The recap:
Step 1: Drop puppy off dock
You may recall that when Hinck was only a few months old, we took him on a warm October day up to Treasure Island and tried to teach him to love the ocean like we do. We did this by getting him a life preserver and dropping him off a dock. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but unfortunately, I think it really just ended up freaking him out. Whoops.
 |  |  |
|---|
Step 2: Try out the beach
At Fort Funston, We carried the puppy into ocean waves. Again, this maybe wasn't the best idea for a 'medium warm' day in November. Tyler braved the icy water and tried to lead by example, but Hinckley was really having none of it.
Step 3: Bribe with Peanut Butter
Fast forward to just a few weekends ago in May. Tyler looked up a nearby 'beach' in Foster City that allows dogs, but only on leash. We took off in the late afternoon and brought with us plenty of treats and a jar of peanut butter. While the treats did nothing, spoonfuls of peanut butter did seem to have a pretty strong pull. We led Hinck into the water inch by inch until he got up to his belly, stopped licking peanuttiness off his chops long enough to realize where he was, and bolted.
Step 4: Combine hot weather with lots of dogs and one big stick
To the beach again. We brought Hinck back to one of his favorite spots, Fort Funston, and let him loose on the beach. He had a blast chasing dogs of all sizes and occasionally found himself knee deep, having been distracted by pursuit of another pup. It was hot enough that he repeatedly took to the shallow water (and unfortunately, drank half the ocean and was barfing all afternoon) but the waves were definitely intimidating him. Tyler tried to tempt him with a big ol' chunk of wood, but it only worked about half the time.
 |  |  |
|---|
Step 5: Tone it down with a lake
And finally, this weekend. We chose a super hot day and took Hinck to Water Dog Park in Belmont. There were some nice big sticks to choose from and we had fairly good success tossing sticks out just far enough that he had to lean on his tippy-paws to get the stick before falling off the lake bed. And on one try, he did fall off and gave a few brilliant doggie paddles before jumping out of the water and running around like a maniac. We were very proud.
Unfortunately, that was the only paddle of the day. Especially as other dogs showed up, Hinck let them (and the wind) do the heavy lifting of actually retrieving the sticks, then chased them once they were back on land. We think there is hope though, and with more opportunities and practice (and a place where we can get in the water too) He'll get there!Here's a video where we hoped he'd repeat his swim...he didn't, but he still looks cute.
