The Water Table: Your Secret Weapon for Teaching Your Dog to Swim Joyfully

The Water Table: Your Secret Weapon for Teaching Your Dog to Swim Joyfully
Written by: Erica Etchason, owner 4 Paws Adrift and Dremel Like a Boss

Swimming is often one of our favorite activities to offer our dogs, whether for recreation, sport, or conditioning. 4 Paws Adrift was built on teaching dogs to swim. I started swimming dogs to spend more time outside in beautiful lakes with my dog by my side, and it brought me so much joy that I wanted to share it with other people.

The Challenge: Teaching Dogs to Swim with Joy

Some dogs take to the water like fish and some do not. I recognized pretty quickly that people wanted their dogs to enjoy the water even if it didn’t come naturally. My mentor, Deborah Lee Miller-Riley, created a platform that allows dogs to put their feet down in the water while learning to swim.

This was a game changer for all of us. More and more dogs, of all breeds and ages and at all levels, were successfully swimming and learning to enjoy the water. 

What is a water table?

The water table is a platform that is below the water line for dogs to easily stand on while in the water. 

 Here are the DIY plans to build your own water table:

The original plans call for a 36"-high table. I always make mine shorter so I can get it into a minivan or SUV and I don’t have to take it too deep for large breed dogs like Newfoundlands to be able to get onto it. You can also use it at a more shallow depth to work on jump approximations. I double up the lattice on top to make it stronger for larger breeds.

Getting Started: Tips for Using a Water Table

This is not an inclusive list and we would love to hear how you use a water table.

• Swimming: A great way to build swim confidence is to give the dogs a target in the water where they can feel confident putting their feet down. Many dogs need to ease into not touching the ground. The water table creates a place for dogs to practice launching and swimming without going to shore all the time. 
• Pool Entry/Exit: Clients with pools sometimes do not have an easy way for their dogs to enter or exit their pools. A water table can add a place for dogs to stand while getting in and out.  
• Go Outs: One of my favorite ways to use the water table is to teach a “go out” or “send.”. Some canine water sports require dogs to leave shore and go far away from their owners. The table is a great way to motivate your dog to go far from shore with gusto so they do not delay at the launch point.  
• Jumping: There are dog sports that encourage our dogs to jump off of docks and boats. Some dogs need to ease into jumping into the water, especially when the launch point is far above the surface (Dock Diving or jumping off a boat). A water table can be set starting with the top at the surface of the water and gradually moved to shallower water so the top of the table is above the water surface to practice jump approximations and build confidence.

Intrigued?: How to Start Training a Water Table

• All great training plans use good approximations towards the end goal, in this case, getting on the table.
• You always want to introduce the table at a depth that is easy for the dog to get onto, but not too deep that they are buoyant.
• Putting a toy or reward on top of the water above the table is a good way to introduce the new platform.
• Your dog may not want to get on the table immediately, so rewarding for touching it or rebounding off of it is a great start.
• Some dogs may swim across it a few times before they are ready to stand on it.
• Support your dog with food, praise, and toys when they are ready to start standing on it.
• Rewarding heavily at the beginning for interacting with the table and standing on the table will ease your dog and build confidence.
• We want the dog to find the table very valuable so we can use it as a training tool for jump confidence or swimming confidently through the launch point.
• Once you have executed a successful training plan for a water platform, you will find these skills will transfer to a land platform (Klimb, Cato, etc.) easily.

Need More Information? 

Join our 4 Paws Adrift Public Facebook group where Erica and the swim coaches can answer all your questions about the benefits and uses of a water table.

Happy Swimming!