Question: When can I do self swimming?
Answer: Well, that depends on your skill and what your dog requires. Many people who want to self swim require only one instructional session from Cindy and then they are well on their way. Some people prefer to spend a bit more time with Cindy before they feel capable of “taking the oars”, so to speak. This is highly individual, and something to be decided between you, Cindy, and your canine partner.
The most important thing you’ll want to know before you self swim is how to get your dog in the water safely by yourself and how to keep your dog IN the water until the end of your session. A common mistake is to let your dog out of the water during the session. Going from the weightless environment of the water, to the weighted environment of land and back is not necessarily good for your dog and can even be dangerous. Its also important to understand that you can easily do TOO MUCH swimming… so we’d work on that too. There are massage moves and things you can do when resting – Cindy would love to help you learn these new skills and to build a program for you and your pup.
Some of Cindy’s self swimming clients enjoy doing periodic therapy swims with Cindy while they are doing their self swims – as a way to monitor their dog’s progress and to answer any questions.
Swimming your canine friend can be truly rewarding and fun… there are many pools in the area that allow self swimming or perhaps you may even have your own pool! Cindy would love to help to get you comfortable in the water with your canine friend.