New gal on the block

Archie, looking to see what rigs people have used successfully with a bigger dog. I'm relatively small 5'3" 130#s, but can bench my own weight so I'm not horribly worried about weight. The bigger factor if that I want to bring my 60# vizsla with me.  I'm guessing that most won't let me demo with my pup. If you know of a prior post having to do with dog friendly yak's feel free to send it my way.

I can't think of any specific difference in kayaks for being dog friendly.  a dog is essentially a writhing bundle of weight, so any kayak that has a minimum of 250lb weight capacity should be able to handle you and your dog.

But what you will want to consider is primary stability.  From what I've seen with others who bring dogs with them (and my experience bringing a 60lb black lab with me at the recent CCK paddlefest), is that dogs do not always have a tendency to stay still, or even stay in the kayak.  Even with my 35lb child in the tankwell, the constant shifting of weight really throws off your balance.  So it is best if you can get a kayak with enough primary stability that will make you a lot more comfortable, and a lot less likely to take a swim.  If you want the dog to be able to sit up front with you, you'll need a large cockpit or a tandem.  If the tankwell is acceptable, and you want to be able to fish, you'll need to find a way to store rods and lures in front of you or below your seat so the dog doesn't get hooked.

I'd recommend a minimum of a 31" kayak, 400lb weight capacity and at least 12 feet long for your particular scenario with a large dog.  Lots of options there.

I do believe that Dan at Headwaters Kayak may allow you to demo with a dog, his shop is pretty dog friendly.  You can always contact CCK in Oakland or Adventure Sports in Oakley to see if they will allow you to as well.