Zoey's Mommy

She looks gorgeous, so you know she knows it too...

Zoey is extremely affectionate. She loves cuddling, hugs, kisses ears, leans into petting and scratching, lays her head into my lap, sleeps nearby me, snuggles.... We got her at 4 months old from a wonderful long-time BC breeder, who thought she wanted to keep her, until Zoey "picked" me by not wanting to leave my lap during a visit, lol....she is by far the cuddliest and sweetest BC I have ever been around-- my first BC, a male, was a serious watchdog with little interest in anything other than play or security detail with a little viciousness thrown in; my Ringo (male) and Disney (female) were both uninterested in affection and were unfriendly with most people until they got older; and now I am shocked by how lovey-dovey Zoey is! I am told her litter mates (all boys) have very sweet dispositions too.

Congrats!! That is awesome!

I really appreciate all the input!! I will definitely take Zoey to Nolin Lake next summer. It has gradual entry into the water, and I will forgo the life jacket in this environment. I cautiously decided to have her wear the jacket while swimming in Lake Cumberland's deep water due to her initial anxiety of the boat, she used to be so timid about looking over the edge at the water-- I was afraid she might panic, jump out into the 100 ft. deep lake and drown...I have been paranoid, but as she's gotten more at ease and comfy in the boat, so have we. I guess I have been hoping for the best scenarios to happen quickly and I have been impatient!! She is absolute perfection to me whether she ends up being a strong swimmer or not, so I will give her the best opportunity to learn to like it or she will just be happy joining us in the boat for rides!

Thanks for your reply, makes sense about the pond/creek/shallow beach type entry. It's just that there aren't many to choose from without driving for an hour, as most of the ponds/creeks/small lakes nearby are on private farmland and have cattle or pigs (shew) or the small lakes are water reservoirs with no swimming allowed. I guess I better plan frequent one hour drives to the lakes with the swim beaches to get her better acquainted to swimming in a lake. I want her to learn that large expanses of water are to not be feared but respected, and she is very very smart and environmentally aware, so I guess I didn't ease her into it without her first being fearful of the unknown. In other words, I probably shocked her into submission. It's either BIG lake or the bathtub, lol....

Hi waffles, thanks for the reply. I understand that she might not really be hot and don't wanna get in the water, though I beg to differ that she just might be. When it is in the 90's with blazing sunshine and she only has the shade of approx. 3x5 foot bimini canopy and no breeze, plenty of water to drink, and we've been floating for a couple of hours at anchor in a cove, I want her to join us in the water to get used to what it's like AND to cool off. Maybe I am being selfish and thoughtful over being more attentive to what my dog might not like to do. But guess what-- I can't change my way of life and like I said we are at this lake ALOT. She loves the campsite, it's a primitive site w/o hookups, lotsa trees and woods, no air conditioning (unless we start the generator) so I'm not gonna crate her inside a hot tent or our tiny little camper while we go out and do the boating and swimming thing without her. And we aren't necessarily "dropping" her into the water in a harsh way, maybe bad choice of words-- I am slowly easing her into the water, directly into my hubby's arms, as I hold the handles built into the life jacket. I then jump in to join them, she doesn't panic or resist, just won't stay in the water without swimming right back towards the boat after about a minute. Bath time is relatively easy so she's not a water hater. Just wondered if anyone had the same type deep water experience and if it will get easier next summer or should I just be happy with the methods I have been doing. The jacket also seems to be high quality, non-cumbersome, and is only put on her when she's about to swim. Should I maybe keep it on her at all times on the boat? I must add that I am a very cautious and skilled boater and feel confident that she is safe without the jacket on while underway, as she only rides directly under the helm, holding on to the seat pole, in a very safe position. She also seems very comfortable there, as she will nap in her spot as well. I wouldn't boat with her in any other way than the safest, just haven't forced her to wear the life jacket on those hot lake days. Anymore input??

Awww, your Zoey looks just like my beloved Disney we lost in January. She was 14. I miss her so much but now "my Zoey" has filled our hearts again, and she is very heavy footed as well. Maybe it's in the name??!! And not only is my Zoey heavy footed and hippity-hoppity like a bunny when excited, she also uses her claws like a cat does. I can't keep her nails trimmed and smoothed out enough without getting the occasional scratches when she literally grips part of me. Never had such a heavy footed dog like her either. And if I could figure out how to share a pic of her from my phone to my laptop via email or transferring from phone by usb cord(?) then copy/paste, whatever, I will post pics. I am so computer illiterate!!

Zoey (15 mo. old BC) has a fear of the lake we are at almost every weekend year-round. Lake Cumberland is a large, deep, clear lake surrounded by wilderness, limestone cliffs, located in the foothills of the Cumberland mountains. Vastly undeveloped except for locations near marinas. Boat ramps are steep, no shallow areas, especially on the west end of the lake, where we like to call our second home. There aren't any swim beaches so our swimming is done off of our boat. She doesn't mind the boat rides, it's when we go swimming that makes her nervous. It can get very hot during the summer months and we do alot of boating and swimming and when we get in the water, she gets nervous. She pokes her head over the side of the boat and peeks at us, then hides under the helm seat. We have to literally drag her out from under there if a treat doesn't work. When we have been able to get her in the water it is with her life jacket on with built in handles and we carefully drop her in with my husband waiting in the water to accept her and reassure her. The water is warm, and she seems ok with putzing around for very short periods, then paddling quickly back to the boat for me to pick her up out of the water. Back in the boat, we remove her jacket, she shakes off and hides back under the seat. Eventually she relaxes and walks around the boat when we chillout and sun-dry before starting the boat and off to the next cove or back to the dock. As I said before, it can get pretty darn hot in southern Kentucky during the summer, so we want her to swim to cool off, otherwise I wouldn't be "forcing" the issue. It gets a little easier each time she swims, and we don't "force" her every boat ride. Any ideas to make this transition smoother? Anyone else out there with similar deep-water experiences? Should I take her to another lake with better walk-in access until she gets used to "our lake"? Should I just keep doing what we are doing by just making her get used to it with frequent, short dips or would extended swim time with added activity of floating toys help? I will also admit that I get a little nervous when I see her get scared of swimming, as I want her to love the lake like we do, so I was really trying to be more confident and more relaxed as the fall lake season ended. Just wanting some pointers to look forward to trying out come lake season 2014. Thanks in advance for any replies!!

Hi socj, I've had 4 border collies and they all have been so different in signaling their "needs". Zoey is our only dog now, and at 15 months old, I am still figuring out her needing to go out to relieve herself-- she is an easy read on just about every other need or want. She never whines, but is very expressive or just plain obvious. Bathroom signals can range from a lick on my elbow and then staring off into the distance, lol, to going to the door, jumping up and staring out the window or just circling the kitchen table, sitting at the door, etc. etc.... I find that I pretty much control her bladder and bowel by letting her out at scheduled times and telling her to pee or poop, so, she has to "tell" me if she needs to go out. When we are at our campsite, she is always off leash and goes to the edge of the woods to relieve herself whenever she wants. So it's always different scenarios. I am still learning specific signals from her, or I will just ask her, lol....

He is adorable-- good luck and keep us updated!!