Confidence Building

Dogs learn from positive association. The ideal way to help a fearful or shy dog to gain confidence is to expose them to what frightens them at a low intensity, pairing this exposure with something positive.

Unfortunately, not all dogs are natural born swimmers. If your dog is nervous around water the pool environment is an ideal place for them to overcome that fear. With encouragement, motivators and treats in a safe controlled environment your dog can learn to swim without fear. This will build your dog’s confidence in the water and help them remain calm and safe should they ever get themselves into difficulty, and will also assist if hydrotherapy treatment is ever required in the future.

• Mental stimulation leaving your dog happy, relaxed and tired providing positive behavioural effects and enrich the dogs environment.
• Promotion of relaxation.
• Your dog will build confidence in themselves as a result of feeling the support of the water, allowing them to move more freely. 
• The calming effect of the warm water can improve their mood and bring out the puppy in them and can greatly reduce tension and anxiety. 

In our experience dogs who are not keen on swimming, often do very well within the hydrotherapy environment and do not associate swimming in the hydrotherapy pool the same as going to a local river or lake.

Hydrotherapy is a great way to build your dog's confidence!