# Do Cockapoos like to swim?



## roz (Oct 5, 2012)

Ruby is my first cockapoo, 5 months old and is just brilliant. I just wondered if your cockpoos like water or swimming. My lab is water mad, I just have to say 'shall we go swim swim today' and she can't control herself. Took them both to the lake today and Ruby enjoyed a paddle but didn't seem that interested in going deeper and obviously I didn't want to push her.


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## Anna (Dec 6, 2011)

We can't keep Rufus out of the water!! I took him on a walk this morning that I knew he would stay dry as it didn't have time to bath him. After an hours walk he managed to find a way into a big muddy stream and was straight in for a swim, couldn't believe it !! 


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## Von (Nov 1, 2012)

If Ruby paddled happily then she's going to like water, which is a mixed blessing as you probably know from your Lab! I think you were right not to push her, she needs to build her confidence up, and when the time is right might need a bit of support (literally) and encouragement to take her feet of the bottom.

Jenna, my older dog, absolutely adores water and swimming, I spent quite a lot of time in her earlier experience of this up to my knees and deeper in water encouraging her to come to me, to help her make that final commitment. Now she swims like an otter! Bearing this in mind, you might want to wait until the weather is a bit warmer! I also had an Equa fleece, or a Trova towel to put on Jenna afterwards - cockapoos don't have a double coat like labs, and can feel the cold as the water gets right down to their skin very quickly.

Meadow is at the same stage as Ruby at the moment - happy to paddle; she's not quite as water orientated as J, so I think will need to give her plenty of time to gain in confidence. Meadow's thing is mud - I'm sure if I could find a mud pool she'd swim like a hippo!


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Both mine are keen swimmers and will swim in rivers, streams, the sea, swimming pools etc. Poodles were originally bred to retrieve birds and animals from water so its very hard to keep a poo away from water. I have been on cockapoo meets and the whole lot jump in the water!
Mine though are quite careful not too go too far out of their depth so I don't have to worry about them getting caught in a current.


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Dudley still prefers to paddle, he is much keener than he used to be to get into the water but rarely goes further than the top of his legs, my son was very upset that he didn't want to get in the sea to go surfing last summer hols!


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Kiki hates muddy puddles and skips around them or leaps over them. 
Last summer she happily paddled in the sea, but not keen at the moment - too cold by half, sensible dog.
Lizzie is hoping that this year Kiki will go swimming with her, last year by the time Kiki was old enough to go to the beach, Liz had broken her arm so she could only paddle too. Perhaps like Jenna, with a bit of coaxing Kiki will go all the way in!


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## Lynn<3 (Jul 4, 2011)

Amiee Jane paddles around the shallow end of the lake in front of our home. She is afraid of the river (which is good enough for me, I don't want to go in after her).


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Lady can swim....however she chooses not to. She is not a fan and only goes in to her "ankles"


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## prairierose1985 (May 30, 2013)

I have an adopted 6 year old cockapoobthat we adopted in california. I am currently living in tampa with my cockapoo. He was fine in shallow cold ocean water, but I have yet to test him in my grandparents private pool. He has the short cocker legs.


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## JasperBlack (Sep 1, 2012)

Jasper loves it. When we have the pool out in summer he always manages to get in it. Luckily he can swim. 😀


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

We can't keep Rufus out of water, he prefers to be in it than out. I think they need to be introduced to it young and very gently. Going in with them and having them wear a life jacket at first helps too. We do a lot of canoeing and I needed him to be very confident in water to be safe.


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## vickie (Jan 8, 2013)

Oscar had only ever been in shallow water until Sunday when we went for a walk near a lake There was an another dog there who was swimming and Oscar ran up to him on the ramp into the water and then fell off into the deep water. I was panicking but Oscar seemed to know what to do and swam back to me and I dragged him out. It didn't seem to bother Oscar too much and he still went back to paddle in the shallow water. My husband and Kid's thought it was funny but I was scared. At least I know he can swim if he ever does it again.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Swimming is an instinct, so with very few exceptions, bulldogs etc... all dogs can swim. Having them love to swim is the trickier part.


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## Datun Walnut (Oct 15, 2013)

One year on and just wet feet so far.


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## Lottierachel (Mar 3, 2013)

Tilly hates all water. She won't swim, paddle or even dip in a toe! what a princess!!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Unless shoved in by a slightly larger bouncy Cockapoo boy!! he did at least leap in to try to save her, even if he then needed dragging out himself!!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Lottierachel said:


> Tilly hates all water. She won't swim, paddle or even dip in a toe! what a princess!!


Unless shoved in by a slightly larger bouncy Cockapoo boy! - at least he leapt in to try to save her, even if he then had to be hauled out himself!! come to think of it, maybe that is why she hates it now!


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Lola loves mud, puddles, swimming in ponds and sea!

Nina really doesn't like water/puddles much - she purposely avoids it including puddles. However at the beach the other day, she was much better and went in the sea a little. I think she will get there eventually. 

They look so cold when wet though


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## Lottierachel (Mar 3, 2013)

DB1 said:


> Unless shoved in by a slightly larger bouncy Cockapoo boy! - at least he leapt in to try to save her, even if he then had to be hauled out himself!! come to think of it, maybe that is why she hates it now!


Haha maybe! I had forgotten about her first 'swimming lesson' courtesy of Dudley! 

Last summer, when it was really boiling, I took her down to fosse meadows mid morning and tried to get her to go into the little doggy paddling river to cool off, but she was having none of it. In the end, I picked her up and put her in to cool her down - I've never seen her move so quick. She couldn't get out fast enough!!

I reckon if I threw her ball in, she'd go after it.


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## John B (Nov 1, 2013)

JJ likes mud puddles and last week found out very dirty ponds I thought he would drown he came out shook the water off all over me and jumped back in


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Molly has never went swimming. She isn't a big fan of baths so I'm thinking she is not an aqua poo If we come across a puddle on walks she will sometimes walk around it to avoid it!


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

If you don't need your dog to swim then there is a huge advantage to not introducing water to them as pups. Rufus seeks out any and all water, the grosser, muddier, slimier and smellier the better. He regularly rolls, wallows and drinks from water we can hardly look at. He also gives us heart attacks near fast water, icey water and by insisting on swimming even when he's almost too tired to walk. The plus side is if we go over in the canoe I'll save HO and the packs and I know he'll help too.


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