On Saturday the pugs went swimming for the first time this season. When the pugs go swimming for any length of time we put their life jackets on them. Having their life jackets on really improves their swimming.
We usually put their vests on poolside, but we were out in the yard, so we just suited them up out there. Henry was dilly dallying around in the yard and did not come in with us using the regular, human, door so he had to use the doggie door. Well, with his vest on he no longer fit through the doggie door. That will teach him not to be last.
Land loving Benjamin tested out the raft to see if he could find a way to enjoy it out of the pool. He could have used a bit more cushioning in the seat, but I think he still prefers to sit in the raft when it is parked on solid ground.
When Benny climbed into the raft, Henry came over to see what Benny was up to. Although, I think he was all for setting sail in the raft since he loves to float around the pool and sun himself.
With the boys both involved, Luna felt compelled to sniff around. Her conclusion was that the raft was a pool toy, so she didn't want anything to do with it.
Shortly after Benny tired of sitting in the raft, Henry promptly jumped in to see what it is like at the helm on dry land. He must not have liked it because he didn't stay long.
Since everyone seemed to enjoy the photos and videos from swim camp, I thought I would post a few of the pictures that didn't make it into the posts earlier in the week.
Henry's swim camp is all about fetching. We have lots of toys that float, but his favorite is an orange lobster. I think he likes it because it is easy to grab out the water and easy for him to hold in his mouth.
Henry's routine is to stand on the first step and wait for someone to throw the lobster. He then jumps from the step and is off to fetch the lobster. Once he wrangles up the toy, he swims back to the step and jumps out of the pool with his catch to take a little break. Once he is rested, we throw the lobster back into the pool and Henry happily fetches it again.
Out of the 3, Henry gets in the most swimming because he actually swims up and back the whole length of the pool. Unless someone throws the lobster short
Henry has also mastered pushing off the edge of the pool to gain momentum when turning around to swim back to the step. You can get a good look at his turns in the video
Despite being a land lover, Benjamin is a very good swimmer. Rather than swimming laps, Benjamin prefers to swim circles. This completely makes sense for him because when he gets excited on dry ground he runs circles around everything. The coffee table, the bench in the yard, the sofa. Since circles come naturally to him we don't insist that he swim a more traditional lap.
Benjamin starts standing on the first step. And then he jumps. Yes, he jumps just like Henry. It took him a while to work up to it, but now he just leaps into the water. Watching him jump in makes me one proud momma.
Once he pops back up after his dive, he starts his circle. He swims one big circle and then heads back to the step. Once on the step he promptly jumps out of the pool and then runs a circle around the table on the lanai. I guess you could say that he prefers cross training. Perhaps, we could teach him how to ride a bike and then he could be a triathlete?
After a little rest, it is back to the step and then Benjamin begins his circle routine again.
Little Luna would get the camp's 'Most Improved' award. Not because her swimming has improved, her swimming skills have always been stellar, but because her fear of the water has decreased tremendously.
Luna's normal swim camp routine is to be carried to the far end of the pool and then swim to the step at the other end of the pool. At first she didn't want to leave her camp counselor accompanying her in the deep end. You would put her down and she would just circle you. So we started swimming to the step and she happily followed. After doing that a few times, she figured out how to swim to the step all on her own and no longer needed to be escorted.
And when she is swimming to the step, she is a woman on a mission.
And then she gets to take a little break on the step before she does another lap.
In our quest slim down the pugs we have brought back swim camp (more here as well). Swimming is not only great exercise for the pugs, but it is pretty much the only way they can exert themselves during the summer. The risk of them overheating is still there, but soaking their bodies in cool, pool water does a lot in helping to regulate their body temperatures.
To avoid shenanigans, we changed things up and the pugs now attend individual swim camp sessions. Which means, swim camp is a two camp counselor event. One person conducts swim camp while the other keeps the other two pugs occupied and away from the pool area.
A swim camp session lasts a total of 10 minutes. Each one of the pugs likes to spend their time doing different things, but the goal is to get in as much swimming as possible. They swim a bit, take a break, then swim a bit more. Repeat this process for ten minutes and then you have a swim camp session.
While one pug is at swim camp the other pugs do various things to pass the time. Depending on the time of day, they may go for a little walk, or they may assist in pulling weeds from the garden. Sometimes, we just sit under a tree in the front yard and enjoy the shade.
Completing 3 swim camp sessions takes about 45 minutes. Even though there is only 30 minutes of swimming, the exchange and suiting the pugs up takes time (life vests/harness). We try to do swim camp 3 times a week. That frequency seems to work well for the pugs. It keeps them from getting over exhausted.
This weekend, the pugs hosted media day at swim camp so I was able to get some pictures and take some underwater video. I was going to tell you about one of the pug's swim camp adventures each day this week, but I thought it would be more fun if I let you decide the order. So tell me, which pug would you like to hear about first? Although, I'm pretty sure I know your answer
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case I think this picture is a way to see the the different personalities of Benjamin, Henry & Luna.
First, we have Henry the adventurer that can't stay out of the pool. Then we have the worriers, Benjamin & Luna, that pace around the pool concerned about their brother. But the real moment of truth is when Henry jumps out of the pool. As you can see, Luna is giving Henry and earful, but Ben is in the back, running as fast as he can because he knows Henry is going to shake. One big shake from Henry will get Benny all wet. And Benjamin's number one rule when swimming is that no one can get wet.
