[neilep (OP)]

I can understand why animals would hesitate when entering a body of water if the premise is to seek predators awaiting, but if there are no predators, does the temperature difference make them hesitate ?




whajafink ?


Do you just go straight in ? or put your toe in first ?






Ta

[Halc]

Some (many cats for instance) simply don't like to get wet. Plenty of dogs run right in and enjoy it. Tigers seems to like it. Sheep?  Who wants a wet sheep?  Probably not the sheep.

Going into water why?  To drink only requires to be at the edge. Crossing a river is needed sometimes, so a wildebeest goes right in, sometime to the point of going back and forth across the large body being crossed in search of their calves, hard evidence of 'bewild-a-beast' effect.

Seals and otters and such are water animals and don't count, and one might ask why they might or might not hesitate to emerge from the water.

Do you just go straight in ? or put your toe in first ?

I go straight in.

We went to a campground where the owner could not get his swimming pool certified for public use since it lacked a chlorine and a filtration system. It was approved only for use of himself and personal friends. So if you wanted in, you went and asked, and he'd ask if you were his friend. Say yes, and you could go in.
Think was, the pool was continuously fed by a mountain spring, so technically it was an artificial pond, and super cold. Most people were content on the uber-hot days to merely dangle their ankles in.  I would dive right in for the full shock effect of hitting water that was single-digit C at best.  Loved it, but didn't stay in there too long.

[alancalverd]

Who wants a wet sheep?  Probably not the sheep.

I witnessed a sheep being chased by a dog on a beach. The sheep chose to swim and to my surprise managed to outswim a very competent retriever who returned to the shore after about 200 meters, with the sheep following.

[Karen W.]

My daughter has had 2 dogs one who would walk in just enough to wet his pads in cold of winter.. then cringe and back out not go in...so he would test the water back off and really strongly hesitate and leave in cold weather. He didn't even like getting his oes wet in the cold water but the older Lab BUBA did not care he would run in regardless...Now in the same situation, 6 months later in the same place at the river, with just warmer summer weather, The hesitator would walk in pause and continue right on into the water, so I think it is a thing with some animals.. these were two different labs belonging to my daughter. Also the hesitant lab did not like getting his feet wet on a cold frosty wet ground either.. he was the one who would shiver and shake the most in inclement weather too. The older lab had thicker longer fur.. Our pitbull did not like the cold water at all, as well as not wanting to get his little princely feet wet..LOL He would hold his bathroom duties off as long as possible if it was wet crisp or cold outside.. he'd wait until the rain stopped, unless you made him follow you out on the leash.. LOL..  Then he kinda tip-toed out but did not want to leave the sidewalk to enter the wet grass... at first we thought it was a texture thing on the grass.. but it was a water thing instead.. if it was cold he hated it... same as the younger lab at the river. Perhaps different animals react differently maybe domesticated verses wild may enter into the equation.. and what they are used to.

[Bored chemist]

" Do Land Animals Hesitate When Entering COLD Water ?"
I can only really speak for one of them but, yes; I do.

[Karen W.]

Me too Bored Chemist!

[neilep (OP)]

Some (many cats for instance) simply don't like to get wet. Plenty of dogs run right in and enjoy it. Tigers seems to like it. Sheep?  Who wants a wet sheep?  Probably not the sheep.

Going into water why?  To drink only requires to be at the edge. Crossing a river is needed sometimes, so a wildebeest goes right in, sometime to the point of going back and forth across the large body being crossed in search of their calves, hard evidence of 'bewild-a-beast' effect.

Seals and otters and such are water animals and don't count, and one might ask why they might or might not hesitate to emerge from the water.

Do you just go straight in ? or put your toe in first ?

I go straight in.

We went to a campground where the owner could not get his swimming pool certified for public use since it lacked a chlorine and a filtration system. It was approved only for use of himself and personal friends. So if you wanted in, you went and asked, and he'd ask if you were his friend. Say yes, and you could go in.
Think was, the pool was continuously fed by a mountain spring, so technically it was an artificial pond, and super cold. Most people were content on the uber-hot days to merely dangle their ankles in.  I would dive right in for the full shock effect of hitting water that was single-digit C at best.  Loved it, but didn't stay in there too long.

I think if i dived straight I would probably not come up. In my younger days yes yes, but now ?...brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !!!

I did specify "land" animals in the question and "cold" water. So, my question is biased to either for the pleasure and absolute necessity. Of this , apart from checking for predators, I don't think I have seen hesitation.

I recall seeing a BBC wildlife clip where a parent wildebeest purposely put themselves in-between their calf and approaching alligator/crocodile and lead it away ....good ending for the calf....

[neilep (OP)]

Who wants a wet sheep?  Probably not the sheep.

I witnessed a sheep being chased by a dog on a beach. The sheep chose to swim and to my surprise managed to outswim a very competent retriever who returned to the shore after about 200 meters, with the sheep following.

All sheep Identify as Olympic swimmers QED

[neilep (OP)]

My daughter has had 2 dogs one who would walk in just enough to wet his pads in cold of winter.. then cringe and back out not go in...so he would test the water back off and really strongly hesitate and leave in cold weather. He didn't even like getting his oes wet in the cold water but the older Lab BUBA did not care he would run in regardless...Now in the same situation, 6 months later in the same place at the river, with just warmer summer weather, The hesitator would walk in pause and continue right on into the water, so I think it is a thing with some animals.. these were two different labs belonging to my daughter. Also the hesitant lab did not like getting his feet wet on a cold frosty wet ground either.. he was the one who would shiver and shake the most in inclement weather too. The older lab had thicker longer fur.. Our pitbull did not like the cold water at all, as well as not wanting to get his little princely feet wet..LOL He would hold his bathroom duties off as long as possible if it was wet crisp or cold outside.. he'd wait until the rain stopped, unless you made him follow you out on the leash.. LOL..  Then he kinda tip-toed out but did not want to leave the sidewalk to enter the wet grass... at first we thought it was a texture thing on the grass.. but it was a water thing instead.. if it was cold he hated it... same as the younger lab at the river. Perhaps different animals react differently maybe domesticated verses wild may enter into the equation.. and what they are used to.

If what you describe is " hesitation" due to to the water temp then I guess the answer to be true and ' hesitation' is demonstrated.

If you had offered your Pitbull some slippers and an umbrella he would not have needed to ' clench his buttocks' lol

[Karen W.]

 They needed these waterproof boots, made for dogs! https://img.kwcdn.com/product/Fancyalgo/VirtualModelMatting/81629bc4b95afd5aff099d3e4aee7d1c.jpg?imageView2/2/w/800/q/70