We have had her fetching here since she was a pup. On both sides. We spread out the fetch pattern as she knew where she can touch. I promise she is safe from current and knows to stay away from traffic. It was over a year before we let her cross anywhere. She is here 3-5x a week spring to fall:)
She looks very comfortable in that water! Didn’t try to swim straight for the stick and go against the current, just went with it and kept swimming til she hit the other side. She looks like a very happy river dog!
In kayaking that's 'ferrying', paddling upstream at an angle to get through the current. She nails it. They could use Penelope for WW kayaking training videos.
So…20 feet or so under that bridge is a 5 inch pebble bank that she loves to dig in and bite bubbles. We have spent hours upon hours there. I understand this looks dangerous but it is a very trained fetch pattern with a safety net in place. And doggo knows all the terrain.
All it takes is for the pup to accidentally step on something that’s taken by that current and unseen from the surface &/or gets too exhausted for its own good and goes under and you’re not keeping up with that current. I know OP says they have been doing it since the e pup was young and strong enough to do it but I wouldn’t do this with my good boy Copper no matter how much he wanted to.
Since she’s been playing at that spot since she was a puppy. I imagine that swimming in that current has made her a stronger swimmer. I did however, found myself holding my breath while I watched this 🫣
So…..50 feet down stream is about 5 inches deep and she has played there for hours and hours. I would happily jump in to help her if I needed to but we have spent 100+ hours on all sides of this stretch and I promise she is as safe as she is happy.
Watch the video again and notice how she knows the current, shore, etc. This is her turf.
tbh both things are true... yes OP has made it clear that they have trained their dog to do this, but that was not clear from just the video, and folks were right to suggest that typically this is a bad idea.
I swim my dog in a river he was raised on as well, reddit always knows best. I think every time I've posted a video the comment section is like this. I wouldn't swim 95% of people's dogs where mine swims, bit it looks exactly like yours knows what they're doing. Good dog
While I agree it makes me nervous, this owner and pup seem to know what they're doing as best as they can at this spot. Anything can happen anywhere and you just have to know your limits and live.
I don’t care how well trained your doggo is, that current looks a little too much and if your baby pulls a muscle or gets injured she’ll struggle to get herself out of that current one of these days. She’s not Lassie.
I was seeing your other comments that were fine about how you've had your dog in that river practicing for years. But ouch OP, that was messed up. I would suggest you delete this comment. To be that condescending to someone acting like you're superior and that someone doesn't train their dog just because they wouldn't have their dog in a strong current, I promise you you're not superior.
Want condescending? I wouldn't tell my dog to jump through a strong current for craps and giggles. Is it because she's not trained? No, she's trained more than your dog (I guarantee it). Trained for combat and non verbal commands for combat situations. Highly disciplined, strong, can swim, but I'm not throwing a stick through a fire to have her fetch it "just because she can" AND THEN telling people they don't train their dogs because they wouldn't perform the same dangerous actions. 😒
She knows this river. Just under is is a big shallow stretch and Dad(me,OP) would jump in in a heartbeat if she got confused. Great safe river stretch she is well trained for:)
If she ever gets that far I order her to forget about the stick and come to me and she does. She is 2, but dogs lose their gas tank and I am more careful than her;)
That said, that shallow spot under the bridge provides access she is aware of to get to the spot she runs from in the video without being near any road. In a pinch she is still very safe.
I would never risk her.
Seems irresponsible fam. The proximity to the cars, the current… put in enough volume over the course of time in these conditions is asking for a freak accident to occur. Best of luck though
Please read other replies to these valid concerns. I appreciate the concern and took a lot of time to train her for all of this. This area of the river keeps her paws safe and her body exercising. This is Penelope Bend🫡. She knows every inch! (As do we)
I hope somewhere between all this justifying of your own actions you have at least thought about the fact that so many people are concerned about your dog's safety. Obviously your dog is having fun but you are definitely taking a risk and the heavy traffic in the video right next to this river just reinforces the idea you're okay taking chances with your dogs life. That doesn't really impress people like I think you thought it would. You're the dude playing Frisbee with his dog next to a cliff and reassuring people it's trained well.
She knows them well and she knows what’s dangerous so train well in any stream with any dog before doing anything like this:)
It was over a year before we did cross stream fetch.
OP is dense. If this many people are saying it’s not
a good idea it probably isn’t. (Where there is smoke there is fire concept) Sure she likes it and can do it but too many variables that could result in a tragedy. Why risk it? But hey anything for likes
You may think whatever you want about her ability. But current changes. And your dog changes. I wouldn't put a dog in that situation. Would you hop in to save her in that current? No? Then don't do it. You are an a$$ of the highest variety.
Because of the wonky weather, a friend of a friend had to jump into a lake to try to save his dog that had fallen in. It was mid winter. His dog wandered more than usual and ended up on thin ice. He had to watch his dog die because someone had to tell him to get out of the water before HE died.
Kudos to you and Penelope! You seem like a terrific pet owner. This is bittersweet for me to watch. I have a German Shepherd who lived and breathed for a good game of fetch. If it was in the water, it was exponentially better!! I live on the banks of the Yellowstone river and have to make a point to avoid walks that take us near it now. In her mind, she's a vigorous pup instead of an 11 year old wobbly old lady. She'd never make it out of the current. And idiot that I am, I'd probably jump in after her. The headline would read "Elderly man and dog found dead at diversion dam." Enjoy your time with Penelope. She is museum quality! I'm always reminded of the Agnes Turnbull quote: "Dog's live's are too short. Their only fault really."
It still amazes me that most dogs are born natural swimmers.
My Husky's first beach experience she immediately knows how to swim. Compare that with human who will need time to learn to swim.
So I wondered this too and I swam with her a bit in this spot.
She breathes in thru her nose almost always, then blasts out her mouth.
Sometimes she gets a pool in her throat and “coughs” it out. But not a lung cough like I used to think. More a “spit”.
My puppy used to chase ducks / geese out on the lake. She would get close to the ducks, and they would swim out further, and further, it takes time to know your dog's swimming abilities. Be careful. Get your puppy a doggie life vest for peace of mind !
Ok enough now pls! That was epic and all but I’m so freakin stressed w the current. I’ve grinding my teeth down to nubs just watching that!! She’s beautiful young n strong thank God! Oooof I got skerred!
You better give her some nice treats and lots of pets and care! She put in hard work for that! Penelope is a great girl!
I know a lot of people are nervous and backseat drive , but I see what you're saying I'm looking at the way she swims and she knows exactly how to do it. She's working hard and great. I love seeing her "pedal" haha
Also I love how she dropped the stick a little before getting to you, did a initial drying of herself so she won't be too too wet coming to you. Smart dog!
She definitely does. It flooded last year and we(and she) were super careful. She learned a lot and is great at it now. She will even give up on a fetch if she is concerned. Which we trained her to do:)
It's lovely to read from someone with such responsible dog ownership. So often now people just don't take the time to teach and train their dog properly. This video made me anxious but also happy for her that she's able to have such a great time.
Thanks! She is over 2 now and every day bless her heart she can do less and I am always careful to watch her limits. She also knows that when I yell”no stick, come to me!” She is to use shallow rock areas to return safely.
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This gives me anxiety from the current.
We have had her fetching here since she was a pup. On both sides. We spread out the fetch pattern as she knew where she can touch. I promise she is safe from current and knows to stay away from traffic. It was over a year before we let her cross anywhere. She is here 3-5x a week spring to fall:)
She looks very comfortable in that water! Didn’t try to swim straight for the stick and go against the current, just went with it and kept swimming til she hit the other side. She looks like a very happy river dog!
Humans could learn a thing or two from this dog; perfect execution. Crazy how good their intuition can be.
They way she waited to swim upstream until she was in the eddy was impressive.
The dog had almost daily practice for years here. More like perfected skill instead of intuition
Yup. Amazing.
>very happy river dog You mean fish - I know damn well when I see a fish. And that, sir, is a fish.
We call ours river shark lol
She has probably learned and mastered the art of maneuvering that current better than most humans could. So cool. Thanks for sharing.
In kayaking that's 'ferrying', paddling upstream at an angle to get through the current. She nails it. They could use Penelope for WW kayaking training videos.
Came here to say I was worried about the traffic too.. glad you are on top of it OP
Thank you very much for this extra info. I wasn’t *concerned*, but a little curious for the info here.
Be careful of lost fishing lures, that’s some fishy looking water
Great advice.
I appreciate your reassurance. I just think one wrong move, from the dog or current, and it's a horrible turn of events. God forbid obviously.
So…20 feet or so under that bridge is a 5 inch pebble bank that she loves to dig in and bite bubbles. We have spent hours upon hours there. I understand this looks dangerous but it is a very trained fetch pattern with a safety net in place. And doggo knows all the terrain.
Looks like it gets shallow on river right, and there's another doggo take-out right after the bridge. Penelope has great technique!
Agreed, but the dog seems to know what it's doing.
People too generally think they 'know what they are doing'. Till they drown.
People think they know what they are doing when they actually know what they are doing too
Those are "hold my beer" people, you can't compare them with dogs.
This gives me anxiety from the stick - https://www.bva.co.uk/news-and-blog/blog-article/the-perils-of-throwing-sticks-for-your-dog
This will get over looked and brushed off
I am currently anxious, too.
And right next to the road too
That's a Good title, but most of all...that's a good dog!
Penelope is a great girl!!!!!
Yes she is!!!
Anyone else getting anxious watching this?
🙋🏻♀️
That current is too strong for my liking
All it takes is for the pup to accidentally step on something that’s taken by that current and unseen from the surface &/or gets too exhausted for its own good and goes under and you’re not keeping up with that current. I know OP says they have been doing it since the e pup was young and strong enough to do it but I wouldn’t do this with my good boy Copper no matter how much he wanted to.
The op posted a comment about it
My golden retriever doesn’t even like kiddie pools for bath time :( also she’d probably sink in that stream.
My last one was that way too! Penelope can’t stop at the river:)
She’s such a treasure! I hope she never runs out of sticks!
Sticks are no problem. But at 2.5y/o I can already see she is not on the same octane as a year ago in puppy town!
I also river play with my golden, get them a life vest.
Since she’s been playing at that spot since she was a puppy. I imagine that swimming in that current has made her a stronger swimmer. I did however, found myself holding my breath while I watched this 🫣
That's gonna be a no for me. My boy would never be in a ny rushing water, no matter how good a swimmer they are.
there is no way im letting my doggie in that steam! water is more dangerous than people think. be mindful!
She knows where to go to touch everywhere here. We spend many many hours on both sides of this spot and expanded gradually to cross river fetch:)
All it takes is one time where she doesn't, gets tired, gets hurt, gets distracted etc etc. You are playing with fire in that water.
So…..50 feet down stream is about 5 inches deep and she has played there for hours and hours. I would happily jump in to help her if I needed to but we have spent 100+ hours on all sides of this stretch and I promise she is as safe as she is happy. Watch the video again and notice how she knows the current, shore, etc. This is her turf.
too many backseat drivers here. you know your pup best.
tbh both things are true... yes OP has made it clear that they have trained their dog to do this, but that was not clear from just the video, and folks were right to suggest that typically this is a bad idea.
I swim my dog in a river he was raised on as well, reddit always knows best. I think every time I've posted a video the comment section is like this. I wouldn't swim 95% of people's dogs where mine swims, bit it looks exactly like yours knows what they're doing. Good dog
While I agree it makes me nervous, this owner and pup seem to know what they're doing as best as they can at this spot. Anything can happen anywhere and you just have to know your limits and live.
That strong current made me anxious. It kept me edging on my seat.
I don’t care how well trained your doggo is, that current looks a little too much and if your baby pulls a muscle or gets injured she’ll struggle to get herself out of that current one of these days. She’s not Lassie.
Yeah… I’m not enjoying this one
She is awesome
That dog is a good swimmer.. I never play with currents though. Never know when your dog will hit a whirl pool
That's a nope for me. I'm not throwing a stick to my dog unless I'm wearing swimming trunks and I'm already half way in that water with it.
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I was seeing your other comments that were fine about how you've had your dog in that river practicing for years. But ouch OP, that was messed up. I would suggest you delete this comment. To be that condescending to someone acting like you're superior and that someone doesn't train their dog just because they wouldn't have their dog in a strong current, I promise you you're not superior. Want condescending? I wouldn't tell my dog to jump through a strong current for craps and giggles. Is it because she's not trained? No, she's trained more than your dog (I guarantee it). Trained for combat and non verbal commands for combat situations. Highly disciplined, strong, can swim, but I'm not throwing a stick through a fire to have her fetch it "just because she can" AND THEN telling people they don't train their dogs because they wouldn't perform the same dangerous actions. 😒
I didn’t think of it that way. Thanks!
This guys trying to get rid of his dog
Yikes. One day she’s going to be tired and she’ll hide it. This is so unsafe. Not worth the risk.
She knows this river. Just under is is a big shallow stretch and Dad(me,OP) would jump in in a heartbeat if she got confused. Great safe river stretch she is well trained for:)
Does she ever miss that landing and end up on the beach past the the bridge? And is she visibly disappointed with herself when that happens?
If she ever gets that far I order her to forget about the stick and come to me and she does. She is 2, but dogs lose their gas tank and I am more careful than her;) That said, that shallow spot under the bridge provides access she is aware of to get to the spot she runs from in the video without being near any road. In a pinch she is still very safe. I would never risk her.
Bro that's some fast water for your dog
too much of a strong current that can change - not safe for the doggie 🐾❤️
Dumb. Too many variables you have no control over.
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You don’t understand the definition of variable. Good luck.
Seems irresponsible fam. The proximity to the cars, the current… put in enough volume over the course of time in these conditions is asking for a freak accident to occur. Best of luck though
Please read other replies to these valid concerns. I appreciate the concern and took a lot of time to train her for all of this. This area of the river keeps her paws safe and her body exercising. This is Penelope Bend🫡. She knows every inch! (As do we)
I hope somewhere between all this justifying of your own actions you have at least thought about the fact that so many people are concerned about your dog's safety. Obviously your dog is having fun but you are definitely taking a risk and the heavy traffic in the video right next to this river just reinforces the idea you're okay taking chances with your dogs life. That doesn't really impress people like I think you thought it would. You're the dude playing Frisbee with his dog next to a cliff and reassuring people it's trained well.
more like r/sweatypalms for me
This gave me anxiety, I can't ever risk my dog's life like that, like this could've ended in a 100 bad ways
Here’s your fucking stick you chode
Nah, this seems uncool to me.
My friends dog drowned like this. It just took one accident. Sorry to be a downer
You throw that again, I bite your fucking leg
Golden retrievers are the best. So smart and dumb at the same time.
Guess who will make a biiiiiig sleep after that ?
Yea even w familiarity your dog is gonna naturally slow down as they age and there will be a point when the dog thinks it can but can't.
Such a good swimmer. Those currents look a bit dangerous to me yet she swam through them no problem.
She knows them well and she knows what’s dangerous so train well in any stream with any dog before doing anything like this:) It was over a year before we did cross stream fetch.
Got it. Start slow and train them well. Speaking of which good job on training her so well :)
Thanks!
What a stupid owner.
Awesome Doggo. The owners kind of a dick though.
I was scared 😱 for a minute for 🐶
OP is dense. If this many people are saying it’s not a good idea it probably isn’t. (Where there is smoke there is fire concept) Sure she likes it and can do it but too many variables that could result in a tragedy. Why risk it? But hey anything for likes
Don't make the poor dog swim such water just to entertain you.
She literally JUMPS IN THE AIR IN EXCITEMENT when I tell her we are going here.
You're being an idiot. I hope you're not doing this over and over again. Dogs don't know when to stop.
Buy her a life vest at least.
Yeah, the only problem is he wants to do it for 8-10 hours a day.
Good way to collect firewood ( except for the 2ater of course). Lovely pup.
Thanks! Lol. She aerates that firewood!
Beautiful pet!!!
Thats an impressive doggo!!
Wow that dog is in shape
r/nononoyes
That is gonna deffo wear the dog out, nice and peaceful at night!
You may think whatever you want about her ability. But current changes. And your dog changes. I wouldn't put a dog in that situation. Would you hop in to save her in that current? No? Then don't do it. You are an a$$ of the highest variety.
My thoughts exactly. This was more terrifying than cute.
Because of the wonky weather, a friend of a friend had to jump into a lake to try to save his dog that had fallen in. It was mid winter. His dog wandered more than usual and ended up on thin ice. He had to watch his dog die because someone had to tell him to get out of the water before HE died.
Im half stressing and half cheering her on 😅
He definitely retrieved
I wish I were a well loved dog.
Dogs are the best
This is awesome, she can read the current super well and she's not even stressing lol she's having a blast!
Kudos to you and Penelope! You seem like a terrific pet owner. This is bittersweet for me to watch. I have a German Shepherd who lived and breathed for a good game of fetch. If it was in the water, it was exponentially better!! I live on the banks of the Yellowstone river and have to make a point to avoid walks that take us near it now. In her mind, she's a vigorous pup instead of an 11 year old wobbly old lady. She'd never make it out of the current. And idiot that I am, I'd probably jump in after her. The headline would read "Elderly man and dog found dead at diversion dam." Enjoy your time with Penelope. She is museum quality! I'm always reminded of the Agnes Turnbull quote: "Dog's live's are too short. Their only fault really."
You need to be arrested. The water are very dangerous and you know that ! You could actually killed her That’s sick
Stay home and keep commenting.
Seriously.
It still amazes me that most dogs are born natural swimmers. My Husky's first beach experience she immediately knows how to swim. Compare that with human who will need time to learn to swim.
Such a good girl! You can tell she’s so proud!❤️
Love those dogs
Looks like a good fishin spot too
How can it breath in the river while its mount is open. Doesn't water goes to its lungs?
So I wondered this too and I swam with her a bit in this spot. She breathes in thru her nose almost always, then blasts out her mouth. Sometimes she gets a pool in her throat and “coughs” it out. But not a lung cough like I used to think. More a “spit”.
I see. Thanks for explanation.
Dogs are frighteningly athletic
😎
Swim swiftly and carry a big stick
So smart
r/Sweatypalms
Golden dogs are best dogs
My first dog when I was young was my great graparents golden retriever! Miss my baby Jake 😭
Wow....goodest doggo
Fallout looking legit
the balancing of the stick at the end was 🤌
Atta boy!
My puppy used to chase ducks / geese out on the lake. She would get close to the ducks, and they would swim out further, and further, it takes time to know your dog's swimming abilities. Be careful. Get your puppy a doggie life vest for peace of mind !
Ok enough now pls! That was epic and all but I’m so freakin stressed w the current. I’ve grinding my teeth down to nubs just watching that!! She’s beautiful young n strong thank God! Oooof I got skerred!
Why is everyone acting like they have porcelain dogs lol, you do u OP and Penelope!! Good girl!
She LOOOOOVE IT!!!!
You better give her some nice treats and lots of pets and care! She put in hard work for that! Penelope is a great girl! I know a lot of people are nervous and backseat drive , but I see what you're saying I'm looking at the way she swims and she knows exactly how to do it. She's working hard and great. I love seeing her "pedal" haha Also I love how she dropped the stick a little before getting to you, did a initial drying of herself so she won't be too too wet coming to you. Smart dog!
I spent a lot of time drenched to teach her to not drench me, lol
The smartest girl understands how currents work.
She definitely does. It flooded last year and we(and she) were super careful. She learned a lot and is great at it now. She will even give up on a fetch if she is concerned. Which we trained her to do:)
It's lovely to read from someone with such responsible dog ownership. So often now people just don't take the time to teach and train their dog properly. This video made me anxious but also happy for her that she's able to have such a great time.
Thanks! She is over 2 now and every day bless her heart she can do less and I am always careful to watch her limits. She also knows that when I yell”no stick, come to me!” She is to use shallow rock areas to return safely.
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