What dog breed is scared of water?

The English bulldog is a breed that is hugely likely to sink like a stone as soon as they hit the water. More or less every trait of this breed’s conformation is the exact opposite of what makes a good swimmer, and this is a breed that should be kept well clear of water sources deeper than their bellies for this very reason. Their legs are short too, without a hugely wide spectrum of movement. The head and face of the English bulldog that seals the deal – the head is disproportionately large and heavy, causing the dog to tip forwards from their central balance point in the water, and then the dog’s flat face means in turn that they cannot keep their nose above the water in order to breathe. The French bulldog is another breed that is almost certainly likely to sink in short order when placed in water. They do still have overly large heads and flat faces, which makes them apt to pitch forwards and be unable to keep their noses above the water. The Basset hound has a large, heavy and stocky body and head with disproportionately short legs, which is caused by a form of canine dwarfism. The Dachshund too exhibits a form of canine dwarfism, and whilst they are not as heavy in the body as the Basset hound, those short legs and long backs make dogs of the breed highly unlikely to be able to swim effectively for long, if at all. The pug is another flat-faced dog breed that simply wasn’t made for swimming, with those short, flat and narrow noses being the main part of the issue. Pugs are also quite stocky and rounded dogs, whose legs are comparatively finely boned, and so they tend to pitch forwards and end up with their faces under the water when their legs begin to move in order to swim. Most pugs cannot swim well, if at all.

Some dogs shy away from anything larger than a water bowl. Not every dog has a passion for doggie paddling. Nine of the 13 breeds that readers and veterinary professionals called least likely to dive right in belong to the Toy group — the Bichon Frise, Lhasa Apso, Dachshund and Greyhound were the only exceptions. Readers identified the following breeds as least likely to dive right in: 1. Chihuahua, 2. Pug, 3. Yorkshire Terrier, 4. Pekingese, 5. Dachshund, 6. Maltese, 7. Shih Tzu, 8. Pomeranian, 9. Lhasa Apso, 10. Chinese Crested. Veterinary Professionals identified the following breeds as least likely to dive right in: 1. Chihuahua, 2. Yorkshire Terrier, 3. Bichon Frise, 4. Maltese, 5. Shih Tzu, 6. Pug, 7. Greyhound, 8. Pekingese, 9. Chinese Crested, 10. Papillon.