Water?

[Julie]

does anyones Basenji's like water? My male Astro HATES water so I assumed my new female Bella would be the same because they are litter mates. I dont think Bella likes water & i think both of these times we accidents but she doesnt seem to totally hate it..so heres what happened..

1. I took Bella & Astro to the dog park Astro had been before but it was Bella's first time..our dog park has 2 different sections..a grass section(where we usually hang out) and a dog beach with rocks instead of sand..well we were on the beach side because there were no other dogs on the grass side & i wanted Bella & Astro to play with other dogs..well Bella found this lab that she decided to follow everywhere & the labs owner threw his ball in the water the lab went after the ball & Bella went after the lab..she freaked out as soon as she hit the water & i had to go into the lake after her..

2. I took Bella & Astro to my boyfriends house because they come with me there on the weekends to play with his dog..well i took Bella & Astro in the backyard for a potty break & they have an unfenced pool in their backyard.. well Bella was running around the yard & all of a sudden she saw Blizzard (my boyfriends dog) & ran right towards him completly oblivious that there was a pool & she fell in..this time she successfully swam to the edge but she didnt seem scared at all..

does anyone have Basenji's that like water?

[gbroxon]

My Magnum tolerates water. He won't go into a lake unless you carry him. He doesn't seem frightened of the water, but once you let him go, he paddles straight for shore. Of course, he disdains fetching anything thrown (into water or not)–unless it's a treat; he'd probably jump into the ocean from a cruise ship for that! . He'll go walkies in a light drizzle, but tries to stick to concrete, rather than grass.

Basenjis are so diverse in personality, there have got to be some that love the water, eh?

[wizard]

I'm on my second beasty and neither wanted to get wet - not just lakes but not even to walk on wet grass. My second at least tolerates getting a rare bath but the first fought like crazy.

[etzbseder]

Mine doesn't bother baths, but he won't walk on wet grass unless i just pick him up and put him on the grass. That's the only way i can make him go to the bathroom in the morning. He used to hate the spray bottle, now he doesn't mind so much.

[BasenjiDiva]

Cory definitely dislikes getting wet. Like Etzbseder, I have to carry Cory and put her on wet grass in the morning. In fact, she dislikes water so much that I have only seen her drink water from her water bowl maybe twice in the six weeks that we've had her. I've tried different water bowls and have even offered her ice cubes. No dice. To get her to take water, I have to float her food in the morning and afternoon. My previous dogs drank lots of water so this a wierd situation for me. Anyone else have a B that dislikes water to that extent? (She does seem well hydrated.) Hmmmm….Maybe I should put some water in a little bowl on my kitchen table, leave a chair pulled out, and walk away. Nahhhhh - I'd just end up with water on the floor.

Pat

[torchsong]

She-Ra doesn't mind a bath as long as it doesn't get too prolonged. We've tried her out in the pool and she's not a fan, so pretty much her only exposure to water's likely to be when she gets dirty.

[BDawg]

Lexi doesn't like baths- but she will jump into the bathtub if you ask her. Miles on the other hand, doesn't mind baths but you have to force him into the tub.

Outdoors- Lexi learned to swim by being around other water dogs– labs and others who enjoyed retrieving out of the water. She eventually learned to retrieve things out of the water too. On our last canoe trip, she seemed to enjoy the water and seemed to have a sense of purpose when she swam out with us. Miles was not so forthcoming with his swimming. He prefers the hot rocks- but it could just be a lack of exposure. Lexi wasn't thrilled with it at first, but now she loves it. Miles could be the same.

And WHO likes wet grass?? It's like one of my biggest pet peeves! Why wouldn't it be the same for our shoeless kids??

[GromitsFamily]

We've not had an opportunity to talk our dog, Gromit, to a lake or pool but he loves the water as long as it relates to play. He chases the sprinkler, plays in a kiddie pool if we are with him and goes crazy anytime we use the water hose. On the flip side, he'll hold it forever when it is raining as he hates to go out in the rain and he's really particular about his feet being wet. He does great in the bath though (again except for his feet standing in water) and we are really wanting to take him somewhere warm to get in the water. Our problem is finding lake or pool with warm water as he really hates the cold and that's partially why he won't go out in the rain.

[dmcarty]

I actually had 2 basenjis that liked to swim - I mean really liked to swim - hated baths, hated going for a walk in the rain - liked to swim. go-figure.

[Julie]

ya i guess i will just see as time goes on if she really likes water or both her water experiences were accidents i havent had to try Bella in the bath yet but Astro has had 2 & he hated every second of both of them..

p.s. this has nothing to do with basenji's & water but when i was at the dog park i saw an english bulldog that was completly obsessed with water but was to fat & would sink if he got in the water so his owners had to buy him a life jacket it was so cute

[Larka]

My Basenji is a mix, but she LOVES water- when it comes to swimming. She loves baths as long as you're touching her. She HATES rain. I have to carry her outside in the rain. But when we take her out hiking, she'll go swimming in creeks or lakes, and she loves swimming in the lake at the shelter when I take her out there. Her first swimming experience with me was an accident- guy had a lab and a weimernainer (don't know how to spell it) and was throwing balls in the lake for them to get. The 2 big dogs went after the ball, and Lucy went after them. She SCREAMED when she found herself in the lake, I had to jump in after her. But ever since then, she loves it. If I take her to the edge to sniff the water first and do a little paddle on the shore, she'll chase the ball right into the lake without an issue.