Folks that kayak with their dogs

How did you go about teaching your dogs to want to be on the kayak?

I haven't done this in forever (to put a time frame on 'forever', it was going sailing with my childhood dog on a sunfish and on a hobie 16, hobiecat, not yak).

The new puppers is still in waiting-for-parvo-immunity-to-kick-in isolation, so I've just been taking the WS Commander hybrid I got from Weimarian to the back yard and hanging out in it with the dog. Giving treats for hopping in and being still, that sort of thing.

Any pointers you've got would be appreciated. Our last dogs hated water, and it got in the way of some cool camping opportunities, so we're wanting to get this little beast into it early.

Thanks!

 
 Not a dog person, (Cats) but what breed of pup is pictured? looks like some Retriever? He should love the water.  The three golden retrievers my folks had while growing up couldn't keep them from water.

There are some threads by Rogerdodger on NWKA about taking his dog on his kayak. His dog even has a wetsuit.

There are some threads by Rogerdodger on NWKA about taking his dog on his kayak. His dog even has a wetsuit.

And roger is usually quite happy to explain it.

Paging RBark...

 Not a dog person, (Cats) but what breed of pup is pictured? looks like some Retriever? He should love the water.  The three golden retrievers my folks had while growing up couldn't keep them from water.

100% Pound Puppy from SF Animal Control.

They said Dad was a golden doodle, and the mom was an unspecified Lab and, wait for it, pomeranian mix, so at least 75% water dog if they're to be believed. He loves playing in the spray from the hose and can't be kept out of the shower, so I suspect he's going to be a water dog, just want to encourage that even more!

There are some threads by Rogerdodger on NWKA about taking his dog on his kayak. His dog even has a wetsuit.

And roger is usually quite happy to explain it.

I don't know why this makes me want to back away slowly from Roger, especially not having met him, but it kinda does

edit: just saw the video he posted of the trial run. It's kinda awesome.

Was out yesterday with my Aussie riding in the back of my Hobie Outback 2019. They should learn sit and lay down, as when they are up dancing around, your center of gravity changes! Mine weighs 60 lbs and the Outback is very stable though. He' goes a little nuts when I hook a fish and I have to tell him "SIT". He wears an Outward Hound PFD with the handles so I can haul his soggy butt back onboard if he goes in, which he has done. I had 4 Golden Retrievers over the years before and they would ride in our canoe but would rather be IN the water, not ON it! So "Stay" may be another good command! I saw your kayak was a Necky with "No room for anything". You're gonna need a bigger boat!

When the neighbor cannot dogsit for the day the dog goes fishing. The pic is my friend on Tbay with the dog, a mixed terrier, but the dog has made several trips with me offshore. She is usually OK for a couple hours but after four the soft whimperings and whinings began. "Please, get me off this goddamn kayak and back to shore".

For some breeds its just in there blood.

Sound like you are starting the way I would.
Patience is key for my dogs (3).
Once they fear something it is much harder to overcome that.

I once had a dog that was so traumatized by having a head on collision with a huge horse fly while running down the hall, that whenever there was a fly in the house after that, no matter the size, he would cower under our bed and shaking like crazy until it was gone.
It was kind of funny, and I did feel bad for him, he never got over that his whole life.

Good luck, and PFD is a must even if a good swimmer.
The handles would be a great help getting him back in.
Non skid surface where they will be to get traction and not slip helps.

great photographs of fishing buddies. Someone to talk to.

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 saw your kayak was a Necky with "No room for anything". You're gonna need a bigger boat!

Ha! Definitely he's not going out on the Dolphin, not at first at least, and given he's on track to be about 60#, maybe not at all. The target boat is the wilderness systems commander 120. It's an open deck hybrid between a yak and a canoe. Super stable, about 400# capacity, with a couple seating options that should help get him and me in the boat at the same time.

For some breeds its just in there blood.

Man, that pic is exactly how my dog growing up would behave on the '70s/ '80s boats we had back then. He'd run to the front of a hull on a Hobie 16 and just hang out there until the wind kicked up or he saw something in the water that had to die.