If you can afford to replace it every few months from theft, it should be OK.

Honestly, I just dumped her on the kayak and went off. It’s all about your relationship with the dog. I knew she’d be cool with it so I didn’t take any special care.

If I was dealing with a anxious or insecure dog, I would start at home. Put the kayak and make sure it doesn’t wobble. Let them stand on it, toss treats on it, don’t push them to go on the kayak just lure them to it. Stand on the other side of the kayak with a treat so that they go over it to get to you.

Slowly make it less stable until they are confident again then just keep expanding the criteria.

Then take them to a quiet lake. Take ten steps back, start this whole process over but on the beach by the water. Don’t put it in the water yet, you’re in a new area and there are new smells and sights and in the dogs mind this is 100% different than at home.

Once they remember the game of walking around on the kayak, put it on the very edge of the water so it doesn’t float but let them stand on it. Slowy move it out into deeper and deeper water, keep things exciting and give them their favorite treats (small treats that don’t require chewing). Peanut butter is good too.

Eventually they’re in the water knee deep. Lure them from the bow to stern of the kayak with treats, building the reward from every step to every few steps to from front and back.

Once they are confident in it, it’s time for you to go in. Don’t go kayaking yet, just enter the kayak and exit the kayak constantly until they are confident in it.

NOW you can take off. Reward constantly. Try to keep them from
Falling in. You’re trying to avoid bad experiences (setbacks). Reward and reward and paddle for a hour. Call it a day. Come back and do it all over. Multiple short trips if possible.

Once they are confident in this, it’s time to dunk them! Just like human self rescue, dog self rescue is essential. I use a Ruffwear life jacket, not because I doubt her swimming skill, but because it gives me a handle to lift her out of the water.

Do it quick, in and out. Reward the hell out of the dog, paddle around for 10 mins, the. Dunk again. Over and over until your dog doesn’t bat an eye at it anymore.  Then dunk the dog and paddle away. Let them swim to you and rescue them.

Then dunk both you and the dog! Your dogs instinct will be to crawl all over you. You need to be prepared for it and get them used to it. Figure out which is easier, rescuing yourself (with her trying to climb you in the process!) or rescuing the dog first. I rescue my dog first because she doesn’t climb on me and my self rescue doesn’t knock her off the kayak.

I know this sounds like a long and tedious process. This is like, worst case scenario with a dog that needs lots of time. Like I said, all I did was throw my dog on the kayak and take off paddling, so if your dog goes through the steps quickly then all this can take you a single morning or single hour. But for some dogs you’ll need a month, and that’s OK. Be patient, they’re doing their best but they may not quite understand what you’re asking of them.

I got a 16" yesterday, nothing to write home about, I released it.

It was quiet otherwise unfortunately...

I opened this thread and read the first post and I was like, how long before someone mentions me? 

I always wonder to myself how many NCKA'ers think I am a total dick when they run into me OTW.

I mean, y'know, until they actually meet me and remove all doubt.

Should I do a lobster charter? Never done one before.. looks like Gail force and Triton sportfishing does trips on December 6th for Lobster from 12pm to 12am.

This thing costs $1100 New. Sure it's not new but it's indestructible so it's literally exactly the same as a brand new one in function, so I'd say this is a good deal.

We don't do large commercial projects anymore so not needed anymore.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/tls/6714246743.html

I know it's not Kayak related but I've seen a bunch of you get a boner for this stuff so I figured maybe someone wants to buy for whatever reason.