Scared of water???

[amage]

So i've had Boots about 3 weeks now and he appears to be afraid of water...walk on the beach pretty much every day and hacks out with the horses. when on the beach he refuses to go into the sea...if the tide comes in when he's not paying attention and his paws get wet he actually squeals!!! when hacking out with the horses he won't go near puddles, jumps over the ditches and avoids the stream. that being said he loves mud, has no prob running through the soaking wet fields and getting filthy. this leads me to wonder is he actually afraid of water or just being a bit precious??? he loves being washed and as an experiment i fille dthe bath and he was quite happy to sit and lie in it. he has a particular penchant for rolling in very smelly things so it would be alot easier if he would hop into the sea to de-smell himself rather than me have to wash him all the time as obviously this would save time and it is not good for his coat to be getting washed so much! any ideas...???

 

[GinaB]

Cindy used to be scared of water as well. What I ended up doing was putting wellies on and getting into the water with her! We made it as a game and she soon got used to it, we're just working on her water retrieval now

 

[CAYLA]

Most of mine get in the water, but not initially, they have simply jumped on in, because they have seen the other go before them, a little doggy persuasion always helps, or as Gina says, get yourself skinny dipping, maybe with a ball or toy, to make it a little more exciting, I personally think, he is pretty clued up, it's bloody freezing

 

[amage]

i stripped off the shoes and socks and got in but he was having none of it...think i'll have to pull out the wetsuit and go the whole hog!! i had him on the beach at home with our old springer who adores the water...she was swimming and paddling and he was having none of it...unfirtunately he is also not the type of dog that plays with things so he won't go in after a ball or stick...guess i'm going swimming!!

 

[CorvusCorax]

We used to throw ours in the sea when they were younger!! Please don't do that though, you will probably traumatise the poor lad, my family are pretty old school about dog husbandry.....

It would make my life a lot easier (and our car a lot cleaner) if my boy was scared of water. We have to stop at every flaming puddle, stream, drip.....

 

[amage]

haha thats what we did with our springer as a pup years ago...tho in fairness me and my bro jumped in with her and she turned into such an avid swimmer that when me and my bro went surfing she used to swim out way beyond our depth never mind her depth!! hmmm maybe boots would rather be one of those mutts that sits on the front of a surfboard!!

 

[CAYLA]

[ QUOTE ]
We used to throw ours in the sea when they were younger!! Please don't do that though, you will probably traumatise the poor lad, my family are pretty old school about dog husbandry.....

It would make my life a lot easier (and our car a lot cleaner) if my boy was scared of water. We have to stop at every flaming puddle, stream, drip.....

[/ QUOTE ]

lol HH, my OH does that to ours

 

[piebaldsparkle]

**Hangs head in shame** and admits to throwing Oz into a lake one hot summers day, (having got fed up with him running to the edge and whineing as the others were in the water, but he was too afraid to join them)...........It was the worst mistake I ever made as now the little toad seems to think he is part frog, so spends most of the time swimming beside me I walk him near any lakes or rivers.