My Lab cant swim!

Question
My husband and I were wondering do all labs know how to swim?  We have a 8 month old black lab who loves to play in the pond we have but when he starts to go out to far to get his stick and he can't touch when he starts to swim back he swims so akwardly back.  His back end starts to sink and he fights to keep his head above water.  My husband almost has to go out and bring him in, but in his akward way he comes back to the shore.  Is there something we can teach him or will he get better and he gets older? Thank you for your help.  

Answer
Kim, I apologize for the tardy reply. I work for a CPA and this time of year is horribly busy for me. No, not all labs, or dogs of ANY breed, for that matter, naturally know how to swim. If you want to continue to play fetch in the water, you should try to teach your dog to swim or he could drown the way he's trying to swim now. I would recommend putting him on a leash, or having him wear a harness might work better, and going out with him to where he can *just* touch. You need to show him how he *should* be swimming, by helping hold his rear end up. You may also consider getting him a doggie life jacket, but you will still need to help him. I fostered a doberman once that behaved exactly the way your dog does, even WITH a life jacket on. I didn't have him long enough to teach him to swim, but I made sure to let the rescue know that he couldn't swim, though.