🐾 Week 6 Blog - Water Manners – Staying Safe and Sane Around Water

Teach your gundog calm, confident water manners. Learn how to stay safe, steady, and connected when working near ponds, rivers, and lakes.

💧 Blog: Water Manners – Staying Safe and Sane Around Water

For most dogs, water is pure excitement — the splash, the scent, the sound. But good gundogs learn to control that excitement. Water manners are all about teaching patience, confidence, and listening, before enthusiasm takes over.

This week in our “A Year in the Life of a Gundog – From Field to Firelight” series, we’re looking at how to help your dog build calm confidence around water — one cue at a time.

🐶 Why Start With a Cue, Not a Retrieve

Many handlers are tempted to throw a dummy straight into the water to “get their dog used to it.” But this often creates exactly the opposite of what we want — dogs who charge in without thought or wait for permission.

At Connected Canines, we teach dogs to enter the water first, on cue, before a retrieve is ever added. This sets up calm, controlled entries and teaches the dog to listen.

When the dog learns that access to the water comes through you, it builds a pattern of trust — not chaos.

🌿 Step-by-Step Water Manners

Start on the Bank
Walk to the water’s edge and ask your dog to sit or stand calmly beside you. Reward attention and relaxation before anything else.
Add the Cue
When your dog is calm, give your chosen cue (e.g. “get in” or “water”) and encourage them to put just their front paws in. Mark and reward.
Build Confidence Gradually
Allow them to wade a little deeper each time, rewarding for calm, controlled movement. You can even drop a floating treat just in front of them to help them explore gently.
Teach the Exit Early
Always show your dog how to get out easily — this reduces anxiety and prevents rushing or scrabbling.
Only Then Add a Retrieve
Once your dog can calmly enter and exit the water on cue, then introduce a short retrieve. Keep it close and simple, so the excitement of the retrieve doesn’t undo the calm foundation.

🧠 Why This Approach Works

By separating the entry from the retrieve, you’re building understanding, not just reaction.
Your dog learns that:

Water is safe.
Listening to you matters.
Calmness is rewarded.

This approach is especially valuable for young dogs or those who are naturally water-keen — you’re teaching them how to think, not just react.

⚠️ Safety Reminder

As the colder months draw in, always check water conditions before training. Avoid fast-flowing rivers and never allow your dog to break ice to enter. Keep sessions short and end on a confident, calm success.

❤️ Final Thought

Water work is one of the most rewarding parts of gundog training, but it needs careful groundwork.
By teaching your dog to enter water on cue, calmly and confidently, you’re setting them up for a lifetime of safe, controlled, and happy water work.

Next week, we’ll head indoors for “Handling Skills Indoors – When the Weather Closes In.”

Categories: : Autumn Series