As I explored other activities to share with my dog, it dawned on me that even though I had a pool Hoosier had not been swimming yet. Getting ready for his swim lesson, I decided to start by introducing Hoosier to the sensation of being wet. I looked around the lawn and spotted the garden hose. Perfect I thought, I will just spray him down and see if he likes being wet. As I sprayed Hoosier with the water he lunged towards the nozzle and did his best to eat every drop of water. As water shot out, Hoosier continued to fight his way through the stream until he finally managed to lock his jaws onto the base of the hose. Feeling like he just climbed a mountain, Hoosier did not want to let go. Feeling sorry for my soaked dog, I gave in and decided it was a good time to play tug-o-war. As we played I learned 2 things; Hoosier was not afraid of being wet, and a dog can in fact chew a hole in a garden hose.
After passing the wet run with flying colors, I decided it was time for his first swim lesson. From the research I had done it seemed like a slow introduction to the pool would be the safest. I opened the gate to the pool and planned to slowly walk Hoosier into the pool step by step. Hoosier must have realized something was up, because he sprung into crazy dog mode, tucked his hind legs underneath him, and proceeded to run around the lawn like a possessed dog that had just raided a star buck’s store. Chasing him, I tried to gain control but he was too fast. Before I realized what was going on, Hoosier had an open shot for the pool. With the open gate now in the horizon, I had brief mental snapshot of Hoosier jumping in the pool and sinking like a rock. Frightened and concerned of what might happen, I sprinted after Hoosier to try and get the gate closed before it was too late. Hoosier, in full turbo mode, dashed through the gate, jumped into a fully stretched superman dive, and ended with a huge belly flop in the pool. Needless to say, Hoosier took to the water like an otter, and I never again worried about his ability to swim. We spent many summers together poolside, but none of them were quite like the first time Hoosier went swimming.