Lisa
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Getting him in the water!When Blu was a bit younger he didn't have a problem with the water at all really, was a little cautious at the beginning but managed to get in and enjoy it. Until he got a little carried away and dived in off a ledge into deep water and then struggled to get out  To the point where I had to hook him out by his collar!
Since this he is extremely reluctant to go in  Not really what you want when your starting out gundog training!
I know I need to get in with him but I was wondering of other ways to coax him in if that didn't work. I took him to a small pond today and he is willing to go in if he can touch the floor but will not go any deeper. He doesn't like his head going under and frantically shakes his head when he does! It maybe just a matter of perserverance and eventually he will go in  but I'm hoping sooner than later as we have a working test in two weeks If he is not in by then maybe I shouldn't enter him?!
All advice welcome 
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Helen
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I have a secret weapon! lol. She's a springer spaniel who LOVES water. Teal hated it to start off with and I just chucked a ball in for Pippa, and Teal followed.
I would be tempted to get in yourself - pair of waders or just shorts! and coax him in. The scare he got will have put him off so it's going to take a bit of perserverence to get him confident with it.
Not sure about the working test. I would be tempted to go, as you have entered, and treat it as a training and experience day.
Helen
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josie
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Here are some ideas, they may or may not help:
A plastic drinks bottle, with hotdog sausages in - show him them, chuck the bottle in with a piece of string tied round it. Make it easy and reachable the first few times and gradually deeper as he gets confident.
Buy a bunch of cheapo toys from the pet shop and use these (with string or a long line) as max motivation to get him in.
If all else fails, try a hydrotherapy pool for a few weeks, that's what did it for Slate, finally.
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sako75
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Hi Lisa,
I had a hell of a time with my older dog and water (he had a scare when he was young). Basically , I persevered for about 10 minutes per night over the course of 3 weeks and took it step by step , tippy toes - tummy - and then the dreaded paws off the bottom of the river bed . Now I can't get the bloody dog out of the water he loves it. I found it helped to get in the water with him and give loads of encouragement. It is all about gaining confidence again.
Barry.
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mcelkek
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I was at a trial once and a guy was telling me that he had a GSP in the same boat as the others mentioned before. He said his dog was game enough, would enter the water, wade out to chest height then get up on her back legs and wade out again. But she never would then take the next step and just swim. He said he cured it by putting a childs inflatable ring around her hind quarters. This brought her rear end up and as she wasn't vertical in the water anymore she started to swim. A few more times and she didn't need it.
We all laughed at him, but we soon shut up when he went on to win that trial with that very dog!
Keith.
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sako75
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I love that story Keith 
Barry.
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Lisa
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Oh thanks all!
It's definately encouraging to know that I'm not the only one with a non-water gundog 
Thats a great pic Barry! Hopefully I can post one of Blu like that when he conquers his fear!!
Love the idea of the inflatable! sounds crazy but it does make sense
I have taken Blu to a hydro therapy pool but he was even worse there! I think that was down to the surroundings and the lady took him in and not me. He hung on to the lady the whole session and then decided to clonk her right in the face with his paw and gave her a nose bleed 
I'd like to try and just use the ponds / lakes as it will be familiar settings for tests. I would take him to the sea (I have plenty of it near me!) but again I don't think it would do him any favours
Well, I have plenty to try this week now and will let you know how I get on! ........now where did I put the kid's rubber rings? 
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windem bang
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I think where water is concerned you just have to keep trying - everything and as often as possible. Only this afternoon I got Charlie my cocker pup to swim in the local river. This was his first time near water bigger or deeper than a puddle and he looked unsure to start with - but he swam ! A springer pup was present and helped by making Charlie try to beat him to the retrieve ( a piece of branch .) Charlie did beat the springer - it still doesn't swim but Charlie does !
Bill T.
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josie
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You can buy doggie life jackets, Slate had one of those too (!). I didn't notice that it helped much to be honest.
Also, if you try a hydro pool, you really have to keep going until you see the dog relax and become familiar with it. With Slate, the first time at the hydro pool, I took her about 3 times, then decided it wasn't working. Struggling on with loads of other methods (all failed!), went back to hydro pool and decided to think of it as an ongoing thing. Went once a week for months (cost FAR too much money, let's not go there!) and she was running up the ramp and into the pool. Once she got to that stage at hydro, we started to get her swimming in other places. It helps if the hydro pool also has a plentiful supply of sausages and cheese to feed dog in water! We took Grey to hydro too while she was a little puppy, straight after 2nd jab, and she has no probs with water. I wish we'd taken Slate that early too.
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Lisa
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I think it definately a case of perseverance, I took both my two to the pond this morning and clipped a dummy to my extendable lead and threw it in. I could not believe my eyes as my other weim (hates water) went right in to nearly a swim to get the dummy!!
Once Blu saw her do this he then went further in to get the dummy first. Neither of them swam but the confidence is getting there! Will just keep taking them there as often as I can.
The only trouble was, Blu sussed Emmy going in further and getting the dummy, he waited behind her and took it from her mouth to bring it to me I think some sessions on his own might be worth thinkig about too!!
Josie, I wish I had got both of mine in young, it's seems so much more less hassle to do that! Oh well, will do it for sure with my next one!!
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Helen
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That sounds promising Lisa. Jealousy works very well sometimes lol.
Helen
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josie
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Of course you could always go swimming yourself in this weather! His desire to be with you and having fun might overcome his fear...?
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cressy
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Chase has only recently decided water is ok after a scare in the floods last July. He went to wath a confident retriever swimming for a dummy and had to sit. By the time he had a go his desire for the dummy far outweighed his fear but I kept the dummy initially to a distance he could wade out to then increased till he did two swum retrieves.
He is now keen but of course the ducks are now nesting on same pond with great shelf in so we have to wait.
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