Swimming puppy

Sorry I haven't updated this in a while, I've been very busy!

We have a pool and previously we had thought that Aston was too scared to go in the water. We thought that because he is a Spaniel he would enjoy swimming, but he wouldn't enter the pool to try and we didn't want to force him. Last year he would only stand with his front paws on the top step and his back paws still on the side. This year, he has become more brave. He has no problem standing completly on the top step and he occasionally will stand on the second step also. He paws at the water to test its depth and see whether he can stand there without his head going under. He has realized that the second step is as far as he can go without getting out of his depth, so he doesn't advanced past that.

I had friends round in our pool on Sunday and Aston gets very excited when they come over. He was running next to the pool as they were swimming up and down and he was trying to steal the foam noodles. He also tried to catch drops of water in his mouth when he got splashed. One of my friends isn't the best swimmer and splashes a ton when he swims and creates waves in the pool. Aston was leaning over the side, trying to lap up the water from the waves (even though I always yell at him not to because its salt water) and pawing at it. All of a sudden, he was in the pool! I thought that he had fallen in, but my mum was watching and said that he just plunged himself in. He was at the deep end, but thankfully he can instinctively doggy-paddle. He managed to get to the side, but the steps are in the shallow end and of course he can't get up the ladder. Two of my friends managed to lift him out and set him on the side. I thought that he would have been scared, but his tail was wagging and he looked happy enough, if very, very soggy.

He was soaking wet and my parents had to dry him off while I continued to entertain my friends. The house smelled of wet dog for the rest of the day, but Aston seemed to enjoy his brief swim.

If he decides to jump in again, I will have to teach him where the steps are so that he knows how to get out of the pool by himself. We don't have to worry too much because he is never outside with the pool cover open without us being with him. But I'd prefer not to have to jump in fully clothed to rescue him if he decides to have a swim one day.