Apparently, it not a very “well-known” fact; but German Shepherds do have webbed feet. I did a Google search to learn more, and strangely enough, even some of the adorable puppy sites are commonly found to say that the German Shepherd breed, better known as a “working breed” versus a “water breed,” do not have webbed toes. But, mine does, and so does every dog on my GSD forum, a place where this breed is revered.
And Sadie Mae LOVES to swim!!! You may have already read the stories in Helping Your Puppy Through Fears- Bathing and the Brush, but Sadie was not a fan of water at first. In fact, I had unwittingly almost ruined the joy of frolicking in water for her, when I tried to give her “the first bath.” (This caused me to learn early on to try to envision what my dogs sees and to get intimately involved in her emotional needs, something I did not understand too clearly before. But they are so small and so vulnerable as puppies, so it behooves all of us to get more involved, because our decisions made in their early development can effect their temperaments, their trust in us, their behaviors, their attention levels and obedience, and their likes and/or dislikes, such as wanting to go into water. But this story is best left to the other blog…)
I needed a place to show pictures of my beautiful dog enjoying the amenities of this incredibly clear, blue-watered lake, called Whiskeytown Lake, after the goldminer town the dam covered, also called Whiskeytown for the barrel of whiskey that was rumored to be extinguished once an evening in this miner’s hideaway from the the civilized folks in town.
But here is Sadie in one of our most beloved spots on earth:
Not often, because she is usually so full of energy, but Sadie does slow down at times to just stare out into the water. I think, much like myself, she is just flabberghasted with the beauty all around her!
It is hard to beleive that she was once terrified of the water.
Here she is again, contemplating… She is such a deep soul.
Webbed toes make a dog’s foot more like a ducks’s paddle-foot when they are in the water. It helps to propel them forward when they move all their little paws underwater. But when they are first learning how to balance themselves, to trust that they will float, practice different head postures, learn they can’t really breathe underwater and how to hold their breathes…it is very cute, but a bit nerve wracking, too. Because I DID NOT want her to hurt herself, much like a mother with her “real “child, I got in and played with her a lot, floated her around, swam out much farther to let her know it was safe and “do-able,” talked encouragingly to her. Plus, a shepherd’s fanatical love for chasing a ball will help them to learn just about anything quickly! (Using play toys is a great, fat-free way of training a dog, too.)
In addition, it helps that the water here is so very clear. The red clay does muddy it up quickly when walking in the shallow water, but dissipates back to the bottom quickly, as clay is a very heavy material. I am not sure of the distance of underwater visibility, but it has to be just as good or even better than Hawaii or the Bahama’s on a good day!
This is what I am talking about with “visibility”:
The waters are crystal clear, the bottom is clean and visibile. Unless you are frolicking like, say an overly excited young dog might be expected to do by jumping in-and-out-and-swimming-in-a-frenzied four-pawed-circle-without-stopping-for-10-minutes, then the red clay usually does not cause problems with visibility in this lake. Just driving around the lake and getting little glimpses of all the amazing hideaways in pure enjoyment.
I love the lake because it provides shallow places for her to move in and out of and rest when she needed it. We also liked to take her on the river trails, but I have always been a bit leary of her wading in too far because of the currents and the strength of rushing water. She has been very quick, attentive and well-behaved, but the rushing currents of the Sacramento can be powerful. We only have a few quite spots where she is allowed in at the Sac. But she can run and dive anywhere she wants at Whiskeytown. And she does!
Even in the fall, the beauty here is palpable. It makes my heart pound, and my dog yearn to RUN!
When the summer comes to a close, and the resevoir gets unplugged to clear out some and get ready for the winter rains we all hope for in California. What is left on the now visibile banks provides a lot of interest too. Here, this tree was underwater most of the summer, and only the roots sticking above ground were visible. But, it sure is fun to come back in the fall to get close and investigate!
These second pictures are “before” pictures of Sadie, playing with a long stick, in the water right next to the same tree above, yet submerged during the summer season. It is important that we have such good visibility here, as these could be hazardous if Sadie got her collar caught on a branch while she was still under water. I do watch for this type of danger, and I am close by when she is swimming.
Why Not Do It Yourself? 