On June 7th, 2020, an engaged couple in Fayetteville, North Carolina caught their German Shepherd/Husky mix named Elliot climbing the ladder to try and take a dip in the pool. People have been loving the dog’s comedic climb into the backyard pool as he tries to take a swim despite the height of the pool.
It all starts with a German Shepherd/Husky mix named Elliot. It’s worth noting that the dog shows little to no Husky traits, so it is probably a safe bet to say that most of his bloodline is that of the German Shepherd. That is significant because German Shepherds have repeatedly been shown to be among the smartest breeds.
The woman who posted the video wrote:
“…my fiancé [and I] realized he loved swimming when he was young so we got a pool to share with him! We had just started realizing that when we would let him in the backyard he would climb into the pool and be all wet when we would let him back in! I finally caught him on camera hence my laughing in the video! Elliot is one unique and amazing dog and we are so happy to have him.”
It seems that Elliot, like many other long-haired dogs, was having a problem dealing with the heat. Luckily for him, his owners installed an above-ground pool. According to the notes at the bottom of the YouTube video, they purchased this pool because their dog loved swimming so much. They wanted to be able to swim with their pet, so a relatively cheap above-ground pool was a natural solution. German Shepherds aren’t known as water dogs, but this one is obviously an exception.
As with most pools of this type, you get into the water by climbing a short ladder mounted on the side. Amazingly, Elliot seems to have figured out how to use this thing! His owners became very curious when they noticed that, every time he was put outside to use the bathroom, he would come back into the house soaking wet. They suspected that he was getting into the pool, but didn’t suspect that he had figured out the ladder.
In the video, you can see Elliot’s owners laughing as they watch the dog expertly climb the ladder and plunge gleefully into the water. When a hot dog is looking for relief, he will go to great lengths indeed! After a short swim, the dog is also able to exit the pool in the same way. He hesitates for just a moment before jumping from the top step but is otherwise unhindered.
In some ways, this behavior is not very surprising. Although we don’t usually see dogs using ladders, it is well within their intellect to learn how it’s done. This breed, of course, comes from Germany, a country with plenty of hills and mountains. As such, learning to climb would have been an essential skill for their ancestors. The short answer is that, yes, this behavior is pretty normal.
As we already mentioned earlier, the German Shepherd is also considered to be one of the smartest and most teachable dogs in the world. According to this site, it is #3 on the list (bested only by the Border Collie and the Poodle). We might also mention Schutzhund training, a discipline through which this breed has shown just how versatile a dog can be. Various breeds can be accepted for this type of training, but it was originally intended for German Shepherds.
