What Makes Dogs Good Swimmers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Even though it\u2019s called the doggy paddle, it may surprise you that not all dogs are natural swimmers. Some dog breeds<\/a> are actually equipped with some special features that help make them more comfortable in the water and more adept at swimming. Other breeds may struggle, making swimming dangerous, and some breeds flat out don\u2019t like the water at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you look at breeds like Labrador Retrievers or Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, you\u2019ll see that these dogs were made for life in the water. And with good reason, these dogs were bred to retrieve down birds from the water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To make this task easier they have water resistant coats, allowing them to shed water rather than soak it up and become waterlogged. They also have webbed feet to better propel them in the water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Their bodies are slender with a more even distribution of weight between the chest and hindquarters, and they have long noses that make it easier to breathe and keep their head above the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another feature of dogs that are good swimmers is that they like the water. You\u2019ll usually find that it isn\u2019t hard to convince a Lab to take a bath, and you may have to steer clear of the pond or river on your hike if you want them to stay dry. These breeds of dogs love to play in the water, as well as swim in it, and they\u2019re built to do both of these with ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we know what makes a dog a great swimmer, let\u2019s compare these attributes to our loving pit bulls. First of all, a pit bull\u2019s deep, thick chest and relatively small hind quarters make their center of gravity more towards the front than in the center of their body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that when they\u2019re in the water, their front will be draw down while their hind end will float up. Most of us can see the problem with this-the hind end isn\u2019t where breathing occurs! <\/p>\n\n\n\n This makes a pit bull have to work even harder to keep their head above water and can cause them to tire very quickly when they actually have to swim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with a heavy chest, pit bulls tend to have a heavy head. That broad face is capable of providing wider that usual smiles, but it also weighs a dog down when they\u2019re in the water. This weight becomes even more apparent after a dog has been swimming for a bit and gets tired. This means the longer your pit bull is swimming, the more likely they are to get their head underwater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pit bulls also don\u2019t have webbed feet like a Labrador or Golden. While webbed feet aren\u2019t a must for swimming, they greatly increase the efficiency, just ask a duck. Without webbed feet, dogs will have to take more strokes in order to move any distance and to stay afloat in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another downfall to a pit bull\u2019s swimming ability is that they have a relatively short nose. While they\u2019re not technically brachycephalic<\/a> like a pug or bull dog, compared to the width of their head, their nose can be quite short. Since a long nose can act as sort of a snorkel if a dog\u2019s head goes underwater, a shorter nose means they\u2019re more likely to suck in water instead of air if they\u2019re head gets too low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, pit bulls don\u2019t have a water repellent hair coat. Instead, their hair is short, and in some cases pretty thin, possibly causing them to get cold faster than water breeds, making hypothermia another concern in some water conditions. All of these features make one loving pet, but don\u2019t help a pit bull\u2019s chances in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Aren\u2019t Pit Bulls Great Swimmers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDo Pit Bulls Like the Water?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n