Will dogs do anything for a treat?

This can only be described as a doggie pool party with owners only there to ensure there was not too much hijinks and sniffing of bottoms.
Cecelia and Eric brought Lucy (Wheaten Terrier) and Rita (Cocker Spaniel) to the party. Gretchen was a poor hostess when they first arrived basically telling them who was boss in this back yard! It is rather amusing seeing three pretty submissive dogs trying to rate for dominance I think the order of the afternoon went Gretchen, Lucy then poor old Rita as bottom dog!
The amusing thing about having a doggie pool party is that you really need dogs that enjoy water and to be honest none of our do! Rita was the most apt at swimming since she is a spaniel but still was not over joyed about coming in. The solution, since they wouldn't walk in via the steps for love nor treat was to get them to come to the edge of the pool with a treat and then lift the dog in. Since they all came back for more treats at the edge of the pool one can only assume they actually liked the idea of swimming!!! None of them particularly minded going in the lilo.

Short videos of them swimming show Rita’s finesse – she was one of these dogs you can hold above the water and she will start paddling with her feet, unlike the other too that were dead weights even when held in the water and didn't start paddling till you let go. Poor Lucy would swim at full pelt towards the edge – quite a splashy style you would have to say. Gretchen certainly got the prize for knowing where the steps were and being able to home in on them and get out as soon as possible!
Gretchen tried to get the other to play with her, but after her rude greet at the beginning they were not particularly interested – that serves her right! Lucy instead found some exceptional mud and dirt to roll in just to pay her owners back for putting her in the pool!

So will dogs do anything for a treat? May be not anything, but they certainly don't learn that treat equals water!
It was a long afternoon in the pool and Gretchen slept like a log after all the activity of the day.

I’m a cow-pup!

I’m a tulip!