In the video titled “Everyday is a spa day for Nutmeg!”, Nutmeg the yellow Labrador can be seen paddling in ankle-deep bath water, while the text reads “If I run the bath and forget to close the door:”. Diane Marker, owner of Nutmeg and her sister Paprika - also a Labrador, regularly posts videos of the duo, with nearly 2 million views across her posts.
One user commented, “She looks like she’s enjoying herself,” to which Marker replied, “She loves the water! It doesn’t matter if it’s a lake, ocean, kiddie pool or bathtub! If she can splash, she’s in heaven.”
It’s well documented that Labradors love water, which many believe to be because of their relation to the St. Johns water dog, which were bred to help their fisherman owners with their work, retrieving fishing gear and catching escaping fish. For decades, breeders focused on developing their features including webbed feet, double coat, and powerful tail, all reasons why Labradors feel so at home in the water.
According to website Everything Labradors, “if you gently spread the fingers of your Lab, you’ll find a similar thin connective skin between the pads. It increases the surface area of your dog’s paw, which means your dog can swim efficiently by exerting more pressure on the water.
“Webbed toes also trap the water, stopping it from leaking through the gap between the toes. This means your Lab will spend less energy paddling through the water, and they will be able to swim faster.” They claim that Labradors aren’t the only breeds with webbed feet, as Newfoundlands, Irish water spaniels, and dachshunds also have this unique feature.
Many users shared their own experiences of their dogs’ antics, with user doodlemom saying: “When my my girl was a puppy she jumped in and was running back and forth, and jumping in and out it was funny, she had a blast!”
User Jessica added, “My crazy Lab used to do that🥰Now she only wants to drink the fresh, cold water from the tub spout vs her clean bowl😁😂” while another user wrote, “One time I forgot to close the door to the bathroom and my 8mo old puppy kept jumping in and out of the shower 😅”
In a contrasting comment, user t.zajacz wrote: “My lab hates water lol.”
