Zooka was introduced to water with his breeder before he joined us. We wanted to make sure we kept up his exposure to water while he was young so he knows how to handle himself and hopefully enjoys some fun cool off time in the summers.

This video was taken when he was 10.5 weeks old. We had the hose going lightly in the puppy kiddie pool so it's shallow water. We discovered early on he loved very shallow water but was hesitant with anything too close to a full kiddie pool. To make sure it was safe and fun for him, we did lots of slow intros with the water.

Reviewing videos always gives us a chance to look back at what we did and realize where we should have done things differently as well. While we want him learning how to navigate obstacles, the sides of this pool were a little too high for him. We should have placed something outside to make it easier to get in and out.

But you can see he is pretty comfortable with climbing in and out. Not graceful, but comfortable. And he likes the water.

At this age, he especially loved the moving water coming out of the hose. He spent lots of time during his first summer of life playing in the kiddie pool with the hose and the spraying water!

If you notice in this or any other videos with Zooka in the water, we always allow HIM to make the choice. If he wants to go it, great. If not, that's ok too!

If you have a puppy, or a new dog with little exposure to water, you might want to try something similar. Keep it shallow and relaxed. Let your pup explore at their pace.