Although border collies are very well known for their agility and their almost acrobatic athletic ability, the jury is still out on how border collies feel about swimming.
Do Border Collies Like Water? It is merely a matter of the individual dog when it comes to swimming. It is commonly said that border collies enjoy the water. They don’t necessarily enjoy being in water deep enough for them to swim. Still, they do like to puddle in shallow water.
Many border collie owners have said that their border collie loves puddles, but they don’t like their entire body in water. Still, other border collie owners will tell you that their border collie seems to enjoy swimming and that it does so as often as possible.
Not All Border Collies Are Natural Swimmers
Although it is often thought that all dogs are great swimmers because of the doggy paddle, it is actually not true. Not every dog will be able to jump right into the pool or other body of water and immediately swim.
If you’ve never taken your dog into the water before, it is important to start slowly in the shallow end. If they immediately begin swimming the first time they get into the water, that’s great.
However, it is important to give them time to get accustomed to the water if they don’t.
When teaching your border collie to swim, you should start training them as early as possible in their lives. Often, dogs that learn to swim as puppies seem to really enjoy swimming throughout their lives.
Other dogs that weren’t exposed to water as puppies can seem to have an aversion to swimming.
Are There Benefits To Teaching My Border Collie To Swim?
There are several great benefits to teaching your border collie to swim, mainly teaching your Border Collie to swim while they are a puppy.
First, with the border collie being such an active and energetic dog, swimming is an excellent way for them to burn off some of the seemingly never-ending energy reserves that they have.
Even if they only swim once per week, it is still an excellent exercise for them.
Second, Border collies have a double coat, which is intended to keep them warm while driving livestock in the colder climates. However, now border collies are a popular dog in nearly every country in the world.
When your border collie overheats, it can quickly become a dangerous situation for your dog, as dogs do not possess sweat glands. This is the reason that dogs pant, to dispel the excess heat that they are experiencing.
When your dog can jump into the water to cool off, it helps them to dispel some of the extra heat. It can also allow them to stay cooler for more extended periods because their coat will remain wet, keeping them cool.
Third, Since border collies are prone to developing hip dysplasia, swimming is an excellent exercise to help dogs that are suffering from this painful arthritic condition.
Swimming strengthens the muscles that support the hips, yet it doesn’t add any weight to the joint. It can provide quite a bit of relief to dogs that are very obviously suffering from arthritis pain.
What’s The Easiest Way To Coax My Border Collie Into The Water?
If you are already sure that your border collie can swim, the important thing to remember is that movement will grab a border collie’s attention.
By throwing a ball or a frisbee over water, like a pool, more than likely, your border collie is going to run and jump in an attempt to grab the toy. By getting them into the water in this fashion, they may actually enjoy the water more by associating the game of fetch with the act of going for a swim.
Of course, by starting your border collies exposure to the water as a young puppy, they will more than likely naturally want to swim when they are near water.
Unless your border collie has a reason to have an aversion to the water, they should make a strong swimmer that doesn’t mind fetching their toys from the water.
Also, it is important to keep in mind that motion will get the interest of any border collie. It can be helpful to try moving water, such as from the water hose or a sprinkler.
Most any border collie will attempt to catch the moving water, and it can teach them rather quickly that the water is cooling and refreshing in the heat, making them feel comfortable getting into the water when they are near it.
Important Things To Note About Your Border Collie And Swimming
Border collies have a double coat, which is intended to keep them warm while driving livestock in the colder climates. However, now border collies are a popular dog in nearly every country in the world.
When your border collie overheats, it can quickly become a very dangerous situation for your dog, as dogs do not possess sweat glands. This is the reason that dogs pant, to dispel the excess heat that they are experiencing.
When your dog can jump into a body of water to cool off, it helps them to dispel some of the extra heat. It also can allow them to stay cooler for longer periods of time, because their coat will remain wet, keeping them cool.
Since border collies are prone to developing hip dysplasia, swimming is an excellent exercise to help dogs suffering from this painful arthritic condition.
When swimming, it strengthens the muscles that support the hips, yet it doesn’t add any weight to the joint. It can provide quite a bit of relief to dogs that are very obviously suffering from arthritis pain.
If you are already sure that your border collie can swim, the important thing to remember is that movement will grab a border collie’s attention.
By throwing a ball or a frisbee over a body of water, like a pool, more than likely, your border collie is going to run and jump in an attempt to grab the toy.
By getting them into the water in this fashion, they may actually enjoy the water more by associating the game of fetch with the act of going for a swim.
Of course, by starting your border collies exposure to the water as a young puppy, they will more than likely naturally want to go for a swim when they are near a body of water. Unless your border collie has a reason to have an aversion to the water, they should make a strong swimmer that doesn’t mind fetching their toys from the water.
