Many of us have chosen in recent years to welcome new four-legged friends into our homes — loudly kennel club Dog ownership increased by almost eight per cent – and post-lockdown demand for puppies remains high.
As well as numerous crossbreeds, there are a whopping 221 different pedigree dog breeds to choose from, giving you a lot to think about before choosing the latest addition to your family.
There’s even scientific guidance to seek out, with psychologist Stanley Coren’s book, The Intelligence of Dogs, which ranks breeds on instinct, obedience, and adaptability.
One thing to consider is that some dogs do not do well with water due to a number of physical characteristics, which means they are not meant to swim.
Others, however, love the water – some even have webbed feet to move through seas, lakes and rivers.
Here are the 10 dog breeds that make the best and worst swimmers.
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Starting with the dog breeds that are completely at home in the water and the Otterhound. A very rare breed, as the name suggests, it was used in Britain to hunt otters until the practice was banned in 1978. They are exceptionally strong swimmers and are even webbed for extra speed in the water.
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The Portuguese water dog, another webbed breed perfect for swimming, was used by fishermen to herd fish into nets and retrieve lost gear from the sea.
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Britain’s most popular dog breed, the Labrador Retriever was bred to collect shot wildfowl which often ended up in the water, so being a good swimmer was crucial. Today, Labradors like to fetch sticks and balls out of the water for hours.
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A popular breed in its native Canada, the water-loving Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has a unique ability to attract ducks to a hunter’s sights. Then they happily jump into the lake to rescue the doomed waterfowl.
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