SWIMMING - TO BE OR NOT TO BE ?!

[mel]

Skye gets very warm quite quickly when we are out and about and if there is any sign of water around, she's in there ....... but only to lie in it. She cools her tummy down, or sometimes her whole body but she wont go out of her depth. She just doesnt like swimming. There are 3 lakes behind my house and she daily sinks into them to cool off (just as well at the moment with this weird weather).

Is this normal for BC's? Do they dislike swimming generally? Sometimes I lob the ball a little too far and we have to wait for the wind to bring it to shore before she'll go in and get it back...so funny! rolleyes*

[Leanne_W]

I've got a BC who is obsessed with water and adores retrieving from it. As soon as she spots a lake, a pond or a river (and the beach when we are on holiday), she'll sprint off and stand waiting at the waters edge hoping i'll follow her so she can swim. When I got her as a rescue she wouldnt swim (being off a farm she'd probably never had the chance) and then one day I threw the ball a bit too far, she found her feet had left the bottom and since then there has been no turning back.

Then i've got a BC who loves to splash around but will swim only very rarely. He's a great swimmer but lacks confidence and so is content with paddling. I'm lucky if I can get him to swim twice a year. I think sometimes he sees the other dogs having a good time in the water and decides to join in.

I've got a friend whom I walk with and her 2 BC's also swim.

[Collieluvver]

Yup..pretty much my experience too.

Max is a very obedient dog 99.9% of the time.

That 1% when he is not...is when he spots water!...he's off and in it straight away...and just lies in it.
He's not bothered about swimming..but loves his ball thrown in, so he can charge through the water, making waves!...but at his own depth...ie: just running.

Sophie, is a bit cautious of water..and rarely goes in...but she is a good swimmer when she has to

[Barkie]

Mine would paddle or lay down in a puddle that was all. She had every opportunity but no interest in swimming whatsoever.

[Brenda]

The collie I have now is a bit of a wuss with water unless I am bathing him. If I go into the sea then he will follow but if I don't then he is frightened of even the smallest wave. Another collie I had years ago loved water and would find any puddle to lie in or splash about in. Ok if I didn't have the car but if I did then towels were a must as I knew he would be wet. Actually make that very wet. :-)
You can see Tyto here, the collie I have now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uolxH9n_4Vg

[Carole]

Awwww Brenda, he's gorgeous x

[mel]

Looks like they're all the same then! Love lying in it, not too sure about the swimming bit though!

As an extension to this thread I had to shower WITH Skye yesterday. She rolled in god knows what when we were out (fox poo I think) and I couldnt hose it off, she needed big style treatment. I took her into the shower cubicle with me and used my Tres emme shampoo. She was not impressed one bit and it took all my strength to keep her in the shower on a lead without her darting out around the screen and soaking the rest of the house!

My husband thought I was just weird when I started singing to her to calm her down! Why is that so weird??????? Isnt that what we all do ???!!! Haha! :wub: