Why are Dogs Natural-Born Swimmers?
Why are Dogs Natural-Born Swimmers? Last week, a friend took his Golden Retriever to the river. It was the dog’s first time seeing such a vast body of water. My friend expected some hesitation, but the Golden paused for maybe three seconds before leaping straight in. Almost instantly, its four legs began paddling in a perfect rhythm, head held high, form impeccable. My friend texted me: "Do these things come with a pre-installed swimming program or something?" I gave him a casual "pretty much," but the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. So, I started digging into the research. The "Dog Paddle" Isn't Just a Name First, a bit of trivia: the technical term for a dog’s swimming stroke is the "dog paddle." In English, the term isn't exactly a compliment; it’s often used to describe a human’s clumsy, unrefined swimming style. It implies something primitive and ungraceful. But this raises a question: Why do we call it the ...