It’s a warm sunny day and you decided to go kayaking and wonder how to kayak with your dog since you do not want your dog to be missing out on this wonderful experience. You will have to prepare your dog beforehand to avoid accidents while kayaking. Kayaking is so much fun especially when you can share that experience with your best friend, your dog.
Before you can even get your dog to go kayaking with you, you must prepare them so that they don’t jump out of the kayak while you are kayaking. You must prepare your dog before even thinking about letting them go with you on a kayak. The best way to prepare them is on land, get your dog listening to you is vital.
Make sure that the dog listens to you and understands your commands like “sit,” “lay down,” and “stay.” If your dog doesn’t listen to you when these simple commands that are being given then kayaking with your dog will be really hard, not fun and you run a higher chance of capsizing.
Let your dog be familiar with your kayak on land by letting your dog stiff around. Have your dog sit on the kayak when it’s on land so your dog can get used to being on the kayak before floating on the water.
One of the most important things about having your dog go kayaking with you is that your dog has to know how to swim so if your dog ends up in the water, your dog can swim back and get back onto the kayak. Another thing is to have your dog well trained and calm so when you are kayaking your dog doesn’t behave poorly.
Getting The Right Kayak For You And Your Dog
You may consider yourself a pro at kayaking but when you are kayaking with a dog it’s a whole different story because you do not know what your dog may do while you are kayaking. Your dog may jump into the water at any given moment or your dog may jump up and down, run back and forth on the kayak which will put you at risk of capsizing.
Depending on the size of your dog, if your dog is big you may need a tandem kayak. If you do get a tandem kayak your dog should always be in the front seat and you are in the back paddling and maybe your dog can help paddle too.
If your dog is medium to small size then you can get away with having a one-seater kayak but it should be wide and has a larger cockpit for your dog to sit in between your legs.
The Supplies For You and Your Dog
Some things that you need while kayaking with your dog is:
- Treats and toys – You should bring some treats for your dog so that your dog can be happy and not hungry. Plus, you can use the treats to reward your dog for listening to you while you are on the kayak. You should bring some treats for yourself too because paddling will tire you out. You should bring a toy with you so that your dog can chew and play with it so that your dog won’t act up. If you do bring a toy make sure that it can float and water-friendly.
- Life jackets – You and your dog should always wear a life jacket while kayaking. The life jackets must be PFDs too just in case because you never know when a capsize will happen. Even if your dog knows how to swim, dogs can get tired of swimming too. A PFD life jacket is the only way to ensure your dog’s safety and yours.
- Foam pad – Bring a foam pad like a yoga mat and place it down into the kayak cockpit where your dog would sit or lay down. This would help keep your dog comfortable and it would help give your dog an indicator to stay on the foam mat and not go all over the kayak.
First Time Kayaking With Your Dog
You now have everything needed to kayak with your dog and have done all the prep work for your dog to be comfortable on a kayak. Now its time to head out into the water for the first time. Since it will be your first time kayaking with your dog you won’t know how your dog may react to being on a moving kayak, so it’s a good idea to start off small. What we mean by small is to go to calm water like a pond and let your dogs get in to feel how it is while moving so your dog can get use to it and not be scared. Try going in the shallow water first so that if your dog ends up in the water your dog won’t need to swim far to get to safety. Also, try kayaking for only 10-20 minutes because your dog may end up getting rowdy for sitting down and staying in a spot for too long.
What If Kayaking With Your Dog Doesn’t Go Well
Your dog may be good while practicing on land with the kayak but it’s a whole different story when the kayak is in the water and your dog must deal with the movement of the water. It is all good because it’s a new environment and your dog just need some getting used to it. When you are kayaking with your dog for the first time there is a higher chance your dog may behave badly.
That is normal because think of it this way, everyone is excited and most likely do not know what to do or act when they are doing something new and for the first time, same thing goes with dogs. The solution to this is to go kayaking more frequency with your dog so that your dog knows what to do and your dog will become more comfortable with kayaking.
If your dog scared of the water to begin with then you should try to get your dog to stick their paws in the water. This will help get your dog more comfortable with water. Another way to make your dog more comfortable with kayaking is to put your kayak in your house so that your dog can see it every day and will most likely play or sit on it in the house. Remember the more your dog sees and interact with the kayak the more your dog will end up enjoying kayaking with you.
What To Do If Your Dog Jumps Out While Kayaking?
For your first time kayaking with your dog, you should be in the shallow end close to shore so that if your dog ends up in the water and needs help you can jump in and rescue your dog. The best thing to prevent your dog from drowning is to get your dog into a doggy life vest. You and your dog should always be in a lifer vest when kayaking for safety.
You should only try to pull your dog back into the kayak if your dog is small because you can end up capsizing the kayak if your dog is too big. If your dog is medium to big size, then order them to swim back to shore. It’s not that far since you will be in the shallow end since it will be your first time going kayaking with your dog. Then you can start over with your dog.
Kayak Adventure With Your Dog
Once your dog is comfortable with being on a kayak and your dog is well trained and behave you can start going out further from shore and have an amazing adventure. Remember to always wear your life jacket and your dog too.