Why do dogs know how to swim instinctively and people don't?

It’s not quite the same instinctual response that dogs have, but I recall reading about how it is often very easy to teach infants and toddlers how to swim. I don’t know anyone who has done this before, but I thought it was interesting.

I, however, do not know how to swim and find my panic button kicks in over anything else.

Because they’re much smarter.

I took both my sons to swimming lessons when they were babies; one was 6 months old and the other 10 months old. It was not the same as dogs – they had to be taught.

Good question!

Neat question. I just thought all dogs could swim, but according to this site, they need lessons. Maybe, they just want your $$$! I’ve never seen a dog that could not swim and i’ve had quite a few. This is a wild site.

http://www.academyofdogtraining.com/

@janbb Thanks for clarifying that :) Did they retain what they learned then as they got older? I’m quite curious. I wish someone had took the initiative to put me in lessons. I would likely be far less neurotic about bodies of water as I am now had they done so.

@janbb scout’s honor…I did not read your answer. So…there.

Can other primates swim? I’m not sure dogs and people are enough alike to compare.

@muppetish Well, I took them for a number of years so yes, they did retain it and they were never afraid of the water. One of them was on the swim team and also trained as a lifeguard.

@tinyfaery good question..never thought about it. Most are in the wild…seems like it would be natural. oh, Tarzan…and Jane…well, would like for Jane to teach me to swim!

i’ve seen videos of monkeys swimming. (I think it might have been from the Planet series.)

Consider the lifestyle of pre-modern dogs and humans. Pre-modern dogs (wolves) worked as a pack, and had a territory in which they hunted and lived. Many of their prey animals (deer, for example) could swim, so they needed to be able to swim to catch some prey. Swimming could also be useful for wolves to travel to other territories, or to follow migrating prey species.

Humans on the other hand, more commonly relied on tools and knowledge to hunt. Technology such as boats, rafts, or canoes could be used to travel over water. Hunters could lead prey animals into traps and away from water. Additionally, humans did not have protective fur like wolves did, so getting wet could be more hazardous (hypothermia).

So, it stands to reason that dogs have had more of a past need for swimming instincts, where humans have had less of a need.

Just a thought, I could be way off.

Check out the Aquatic ape hypothesis. I remember seeing a British documentary called “The Naked Ape,” I think. It showed newborns instinctively swimming from one side of a small pool to another, underwater. The instinct is lost shortly after birth, however, and people must apparently re-learn how to swim.

Edit: And, like I thought there would be, there’s a TED talk about the aquatic ape hypothesis. I haven’t watched it yet, but it probably mentions any instinctive swimming abilities humans have: http://www.ted.com/talks/elaine_morgan_says_we_evolved_from_aquatic_apes.html

if you watch how they do swim,dogs, you can see that it isn’t that different from when they are walking on dry land. People walk upright but not swim that way so therefore it seems less intuitive when moving through water. My new pup who I had every reason to believe had never been in water walked out over her head and seamlessly transformed to swim strokes. I was ready to at least dig my cell phone out of my pants in case I had to run in there to help but all was fine.

My akita, who is a very intelligent, thinking dog cannot swim. He will walk out until he can’t touch and immediately rolls over and his feet are sticking up. First time it happened it scared me to bits. I dove in and had to turn him over and help him back. It doesn’t seem to upset him because he did it several times after that. Finally he had to be tied on the shore when the other dog and I would swim. Honest, it looked like something you would see in a cartoon! All other dogs I have ever owned were good if not eager swimmers.

I’ve known quite a few people who learned to swim as kids because their parents literally threw them in the water. A true ‘sink or swim’ scenario. There must be some kind of instinctive response in humans (at least in some humans), or you’d think they all would have drowned. I can’t help but think that fear plays a part in humans ‘not knowing’ how to swim instinctively beyond a certain age. We think too damn much. :/

I’ve wondered the same thing! I don’t know how on earth it is possible for a person not to be able to keep themselves afloat in water….i just can’t understand it. Maybe they have some fear of water or something related to that, and then they panic (as someone mentioned above) and then are unable to think clearly….or something….

I think it is the same as monarch butterflies knowing when & where to migrate, & animals in general knowing exactly what to to without having seen it or being taught. They have the instinct. Is it the same as some people taking to math, computers like it is breathing? I don’t know.

Actually, newborns do “swim” instinctively. But they can’t hold their heads out of water.