gulped air with water in it, when grabbing the stick /
ball in her mouth. That is why she was sick - some 'went
the wrong way'. She 'll learn (not to do that). I think its more
likely she will 'get it' than allow herself to drown.

3. This is another example of why you have to be slow and
steady and careful with her, in everything you do. Being
chained all her puppyhood, things she would have already
learned are only now coming up as possibilities for her,
because she will not have had those opportunities at an
earlier stage when other pups experience them.

I started trowning a rubber ball in the water for her. She continues swimming almost every day and we play fetch every day. I changed her food with one for active dogs. I think the exercises indeed did wonders about her lack of muscle problem. In august we're going to the seaside for about 10 days and she would be able to chase her ball in the sand and swim a lot more time than she does in the local lake. She doesn't have the water-swallowing problem now.
She is a lot more muscular than she was before. We will continue working on her improvement, of course. I would like to try raw feeding but I'm afraid that her sensitive stomach would get ''angry''...

Very glad to hear she is doing so well ! Congrats on all your efforts.

I have a question about swimming in the sea. Can I take her with me in the water and swim with her instead of playing fetch? I hadn't seen anybody do that and is there a problem?

The big problem about swimming WITH your dog (assuming you are otherwise in a safe place for them, no poisons, sharks, jellyfish or rip-tides !) is that they can drown you ! Dogs getting exited or panicked have been known to climb onto their owners, and that esp. with one the size & weight of a GSD, can cause you to go underwater and lose ability to resurface.
But I'm sure lots of people manage fine ! Perhaps you should always have someone else along too ?

Thanks for the answer! I'll be with my family and there are a lot of people on the beach too. The beach is one of the cleanest I know in my country. The water is really clean too. There aren't any rocks so the dog won't get hurt. There aren't any dangerous fish in the Black Sea. We've hardly ever seen jellyfishes there despite that me and my father swim a lot when we go there.
Now she swims in the lake because I throw her her favourite ball and that is some kind of motivation. Yes, she looks like she's willing to swim, but I still think it's because the playing fetch thing. I would like to prise her for just swimming with me but how? Ideas?

I would invest in a life-vest for her, they just strap on with a easy release clips and swim her. But the vest is definitely a safety measure and could keep you both from drownding. (sorry I can't spell any more). Best of luck she looks so happy...Nan

The trick to swimming with your dog and not get scratched up is to take into account their legs move straight back and forth, only. Like they teach you with how to avoid getting kicked by a horse. So, you are safest right next to their body, mid section. Gently and firmly push them on the shoulder to turn them. If you can be calm and coax them to allow for you to hold them with both arms under the belly, you can teach them to "float". The will learn to slow their paddling and see that they can stay above board with conservative effort.

Stay calm and have fun swimming with your dog. Remember if they are heading straight at you, just put your arm out and push on their side shoulder... Away from you, they should learn to circle.

💦😅😎