Your dog spots water at 50 yards and everything else stops mattering. By the time you have said their name they are already in, and you have no idea what is down there.
Water is a big reward, and a dog who has jumped into 30 ponds has practised jumping into ponds 30 times. That is the habit, and adolescence makes it harder to interrupt. Responsiveness to the cues of the person who raised them drops around this stage.
Manage first, train second
You cannot train this at the edge of a pond your dog is about to be in. The lead is what buys you the chance to work on it at all.
Your dog goes on a lead or a long line before the water is in sight, not once they have seen it.
Use a long line clipped to a well-fitted harness, and hold it rather than letting it trail near water.
Cross to the far side of the path, or route around the pond entirely for a few weeks.
Off lead near water comes back once the checking-in below is reliable, not before.
Which water is actually a no
Water with a green, blue-green or paint-like scum on the surface or at the edges, or any algae warning sign up.
Anything moving. Rivers, weirs, mill races and tidal channels, whatever they look like from the bank.
Water your dog would have to jump down into, because a dog who cannot get out is the serious version of this.
Stagnant ponds, farm slurry, canals with steep sides, and anywhere with rubbish or broken glass in the shallows.
Water with geese, swans or ducks on it. A nesting bird will defend itself, and a dog swimming after one is in trouble twice over.
Hidden depth and hidden debris. A shallow-looking pond edge with a drop 3 feet out is common.
Safety note
Blue-green algae in fresh water can be seriously harmful to dogs, and licking it off wet fur is enough exposure. Keep your dog out of any water with a green or blue-green scum, discoloured water or a warning sign. Call your veterinarian immediately if your dog has been in water like that. Do the same if they are vomiting, drooling, unsteady, twitching, weak or collapsing after being near water. Tell them the dog may have been in contact with blue-green algae. Also call if your dog is unwell after going into stagnant or slurry-contaminated water, or if they have cut a pad. Ask about vaccination against water-borne disease for a dog who swims.
Train a replacement, away from water
The behaviour you want is a turn back to you when water appears. Build it where there is no water, then take it closer.
Practise a name response indoors and in the yard. Say the name once, pay generously the moment your dog turns. 5 reps, twice a day.
Add a turn-away. Say the name, then walk a few steps in the other direction and pay your dog for coming with you.
Move it to a path with water 100 yards off, on the long line. Pay for every look back at you rather than at the pond.
Close the distance 10 yards at a time across days, and only when the previous distance is easy.
If your dog cannot respond, you are too close. Add distance rather than repeating the cue louder.
Working below the level that pushes your dog past their limit is what lets new learning stick. Near water, that means further away than feels necessary.
Give them a legal version
A dog who loves water should get water, on your terms. One chosen swimming spot with a shelving entry and a clear way out is worth more than a running argument about every ditch.
Pick one safe spot and use it regularly, so water becomes something that happens on cue.
Rinse your dog with fresh water afterwards, and dry their ears.
Offer fresh water to drink, so your dog is not drinking what they swam in.
Behaviour change is built from management plus reinforcement together. The lead and the route are the management, and the paid turn-away is the reinforcement. The chosen swimming spot keeps your dog on side.
What to expect
Owners usually describe the pulling easing within a week or two of the route changing, because the rehearsal stopped. The reliable turn-away near water takes longer, and the lead near moving water often stays permanently.
If this is one of several things going on at once, the Assessment is a better starting point than any single article. It is free, takes about 3 minutes, and names the pattern underneath.
Today's version, in one line: lead on before the pond is in sight tomorrow, and 5 paid name responses in the kitchen tonight.