I took Goose and Billy to my friends house today that has a pool to see if Goose's river swimming skills would cross over to pool swimming skills. Previously in her pool he would only go on the first step if I put him there and one time fell in. Today he was much more interested in going in the pool. He was still nervous to go in off the steps because he knew there was a drop off. He got onto the first step by himself so I tossed the ball a few feet in front of him to trying to entice him in. He really wanted it but he was to scared to jump in on his own. I decided to try to show him it was just like yesterdays trip by picking him up and placing him in the water right in front of the ball. He was scared but not too scared to swim out to the ball before he came back! He did try to get out of the pool on the side with out steps so I had to show him the only way was through the steps. To try to help him see that it was nothing different then what he did yesterday I took a big floaty raft and tried to make a ramp out of it for him to come in gradually (didn't work as rafts float.) BUT Goose did have no problem climbing on the the raft and then floating out into the middle of the pool. From there he had much less of a problem jumping in and fetching balls and he learned the only way out was through the steps. He became obsessed with going on the raft and would keep jumping onto it and floating out into the middle of the pool and then jumping in after the ball. It was so cute and funny! Billy loves swimming so the whole time he tried to get the ball I was using to try to get Goose to come in. When they weren't swimming and fetching balls, they were busy jumping up onto the lounge chair where my friend had kept her notes for a test she was studying for and soaking and trying to steal them. Silly dogs!
Water lover! (Billy in the background stamping homework)
The raft he loved surfing on!
He loves chairs
Poor papers...
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