Hi Luna's Mom,
Yes, we live in hot, balmy, swampy, south Louisiana. Cescie Bell LOVES the water and loves to go swimming in the lakes and ponds all the time. She's done some dock diving, but nothing along the lines of a disciplined training regimen. She's a great swimmer (webbed feet), can go for hours with rarely tiring out, and really loves to jump in and out on the bank and get as muddy as possible.
As you know we also share the alligator issue here in Louisiana, but I have been lucky in that she hasn't actually been able to actually catch one yet, so they gators are hopefully safe (at least up to now).
It's likely dependent on each individual dog, but Cescie has always had what seems to be a natural love for the water, so I've tried to work that into our exercise regimen as it appears to really work great for her and be excellent exercise. It also provides a great relief and cool down after a good run during in the hotter summers. I would say that there is a lot of potential for this breed to excel in certain forms of water-related training, especially if started at an early age.
- Robert