I am going to start training my dog to come kayaking with me. Where on the kayak is the best spot to train them to sit for stability? I have a Perception Carolina and my cockpit is not big enough for my 60 lb. dog. Has anyone tried getting their dog to sit in the hatch?
Thanks!
dog in kayak
A 60 lb dog can fit in some tiny places. My 60 lb dog squeezes in between my legs in my recreational kayak, and that way I can keep her calm. She loves it now, and will happily go for a 2 or 3 day trip. But in my sea kayak, with a much smaller cockpit, she runs along the shore, which is also lots of fun for her. Some people do put their dog in the hatch (the rear one usually), with a bath mat in the hatch so the dog won’t slide around too badly. Dogs will stay a lot calmer between your legs, however.
another option
If you can’t find a good way to paddle with your dog in the kayak-it might be worth checking out a solo canoe. I switched to solo canoeing with my dog instead of kayaking w/o my dog. I have a Bell Magic which I find plenty fast and easy to paddle with my 60 lb dog.
David
tandom
or switch to a tandom kayak
Open hatch?
– Last Updated: Aug-22-05 9:06 AM EST –
A dog should go between your legs, I would never hit the water with an open hatch on a kayak, it's just not safe.
My SOT kayak is a 15' Prowler, which is pretty roomy. My dog - a male doberman - is just way too big for kayaking, he comes with me when I'm canoeing.
Has Anyone
tried tying a piece of carpet or rubber to the deck and teaching the dog to hold on to that?
I dont think I have the right style boat for it, but I am thinking of a winter project which might yeld a more stable platform more suitable for a dog passenger.
Mark
Carpet
I’ve seen photos of small dogs riding like that, but 60 pounds on the deck is going to make the boat feel much less stable.
Another Thought
I you had an doner rear hatch, (mines glass), you could cut out the middle leaving the perimeter to use a a seal. It should be pretty easy to glass in essentially a bucket for the dog to ride in.
Have to think that through.
Mark
Don’t forget your pup’s PFD
– Last Updated: Aug-22-05 10:30 AM EST –
Seda Kayaks,1-800-322-seda advertisements depicts a kayaker with his dog. Perhaps, you could get in contact with them. My friend used to kayak with his dog. He trained his dog to wear a pfd on walks for months in the winter and spring. In the summerhe took the dog into the lake with him from the bank and gradually did the same at the river. He did not use any toys to throw because he wanted the dog to be able to breath easily in the water. He had a tandem. He also started training the dog as a pup, 8 months or more. He had the dog sit in the kayak on ground with him many an afternoon. His first trial with the dog in the kayak was in a neighbor's pool. But it was a little difficult because while my friend was in the kayak the neighbor had to lift the dog over the side of the pool into the kayak. The dog got scared, the neighbor fell over the edge of the pool and hit his head and my friend was never really sure how his dog ended up in the kayak. Once in the dog was alright. But my friend decided that not having a gradual incline in water or ground entrance to the kayak was not a good idea. He had a seat float with cloth handles removed under the dog for comfort and always had him in a pfd. Ruffwear K-9 float and Lotus Designs were 2 of his dog's pfd's.
dogs
Dogs are so individual–one of my dogs hopped right in my cockpit the day I bought my first boat, and has been happily paddling away ever since. The other dog turned into a tornado the moment we tried to get her into the cockpit, and we haven’t tried again.
I’ve seen pictures of jack russell terriers dancing along on a bathmat tied to the deck, but anything larger than a terrier on the deck seems like a bad idea.
Try getting into your cockpit, sliding back all the day, and inviting your dog to sit in your lap. (Do this on land at first). Use lots of your dog’s favorite treats to reward her. I bet she’ll fit. Many dogs find the cockpit very reassuring (not all dogs!). My dog is much calmer in a kayak than in a canoe, where she does the husky trick of singing the whole way and lunging from side to side (very annoying by the end of the day).
Having a dog in your lap while you paddle can actually improve your paddling stroke, I found. It forces you to keep your paddle well away from your chest. When I first started paddling, I noticed that my arms were much less tired when I had the dog along, and that helped me figure out a better stroke.
DOG IN KAYAK
I USE MY LOON TANDEM, SCOOTING THE FRONT SEAT BACK AS FAR AS IT CAN GO.
MY “BROWN DOG” IS ABOUT TEN Y/O AND THE FIRST TIME I JUST PICKED HER UP AND PUT HER IN THE KAYAK IN FRONT OF ME AND PADDLED AWAY. SHE SEEMED OK, BUT IT IS REALLY FLAT WATER AND THAT DIDN’T SPOOK HER.
REMEMBER TO TAKE WATER FOR THE DOG!
JOEL
'brown dog"
Just wondering—is your ‘brown dog’ a Chesapeake Bay Retreiver??? We just purchased 2 kayaks—as soon as we got them home and off the truck–the ‘brown dog’ proceeded to get inside the kayaks. If he wasn’t 95#, I would consider taking him with!!! He would love it!!
Don’t even try it.
An open rear hatch is a disaster waiting to happen. Having the dog behind you means you can’t see him shift,you have to wait for the “feedback” which in most cases means you are both going for a swim. Here is my 15 minutes of fame on Paddling.net on how not to load a Perception Eclipse. http://www.paddling.net/photography/showPhoto.html?showID=194
My dog was about 65-70 lbs and was very tired from swimming all day. We didn’t capsize but it was a 2 mile paddle I would not want to do again. A canoe or a SOT is the proper tool for the job.
http://pic12.picturetrail.com/VOL441/421597/677143/8502237.jpg
Geoff
my 90 pound lab
rides in the front cockpit of my double or in the center compartment. I made a sea sock for it so that it won’t fill up with as much water if we capsize(which hasn’t happened yet, although we have practiced reentry’s anyway). I started him out in a canoe but for the ocean up here I prefer the Kayak. He’s a big hit with everyone and gets his picture taken alot. The seals are really curious about him though. Good luck
Buy another boat
You have a built in excuse to buy another boat. Can’t have too many. I don’t think that you can beat the big, open cockpit, stable rec boats for this purpose. (unless your into canoes) I didn’t reply sooner because I hadn’t had a chance to upload a pic of how my dog and I travel.
http://community.webshots.com/album/433275726GfuwXw
This was a very nice, cool morning where we paddled a bit, checked out an island, met some other paddlers and their canoeing dog, just livin’ the dream.
Taj
Awesome Picture
Very Nice, wish I could use my yak for my lab, but he’s too excitable. Both the lab [ 90#] and the english mastiff [165#] will ride in the canoe sucessfully though
Thanks
It was a pretty day. Maybe as your Lab ages he might mellow a bit. My Britt is almost 4 and still excitable at times. I don’t take him out if I expect other than calm water. Taking both hands off of the paddle to grab him could be tricky in wind and textured water. He sees every bird in the water and every squirrel on shore. He thinks his job is to let me know about it. (which it actually is in his breed)
Taj
This thread couldn’t be more timely
Just last week, my wife, stepson and I, who have been talking about getting a dog for a year now, decided on a standard dachshund, and will be geting one either by the end of October, or else sometime after January (we don’t want a new puppy around Christmastime, when we will be flying up to my mother-in-law’s small cabin in Red River NM, with her two obnoxious golden retrievers), and was imagining how fun it will be to take him camping and kayaking. I have a SOT so he should be fine. I was even wondering what the best brand of dog pfd would be.
Ruffwear
makes a real nice one. We like it pretty well. Fits the dog well, floats him nicely, has a grab handle on top, good quality and easy to put on.
Taj
canoe
Here’s what I like about the canoe:
http://www.geocities.com/redlegendwhitehull/blueshirt.jpg
My dog is free to lie down near me or in the bow or can sit and enjoy the view. If things get a little concerning for her (bigger wind or waves) she will crawl under the forward thwart to get right next to me. I find my Bell Magic the perfect canoe for solo dog paddling. I’ve only been out in my NDK Explorer kayak once this year and actually have put it up for sale. I much prefer to paddle with my dog than without.
David
