Hmm.. Too Cold For My Dog To Swim At The Beach?

[Loungefly]

Hi all,

We live near the beach and I'm wondering if it might be too cold for my dog to go swimming. Mia, our 14 month old Lab/Kelpie cross, had patella surgery a few weeks ago and we're now at the stage where we need to get her swimming to help build the strength back up in her leg. She's loves swimming which is great, and last week we took her to the beach for the first time in 6 months to swim briefly. She's not allowed off the lead yet due to her injury so I of course had to go in the water with her to hold the lead and I was flinching like crazy because the water was cold. It didn't seem to bother her one bit though. There was no hesitation on her part at all to go further out into the water. She loved it.

It's supposed to get up to about 18-20 degrees here in the next couple of days. I guess what I'm wondering is if there's any reason to worry that she might be getting in water that's too cold. It might be a silly question but I just thought I'd ask anyway. I just assume that if it's too cold then she obviously won't want to follow me in. When got her last year as a puppy it was in the middle of Spring so this is the first time we've had to consider this.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :D

Edited September 18, 2010 by Loungefly

[sandgrubber]

If the water isn't frozen, it's not too cold for a Labrador :D . When I lived in New Hampshire mine used to love going into the river when there was lots of ice about. Only worry was that they would get swept under the ice (which never happened). As for kelpies, in my experience, most of 'em dislike getting wet . . . so if the kelpie part dominates, you won't have to worry. The dog just won't go in.

Remember, Labbies were derived from dogs used to pull in fishing nets in the very cold, stormy seas off the east coast of Canada.

[tdierikx]

My Lab will go in the water in any weather... try it, your dog will either go and swim, or not... *grin*

T.

[Sydoo]

Our old lab would happily swim in the middle of winter but heaven forbid you asked her to put her precious paws on the cold morning grass to pee!

I would let her swim and just ensure she has somewhere warm to dry off afterwards. Unfortunately you might need to look in to a wetsuit or some waders :D

Edited September 18, 2010 by Sydoo

[Loungefly]

Well, I had a feeling I might be concerned over nothing :D I took her yesterday. She went straight into the water as usual. I guess the cold water is my problem, not hers She wasn't able to swim much because the water was a little too choppy, but she did get a workout on her leg from trying to drag me down the beach with her frisbee in her mouth . I think I'll probably have to stick to short walks for the time being until it gets a bit warmer.

Thanks for the replies everyone :D

[J...]

My dog's sports vet said if they are happy to go in the water let them, just don't let them sit around wet in the cold - I asked her a fortnight ago given mine started swimming of their own accord about a month ago. Brrrr!!

I've got a kelpie lab x too - would love to see a pic

[Loungefly]

Hi Jess

Yeah I try to make sure I dry her off straight away if she's not going back in the water straight away, although when she comes out of the water she tends to roll around like crazy in the dry sand like a nut. I'm guessing it's to warm her up.

I've got a kelpie lab x too - would love to see a pic

Cool I think it's a good mix. I'm guessing that's the dog in your avatar? Have a couple of pics you could post? I'm always curious to see other Kelpie Lab Crosses since I don't know anyone else locally that has one (and I haven't seen many pics of them).

Here'a a couple of Mia:

Mia @ 6 months old (unnerving our cat) :

Mia a couple of hours ago at the beach (13 months old):

Edited September 26, 2010 by Loungefly

[J...]

Gorgeous girl Mia looks to have taken more after the kelpie side. That cat looks grumpy

That is Darcy in my avatar - she looks more like a Lab but those who are familiar with working line Labs presume she is working line.

Most of the agility people who seen her in the early days assumed she was a skinny Lab until they seen her run, then realised there might be something else in the mix

[Loungefly]

Darcy looks beautiful . She definitely looks more Labbish than Mia. Mia seems to look more Lab than Kelpie in some photos, and more Kelpie than Lab in others. It depends on the angle I guess. Walking her down the street most people that see her just assume she's a Lab. Her personality is totally Lab. The friendliest dog I have ever seen! (Too friendly for her own good sometimes ) Absolutely loves the water and will retrieve all day long if you let her.

Speaking of agility we've actually considered getting her into that because she's such a high energy dog, loves to learn and can run like no dog I've ever seen. I'm not sure we'd be able to set aside the necessary time that is needed for agility though, as I'm sure there's a lot involved.

Thanks for the pics