how do i teach my dog how to swim?
is this instinct? i dont wanna scare him..

do i show him in the bathtub?

Depends on the breed, I think. We didn't have to show our lab the water...in fact, we couldn't keep him OUT of it! But when we had a Pekeapoo, he loathed the water and gave us the stinkeye if ever we tried to get him to go swimming (even just in the kiddie wading pool).

For some dogs it is instinct, but with others you just need to to get them to gain confidence with water.

I own Newfoundlands, so you would think they would take to the water with no problems, being water dogs. WRONG!! My second one did, but the others, well!

Our Molly is 10 1/2 years old and has always hated water, she won't even walk on wet grass! However, for some reason this summer she decided she liked to swim, and now we can't keep her out of the water. Both my youngsters can swim, but they aren't that confident, my male will only go into water if his sister is in there, then he might swim to her and then back... That will be it!!

If you want your dog to swim, and he isn't so sure then I suggest you keep taking him to water. Take a fav toy with you and throw it into the water... Not far from shore though and encourage him to get it. If he does give him loads of praise. Once he is happy to get his paws wet throw it a little further, and keep going on like this until he is happy to swim.

Good luck!

my dog is a chihuahua mix...

do any chihuahua owners here know if they like to swim? or are they good at it?

My dog learns swimming so fast. At first I let them use a dog lifejacket for a week. Then the second week I put them in the water without using lifejacket. They really learn so fast. For them to follow instructions easily better you swim with them too. It makes them imitate the way you swim.
This site will give you more ideas about teaching dog how to swim.

Teaching a Dog to Swim