Are Labradors good swimmers? Are their coats waterproof?

Labrador good swimmers coat waterproof
A Lab swimming

Are Labradors good swimmers?

Absolutely YES, Labrador Retrievers are great swimmers, they were born to swim and enjoy water!

They have large paws and a water resistant coat (waterproof coat) that help them move easily through the water.
Like we know all dogs have webbed toes, but the large Labrador paws make the toes webbing larger, which is a plus for them! Their webbing can also be helpful if they are walking through snow, it prevents it from sticking between their toes!

So finally Labradors are very powerful natural swimmers!

Are Labradors’ coats waterproof?

Labrador Retrievers have a Double waterproof coat, a great insulator from the weather, protect your labs in the colder months and keep them warm.

When your lab go for a swim you can see how fast they dry, thanks to the undercoat natural oils that are produced by the body and which also keep your lab’s coat smooth and shiny!

So finally I won’t recommend you shave your lab, it’s useless and you deprive them from the thing that keeps their body’s temperature normal, especially in the winter!

Teach your dog how to swim!

Labradors are good swimmers, but if you have a dog who can’t swim, you may want to follow these steps!

  • First of all find a good area for your dog to swim, your backyard pool for example or a lake will do OK, avoid the beach or the river, also an area that has other people would be better cause most dogs love company.
  • Prepare a life jacket for your dog (for his safety of course) if you don’t know what’s a life jacket or you don’t know which one you should buy, here is the best 10 dog life jackets we found on the market, also prepare some toys to play with, treats to make the training easy and maybe a swimming suit for you, dogs will always feel safer and comfortable with you!
  • Get your dog used to the water before the training, for example throw a ball for him into water and let him fetch it.
  • Take your dog deeper into water until he starts paddling to stay afloat.
  • Point him a place of the shore and release him, you can use your arm under your dog’s belly to provide him some support.
  • Start walking to that place yourself, and it’s likely he will follow you.
  • Repeat several times until your dog start learning how to swim, and also don’t forget to praise him with those treats as encouragement!

Quick tips: Always keep an eye on your dog and never leave him unattended in the water, not even for a minute. Cause some dogs cannot swim for long and will sink like a rock! (e.g. bulldogs).

Also never throw your dog into the water if it’s his first time, it will just frighten him, and probably he will never want to swim again!

Swimming benefits for your dog

1/ Exercise

Swimming is like an exercise to your dog, it’s good for their overall health, let them stay healthy and away from obesity, cause dogs need to burn the excess energy they have, also swimming keeps them active and refreshed.

2/ Swimming cool them off

Dogs cannot resist hot weathers for long periods of time, cause they can’t perspire and cool themselves off via evaporation like we do, so water help them very well to stay cool and keeps their temperature at a comfortable level.

3/ Swimming tires your dog out

If your dog has a bad habit, such as chewing, digging or scratching, excessive barking and more.. swimming will get him tired, and a tired dog will never think about these bad habits again, even you may not be able to rouse them from sleep after a tiring day in the water.

Do Labradors need so much food ?

Swimming benefits for your dog
My face may be white and old but my heart is still pure gold.
  • Labradors are active dogs and they burn more calories than some other dogs, so they need a greater quantity of food, not to mention the fact they have large appetites as well as they love their food.
  • If your Labrador does not eat well, It is very unusual and probably he has some issues or not feeling well and possibly you’ll have to visit a veterinarian as soon as possible!
  • They also love when you share your food with them!
  • So finally yes Labradors need a greater quantity of food but not the quantity that will make them over weight and which can lead to serious health issues.

Do Labradors have a good sense of smell ?

  • Absolutely yes! we all know that Labradors are great hunters so basically yes they have a good sense of smell.
  • Trained Labradors provide great services to the police and the army, by sniffing out and detecting the illegal hidden things like drugs and explosives at airport security checks and drug raids for example..
  • They can tell if a person has alcohol in his system, smell high blood pressure etc..
  • In addition, Labradors are also great rescue dogs, in case of natural catastrophes or building crashes.

Can Labradors carry and hold things in their mouths?

  • When hunting, Labradors were trained to bring the prey back without damaging it, because no one will eat a torn bird or rabbit. From there Labradors became very good at manipulating their jaw muscles to easily hold things in their mouth
  • without damaging them.. they can even carry eggs in their mouths without cracking them. Labradors also enjoy carrying things in their mouth since their puppy hood.

Do Labrador Retrievers socialize a lot?

  • Labradors are not that type of breeds who love to be alone, if they are alone or away from their owners for a long time, they may get nervous, annoyed or bored, which may lead to bad attitudes like the intense barking or chewing the house equipments..
  • Labradors were born to be around people, they love to socialize as much as they love their food! They are also very loyal to their owners and love to be around them most of the time!

What are Labradors exercise needs?

Labradors have so much energy, born to work and play hard. You need to take them on a walk every day, or even when jogging, running or riding your bicycle, they love to follow their owners everywhere they go!

Will Labradors be okay without a backyard?

Labradors will do okay in an apartment or a small house if they have enough exercise and entertainment outside.
Labradors are quite active indoors and will do better with little sized yard.

Are Labradors intelligent and easy to train?

Labradors are a very intelligent dog breed, the thing that makes them perfect dogs for rescue, guild, detection work and also makes them easy to train and gives them the ability to learn and apply their owner commands.

Leave a Comment