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Fiction: All dogs can swim. Fact: With the right approach and gear, most all dogs can be “taught” to swim. Some dogs are natural swimmers. A dog’s breed, ancestry, and body structure help determine whether they have a natural inclination towards the water. But some dogs’ build and personality make swimming a challenge.
How do you know if your dog’s a natural? Most water breeds, like Labrador Retrievers and Newfoundlands, swim horizontally in the water, using both their front and back legs to keep them afloat. Dogs that are less agile in the water tend to use only their front legs to swim, causing their hind end to sink. This can cause the dog to panic and start “high padding” with their front legs, trying to “climb” out of the water.
Regardless if your dog is a “natural” swimmer or not, almost all dogs can learn to swim. Much to your dog’s benefit or misfortune, he/she may be genetically predisposed for the dog paddle. Understanding why your dog may or may not be as agile in the water can help you determine if a little extra help from a canine lifejacket is necessary. After all, why should petite paws, a large chest, or short legs stop your dog from a river bath?
Muscular Body Mass. Some dogs have bodies designed for swimming, while other body types make swimming more of a challenge. Muscular, and dense-bodied dogs such as Bulldogs and Boxers are significantly less buoyant in the water than other breeds. These dogs benefit hugely from extra flotation offered by a canine lifejacket.
Webbed Feet. Some breeds have excellent aquatic tendencies, thanks in part to their large, webbed feet. Among those breeds with webbed feet: Akita, Brussels Griffon, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Chinook, Field Spaniel, German Shepherd, German Shorthaired Pointer, German Wirehaired Pointer, Irish Water Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Leonberger, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Otterhound, Plott Hound, Portuguese Water Dog, Redbone Coonhound, Spanish Water Dog, Weimaraner, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon.
Paw Size. Toy breeds (e.g. Chihuahuas), and breeds with relatively petite paws (e.g. Greyhounds) have very small paws that make it difficult to tread water. A little extra assistance with the use of a lifejacket can help these breeds stay afloat while they work out the mechanics of swimming.
Legs. Short-legged dogs such as Pugs, and Bulldogs may have trouble staying afloat because a smaller portion of their body weight is under the water. These dogs often can swim, but it takes a lot more energy to do it. A lifejacket can help prolong their stamina.
Genetics. Some breeds are capable of swimming but due to a medical concern may not be able to. Breeds prone to rheumatism and arthritis may have difficulty swimming especially in cold water. Insulating these dogs from the cold and providing them with assistance by using a canine lifejacket can help eliminate these barriers.
Jowls. Some breeds (e.g. Newfoundlands) have jowls that help them breathe when swimming, keeping out water.
Coat. Some dogs, especially those commonly used for hunting waterfowl, have thick double coats that are semi-water-repellant.
Click here to see ten breeds that love the water.
You might expect that every day at Ruff Wear is “Take Your Dog to Work Day.” This is a perfectly reasonable expectation, until you consider that the dogs of the Ruff Wear crew outnumber the employees at Ruff Wear. When all of our dogs are here in our open-office environment (think one big room with lots of connected work spaces), it quickly descends into chaos and the dogs take over. And let’s be frank, we are here to get some work done!
But, banning dogs from the office wasn’t an option, so to ensure that we could both be productive and enjoy the company of our four-legged friends in the office, we devised a sign up system for bringing dogs to work. It’s simple – at least 24 hours before your dog will be joining you at work, you sign up your dog for that day.
Ruff Wear's Dog Sign Up Board
This sign up system gives us a way to manage the number of office dogs on any one day (to combat the chaos) and it provides opportunities for dog BFF’s to come to work on the same days. Artie + Samson = Wrestlemania!
Some other guidelines we have for making sure dogs are a positive part of our work environment are:
- Dogs are not allowed to bark incessantly – our customer service team needs to be able to hear people on the other end of the line.
- Dogs may not rush visitors as they enter the office – our UPS guy is a little afraid of dogs and a running greeting doesn’t help!
- Dogs need to use the great outdoors when nature calls – the area by Greg’s desk is not an indoor doggy restroom (Bailey and Ripley, this is for you).
We encourage every workplace to welcome dogs, even if only for Bring Your Dog to Work Day on Friday, June 24th!
The following is a guest article written by Dean Potter, Climber, Base Jumper, Slackliner and Dog Companion. It is his recollection of a cougar encounter during a walk with his two canines near Yosemite National Park.
Whisper and Jackie
Slight rain absorbs into the earth and softens the remaining snow while intensifying the early springtime greens. My puppy Whisper and her best friend Jackie run in front of me. I follow along glancing out ahead while studying animal tracks that crisscross the road in the moist, dark soil.
We live just outside the park boundaries of Yosemite within a 20-acre plot of land called the ‘Flying Spur’. To the east, Half Dome and El Captain drift in and out of the clouds, faintly emerging between sparse cedars and pines.
Living just outside Yosemite means regular encounters with the wild. Pictured here: Whisper's encounter with a bear.
Most every morning we walk to Little Nelly Waterfall along the Old Coulterville Road. I always take time to remind the little ladies of some of the words they know. I make them “Come,” “Sit,” “Shake,” “Lay down,” “Stay,” “Wait,” and “Heel,” with hope that they will mind if there’s danger. Other than these safety drills, I don’t like controlling them too much. This is their special time to let their instincts run wild and I appreciate the fact that at their roots, they are untamed beasts.
I strongly believe in freedom and feel that I do not own the dogs. We are companions and if anything, I belong to them. More aptly stated, I’m their servant. I facilitate their every need; clothe them with warm jackets, safe harnesses and styling collars, feed them organic gourmet food, brush their teeth, and cuddle in the same bed. I even clean up their poops.
About fifty yards in front of us a large grayish-tan animal slinks across the road. My chest abruptly thuds. “That’s no deer, coyote or bear!” I say to myself. The left side of my brain processes, “There ‘s only one other animal that big in this forest…Mountain Lion!”
Midge anxiously awaits a frolic in the water
This excerpt was written by Dove, Sales Director at Ruff Wear about her dog, Midge.
Some might say I am a fishing addict? I am lucky to live in a town that has endless recreation possibilities and lots of water. My husband and I are pretty predictable, so when April rolls around we are feet-first in the river and don’t come out until the snow falls and ice hangs off of our fishing guides. What makes our experience on the river so memorable is experiencing it through the eyes and nose of our canines.
Our first canine Sierra developed a love for fishing late in life, making it easy to boat and camp with her. She walked between us, waiting to see who would catch the first fish. We still fondly see reminders of her on the river, whether it be the rock cairns she created by diving for rocks when we fished, or that secret spot that we call “Sierra’s Hole.”
After some exhaustive research, many pulls on our heartstrings, and a two year search, we found our next dog. Midge, an Irish Water Spaniel, came into our life last year. She seemed to fit our lifestyle and was a water dog to boot! Our first task after basic training was preparing her for a life of fishing, boating, and camping. During her first trip at 12 weeks old, we were hopeful that she would have a passion for the river and the outdoors as we do. Nothing prepared us for the extreme joy that she exhibited for water and the river! She was a virtual motorboat in the water, and early on lived up to her name and breed. Even when not on the river, Midge can be found in a mud puddle trying to figure out how to swim in it!
Midge on one of her river adventures
Not only is Ruff Wear gear inspired by the outdoors, the names of our products are also inspired by the outdoors.
Our products are strongly influenced by our outdoor surroundings. Pictured here: The Big Eddy Float Coat™ at Elk Lake in Oregon.
Take, for example, the Portage Float Coat™. “Portage” is the term used to describe the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. Less experienced kayakers and rafters often “portage” around swift and heavy waters ahead. Likewise, our Portage Float Coat was designed for novice and less agile swimmers. It’s offered in the widest variety of sizes to fit dogs of all shapes and sizes.
The portage before the spillway on the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon
The Big Eddy rapids are a set of Class III rapids along he Deschutes River in Central Oregon. Given the technical nature of the rapids, we aptly named our top-of-the line performance float coat the “Big Eddy.” Like the agile, advanced canine swimmers that don this lifejacket, the Big Eddy Float Coat™ is fast, sleek, and has an articulated shape for maximum comfort and swimability in fast water. The Big Eddy features lots of reflective trim for visibility in daytime or low light, a reinforced assistance handle, engineering design for a sleek fit, and a heavy-duty ballistic nylon shell for abrasion-resistance against rocks and other river obstacles.
Big Eddy rapids on the Deschutes River in Oregon
Yes, it’s visible. Yes, it has reflective. Yes, it helps dogs swim. But there are three additional features in our canine lifejackets that may not be as obvious.
Handle Location
The handle makes for convenient lifting up and over the kayak, canoe, watercraft, or dock. But some people ask why it is so close to the front, as opposed to centered on the lifejacket?
Think of a suitcase handle, which is centered. Have you ever tried to lift a 50-pound suitcase by its handle? Luckily, dogs have limbs to help assist in the lifting process. Having the handle location towards the dog’s head allows for maximum use of the water’s natural buoyancy, while also encouraging the dog to “climb” out of the water using their front limbs.
A handle closer to the dog’s head also makes it more convenient, and easier to reach.
The location of the handle makes for convenient grabbing, while encouraging the dog to "climb" out of the water.
Handle Size
Dogs can be a handful, but that doesn’t mean they need a giant handle. Our float coats are specifically designed to be low-profile to prevent snagging on river and lake debris. For the dog’s safety, the handle should be low profile enough to prevent getting hung up on obstacles, while being large enough to accommodate a human hand.
The handle is as low-profile as possible while still accomodating the size of a hand.
Engineered Flotation
Too much flotation or too little flotation can affect your dog’s swimability. Our coats were designed to assist dogs in the water, giving them just enough flotation for them to feel confident in the water. Too much flotation (especially on the underside of the coat) can cause a dog to get out of balance, forcing them into an unnatural swim position.
Our lifejackets provide engineered flotation to help the dog swim in a natural horizontal position, providing just enough flotation on the underside to help prevent fatigue and maintain balance.
The flotation is engineered to float dogs in a natural, horizontal swim position.
