I knew Chester had water dog potential when I saw his huge, webbed feet.  He had a bit of a rough start but everyone has to start somewhere.

I’ve been taking him to Percy’s Point on Pelham Lake once a week to fetch his tennis ball in the water there.  It’s a great spot, no distractions.  It slopes gently into the lake and it’s easy for him to return with his ball.  This is a game he has truly learned to love.

This past weekend we took the next step and brought him boating with us.  We found one of our favorite beaches in a cove on Harriman Reservoir, getting there early enough to secure it.

The only other thing we needed was a tennis ball.  If Chester has a ball there is nothing that will distract him from the game, other dogs, kids, nothing.

We had him fetch for a good hour and a half which he did joyfully.  His swimming has improved tremendously and he will fetch a ball thrown quite a ways without hesitation.  It’s just what you want in a water dog – of course if we brought the other dogs they would have shown him the ropes.