Sherbrooke is home to province's 1st swimming pool for dogs

The owner of a doggie daycare centre in Sherbrooke now offers a new treat for dogs: their very ownswimming pool.

The facility for the Pension pour Animaux daycare is now the first place in theprovince with a pool wheredogs learn how to swim, fetch balls and even do the long jump.

AquaCaninownerSbastienLemaysays hegot the ideafrom the Salon National desAnimauxdeCompagniean animal showthat makes several stops in the province.

"I knew there were no pools in Quebec, so I decided to have the only one,"Lemaysays.

Since opening in June,Lemaysays his customers have come from different parts of the province.

"We already have people from Montreal, Quebec City and even farther than that,"he says. "'The people come and they love it and they come back.''

The swimming pool is 12 metres long and features a 10-metre long diving board.

Classes are generally offered to dogs older than four months. Long jump training is reserved for dogs thatare about a year old.

Dogs overcoming fears

One of Aqua Canin'sinstructors, Marie-France Poulin, saysher main challenge is helping dogs overcome their fears.

"They work hard,"she says. "They work hard mentally and with their bodies to confront their fear of water."

Poulin says she's also dealt with owners who had second thoughts about signing up their dog. She says it's all the more reason to use a patient approach during training.

"Take your time and respect the dog," she says. "I never force a dog to go in the pool forthe first time."