15 week old puppy becomes aggressive when swimming

Question
I have a 15 week old Chessie who obviously loves the water. We live at a lake and he gets to swim daily. We bought him a bright orange baton designed to be thrown into the water so he can retrieve it. I usually throw the baton a few times which he retrieves but then all of a sudden he doesn't want to get it so I have to go get it. While I am doing this he basically attacks me in the water biting and scratching at me. He doesn't do this with my partner. I need help figuring this one out. Thanks

Answer
Hi Karen.  Glad your getting you pup exercised and cooled off at the same time!

Got a question for you.  If he's on shore and you go in the water and there's no baton in the picture, does he have the same type of reaction?  The sight of a favorite human with only their head visible above the water can be frightening for a dog - especially a young pup.  It's a whole different picture than they are used to seeing.

Could he be trying to "rescue" you?  

The other thought is that he might be trying to guard his toy from you.  Does he ever exhibit any guarding behavior on land?  If he does at this age, you need to seek professional help right away.

The solution, of course, is to only throw the baton once or twice and be done with it.  Don't set up the scenario where he continues to practice this behavior.  If you do get into this situation, have your partner restrain the dog and reward him while you go in the water to get the toy.  He needs to learn self control and should be taught a cue that means it's OK to get in the lake.  There may be times when it's not safe for him to just jump in on his own.

Let me know what you think about my questions and ideas.  This is one I'd love to see a video of in order to give you a more definite answer.

Barb