If you’re dreaming of taking your pup on a relaxing seaside getaway you might think German Shepherd Dogs are the ideal companion but this is not always the case. GSDs are great for anyone with a love of the outdoors but they can be variable when it comes to water. As most owners will tell you, their behavior around water has everything to do with their upbringing rather than their breeding.
In general, do German Shepherds like water? Yes. Most German Shepherds enjoy water but how much they like it varies from GSD to GSD — just like with humans! Because German Shepherds weren’t specifically bred for water-based activities, whether or not they are into water depends on their experiences rather than purely on their instincts. They don’t have an innate desire for swimming, for example, but that doesn’t mean they can’t (or won’t) do it.
Because German Shepherds were bred for agility they can find great pleasure in playing with and in water (both swimming and in the rain) once they get an understanding for it. So, you can definitely take your German Shepherd on that beach-camping weekender if you have the right attitude and approach.
Factors That Influence German Shepherd’s Love of Water
German Shepherds, aka Alsatians, are part of the herding group of dog breeds, which means they are intelligent, fast, and obedient.
They were specifically bred as a working dog in the 1890s and their ability to protect, obey, and love their owners is what makes them such a popular breed today.
Unlike other dogs, for example Labradors, German Shepherds do not have specific physical traits (like webbed feet) that make them obviously happy with water-based activities.
Despite this, most German Shepherds (GSDs) are quite at home playing with water in some way or another. This could easily be down to their natural athleticism, which can make for a very strong and able canine swimmer.
Much like Australian Shepherds, GSDs have double coats meaning they’re more than capable of enjoying cold water in the summer and winter.
As any GSD owner will tell you, these pooches are incredibly high-energy and playful.
In the summertime, hey maybe even sometimes in other seasons, water-play can also be an ideal source of mental stimulation outdoors. Left entirely to their own devices, GSDs can easily tear up furniture and bark up a storm when they’re bored or teething (at 6-8 months old).
For this reason, alongside their agility, many GSD owners love to train their pups to swim and play with water.
Overall, whether or not your GSD loves water is going to be down to their experiences as a pup and their general temperament. They definitely have the ability to love swimming and water but, just like any other dog, it varies. You’ll see some pups adore the water, whereas others just tolerate it or worse, hate it.
Early Introduction of Water to German Shepherd Dogs
If you want to make sure your GSD likes water, and that you can use it for play and exercise, the best approach is an early introduction. Most puppies have a natural distrust of waves, so starting with still and shallow water can really help them adjust.
The period of time for puppies when they’re most sensitive to fear and can imprint these fears into adult life is around 8-10 weeks old. If you’re with a GSD from birth, there are ways you can ensure a fear of water doesn’t develop, but if not it’s important to realize a past experience might be influencing your pup’s behavior around water.
An ideal introductory toy for GSDs, maybe any pup, can be a water sprinkler.
It’s easy enough for puppies to love water sprinklers, especially in the summer as a method of cooling down. Water sprinklers have the added bonus of movement, providing stimulation for your dog.
There are also several ways you can increase the challenge of a sprinkler by adding a fountain that has a paw-activated lever. In general, these kinds of toys connect to ordinary garden hoses and can provide hours of fun.
A word of caution comes with using this as a toy, however, as chewing can be an issue — especially during teething. If you’re not fussed about preserving your sprinkler or toys forever though, these can be ideal.
What’s Holding My German Shepherd Back from the Water?
GSDs natural suspicion can sometimes hold them back from new activities, and water based play is no exception. GSDs are bred to be distrustful, of strangers and of new situations. This is precisely what makes them such excellent guard dogs and guardians.
The key to overcoming their suspicion is a gradual introduction, often.
As any GSD owner will tell you, only you are going to know the limits of your pup. That said, if your canine companion seems to not hate water, and is merely suspicious, patience might be the key to helping them adjust to water-based activities.
German Shepherd’s attitude towards water and swimming really depends on their experiences growing up and individual personality, so if you want them to love water and coastal getaways it’s important to start teaching them early.
Knowing your GSD’s limits will go a long way to helping this process.
While some German Shepherd’s hate water and others love it, there are those who are ambivalent towards it.
That’s okay too!
If your GSD only wades in water and never swims, if they will only go knee-deep before turning around, that might just be who they are. There’s still lots of fun to be had in the shallows of a lake or paddling in the ocean with your pup.
Beach Getaways Or Lakeside Retreats With Your German Shepherd?
So you’ve introduced your German Shepherd to water and they like it.
Congrats!
Before you head off to your beach getaway or lakeside retreat with your GSD in tow here are a few tips to make sure you both have a great time:
- Obedience: The safest way to make sure your German Shepherd enjoys the vacation is to also work on obedience with them. The good news about this is that GSDs are highly trainable, and with the right owner they can be very obedient. Before you head off, make sure that they can heel when required — chasing animals into dangerous water can get even the strongest canine swimmer into trouble.
- Swimming: You’ll notice that some GSDs will jump right into most water from docks and the water’s edge whereas others might only wade to a shallow depth then stop. Their preference for depth and type of water — some GSDs hate the ocean — is completely down to their personality and training. The only way to know how they feel about swimming is to let them give it a try. Most GSD owners try to introduce this early on in their training to get a sense of whether they like it or not.
- Location: Think about where you’re taking your pooch carefully. Every body of water has hazards that you’ll want to be aware of — whether this is debris in a river or the riptides of the sea. On top of this, many GSD owners prefer to take their German Shepherds into freshwater for the most part. GSDs swallow a lot of water when they’re swimming, and ingesting too much salt water can cause dehydration or vomiting,
Related Questions
Most dogs swallow some amount of water when they swim, and if you’re playing with fetch-based toys in the water then your German Shepherd is likely to swallow a lot of water when swimming. Dogs who’ve swallowed too much water can experience water intoxication, where they vomit, experience dehydration, and can die.
Water intoxication can be avoided by monitoring the time spent during water activities. All you need to do is take breaks from swimming to make sure your German Shepherd has time to process the water they swallowed. Additionally, sometimes a canine electrolyte solution can help too. By limiting the amount of time in the water you’ll make sure your pup isn’t dehydrated.
If your German Shepherd enjoys water-based play there’s a strong likelihood they’ll enjoy bathing. Like any other dog, GSDs don’t need bathing that often — in fact you shouldn’t bathe them more than every 10 days — because of their undercoat. Grooming your GSD by brushing is often better than bathing them. That said, if your pup absolutely needs a bath (maybe they’re having flea issues), bath time can also turn into playtime with a German Shepherd. Many owners prefer to bath their pup outside for this reason, but the choice is yours.
There are lots of alternate ways to mentally stimulate a GSD who hates or dislikes water. While only a GSDs owner is going to know best which games will challenge their pup, here are some ideas:
– Tug of war
– Fetch
– Find the treat
