If you are lucky enough to have owned a beagle before, you are already familiar with this wonderful breed. If not, you are in for a treat. Beagles are sensitive, loyal dogs who are known for their sweet and loving nature. Although they can be quite stubborn, they are also very trainable and eager to please.
Beagles enjoy time outdoors and thrive on exercise, making them the perfect companion for an active family. Including your dog in all your adventures can be a wonderful bonding experience. But it’s also important to consider both the breed and your particular dog’s preferences in terms of activities. Many beagle owners have questions about beagles and swimming, the biggest one – of course – being: can beagles swim?
In this article, I’ll be exploring the pros and cons of swimming for beagles, and will lay out what steps you can take to help train them to be water-ready.
Are Beagles Natural Swimmers?
The quick answer to this question is that, no; in general, beagles are not natural swimmers. Beagles are generally prey-driven and will enjoy chasing – well, anything. But that does not typically extend to the water.
That’s not to say that beagles can’t swim at all, they just weren’t bred for it compared to other water dogs like retrievers.
Don’t let this disappoint you too much as just because the breed is not generally inclined toward being strong swimmers, does not mean that your beagle can’t be trained to swim or won’t enjoy the water.
The type of water feature that your dog might swim in can play a huge role in how your dog feels about it. For example, don’t be discouraged if your beagle gets nervous about the rain or being around a shower. It could be that he or she doesn’t like the feeling of water falling on them, without a way to control the exposure. On the other hand, wading out in water that gets gradually deeper, such as at a beach, might be a lot more appealing.
Although typically, beagles are not naturally drawn to water, many of them will enjoy it if they are properly introduced. There is really only one way to find out and that is to expose your dog to water and see what happens.
Taking your dog somewhere that you enjoy, that has access to very shallow water, will give you an idea of whether or not they enjoy it. Playing with your dog near and in shallow water will create positive associations with water, which will encourage him or her to explore further.
I started out by training my beagle as a puppy in the bath tub, then at a friend’s backyard pool, and now she loves frolicking against the breaking waves of the ocean, at least where the water is shallow enough for her short frame.
Giving treats and bringing favorite toys can demonstrate to your dog how much fun the water can be! In fact, the best way to assess how your dog feels about water is to put a toy or treat in the water, just a few feet away from where you are at. If your dog is confident and excited about water, he or she will most likely venture out to get it. If not, you might have a non-swimmer, or a dog that will need more coaxing to get comfortable with the idea.
A good way to help coax your dog is if you have another dog that already likes to swim. If you have a pool, you can always try getting into the water yourself, and try coaxing your dog in that way. Either way, starting from a young age when puppies are impressionable and easier to train is always a best practice.
If your beagle will have access to any water higher than a few inches, he or she should wear a dog life jacket at first. These can be purchased at a pet store or online. Be extra certain that you measure your dog correctly and purchase the right size life jacket to ensure a snug fit. More on the actual process of teaching your beagle to swim below.
How to Train a Beagle to Swim
The process of swimming does come naturally to most dogs. Although beagles are not naturally attracted to water, this does not mean that they cannot be taught to swim. With a little patience, almost all beagles can learn to swim. Some will need a little more coaxing – and coaching – than others.
As mentioned above, before you begin to teach your dog to swim, be sure that he or she is in a dog lifejacket and that it fits properly. This is paramount for safety, in the event that your dog somehow gets away from you.
The first step in teaching your beagle to swim is to get him used to the idea of being in and around water and create positive associations with it. This means bringing him somewhere with a body of water and having fun around it! Engage in his favorite games near the water. Some beagles will take longer than others to get comfortable with this. That’s okay. Be patient and allow him to check out and explore things at his own pace, as moving too quickly can have the opposite effect and create more of a water “phobia.”
Once your dog is showing signs of being confident around the water, and is getting closer to it, or even getting in on his own, you can move on to the next step. Put your dog on their leash and bring them out into the water. Just a few inches at first. If they are comfortable with that, you can move out a little more. Throw a favorite toy or a treat out a few feet away from you and see what they do.
Be sure to stay right by your dog’s side while you do this and that you look confident and excited as your beagle will follow your cues. If you seem nervous, they are sure to follow suit. Allow your dog to explore the water near you, at their own pace.
As your dog continues to show comfort, you can allow them to wander a little bit further out. (Again, your dog should have a life jacket at all times in the beginning of this process.) You can slowly lead your dog out until it reaches the depth of water where their feet can no longer touch. Many beagles will turn right around and head back at this point. If yours is one of them, continue to try to lead them out by keeping attention on toys and treats.
As soon as your beagle can no longer touch, lift their body up and support them. Most of the time, at this point a dog will kick his front legs to keep themselves going. However, you will want them to learn to use all four legs to swim. If you don’t train them to use all four legs, eventually your dog will tire itself out very quickly trying to keep their back end from sinking.
Continue to offer your beagle support until they are kicking successfully with all four of their legs. When they are doing this, you can let go for a moment. Stay nearby to offer encouragement and lift them up if they start to drop down.
Swimming is hard exercise and it will take even the most water-loving beagle time to adapt to this activity. When you see signs of fatigue, help your dog back to shore and take a break for a while. This process will probably need to be repeated several times and some dogs will need a lot more time and patience to learn than others.
Benefits of Swimming for Beagles
Swimming has numerous benefits for all types of animals, and beagles are no exception.
The number one benefit, of course, is that swimming is a terrific form of exercise. As a non-impact variant of resistance training, swimming cannot be beat. It is an exercise that uses the entire body, strengthening the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and pulmonary systems, all without putting any pressure on joints. For this reason, swimming can be great for both new growing puppies, and older dogs that might be suffering from conditions like arthritis.
In fact, beagles who are suffering from joint or muscular problems will feel a lot of relief from the support of the water around them, while strengthening their muscles. Research has noted that training beagles to swim – or at least to like the water – has the added benefit of making them more able to engage in hydrotherapy or aquatic physical therapy, should they ever need it.
Of course, knowing how to swim also offers considerable safety advantages. If your beagle has never been in the water and should somehow fall into a pool or lake, it could become a very dangerous situation. A dog who has spent time in the water is less likely to panic in such a situation and will be able to stay afloat long enough for someone to help.
Additionally, swimming can be a great way to beat the heat. It can get incredibly hot for dog’s in the summer months, and swimming can be a perfect outlet for them to cool themselves off.
Lastly, swimming helps dogs hone their sense of independence and self reliance. It can help your dog gain confidence in its own survival skills, and has been associated with reducing emotional stress, depression, and separation anxiety in beagles.
If you’d like to see a training example in action, check out this great video from Charlie The Beagle on YouTube
Downsides of Swimming for Beagles
There aren’t really downsides of swimming for beagles in terms of bad side effects. However, it should be noted that forcing an animal to do something that causes them panic is never a good idea and can result in long-term psychological damage.
If you have a beagle who does not want to get into the water, you can continue to try to introduce him or her with very gentle coaxing. In the end, though, it comes down to the individual dog and some of them will not swim no matter how hard you try.
If you are concerned about a reluctant-to-swim beagle’s safety around water, you can keep him or her in a dog lifejacket. Even for strong swimmers, experts recommend keeping your dog in a lifejacket whenever he or she is around, or in, rough or deep waters.
Additionally, certain bodies of water can be very cold, and if your beagle is exposed to that water for long periods of time, they can start to develop hypothermia. For this reason, you’ll want to limit water exposure during periods of cold weather.
Final Thoughts
Although beagles, as a breed, are not known for being water-lovers and strong swimmers, with a little time and patience, many beagles can be taught to enjoy being around water. As long as you remember that it is supposed to be an enjoyable experience for both of you. Now go get swimming!