Hello everyone,

How can you tell if you have a puppy that is a swimmer?, they are not even 2 weeks but one moves different than his liitermates, looks fat or wide from above.

Thanks for all the help I can get.

I've had more than my share of swimmers. I could tell by day 3 if they were going to be swimmers. Hold him up and look at his profile. Is his chest concave? Jackie in Hawaii was very helpful with this. I was able to get them up and going. Post your e-mail and I will contact you.

On the contrary, his chest is very wide.

I will write you privately.

Thanks

You can use a rubber backed mat to get better traction.
check this link
http://www.blueknightlabs.com/swimmerpup/index.html

If you've determined your puppy is a swimmer, try to keep him on his side when he's sleeping and nursing. Put some towels under their bedding so that they will be able to rest against the rise and fall of the whelping box rug. They can eventually be hobbled, which some people don't do anymore. Have also heard of making a sock suit for them. If you google puppies and then swimmers you'll get a lot of hits. There is some helpful information on them.

Do they move their back legs at all?

May be he is not a swimmer.

I've had swimmers. The tipoff is, do they ALWAYS lie on their stomachs? That tendency is what leads to the flattening. If your pup lies on its side some of the time, it is probably not a swimmer.