5 step guide to SUP with your dog

5 step guide to SUP with your dog

We are full of daily occupations, and the time we have left to dedicate ourselves to our pets, in addition to being able to go rowing, is very fair. For this reason, we suggest you combine both activities in a pleasant experience and prevent your dog from being locked up at home. Many dogs are born swimmers and often enjoy touring on the front of your SUP board. You may be surprised by the connection you will achieve by sharing your board with your dog!

What better company than your best friend, your pet, your dog? Your faithful companion will love getting on your SUP board every time you go paddling. Your dog needs to spend time with you, so why not take advantage of every trip? If you have a pet, you will be interested to know how to introduce him to the world of SUP. If your dog is already a faithful rider, we will also give you recommendations to ensure that he enjoys the paddling, crossing, or wave session as much as you do share your paddle surfboard.

We have been receiving advice for some time, and we have even seen books in English on how to practice SUP with your dog. An elementary detail to consider is that each dog is different, so it will be essential to work at the pet’s rhythm so that each SUP session is a fun and rewarding experience, and thus the desire to repeat it is born.

How to Paddle Board With Your Dog

• Have your dog stay onshore as you go out on the board. 
• Hold the board in shallow water and allow your dog to get on. 
• When you’re both ready, get onto the board with your dog. 
• Stand up with your dog between or at your feet. 
• Small dogs can sit on the nose of the board.

The most adventurous canines will jump and enjoy every minute from day one. Others more insecure and skittish will surely need a slower and more progressive rhythm. Even the bravest of dogs may turn down your invitation to paddle if they didn’t find the first enjoyable experience, so it’s essential to take the time to prepare yourself and them. If your pet is a born swimmer, you will have an advantage.

On the other hand, if it is a dog that does not have a good predisposition to water, you should start by trying to make the animal gain confidence on the shore. Although it is not strictly necessary for your dog to wear afloat, its use is very convenient; We recommend that both the pet and the SUPer first wear appropriately fitted buoyancy vests, even if they are strong swimmers.

• Here are some steps to make our pet feel comfortable at all times; when getting on the SUP board, paddling, when we fall, and always wanting to repeat.

Index

• 5 step guide
  • 1. Have a plank in the house for a week in an area that your dog is comfortable with.
  • 3. Look for special orders to go down and up on the table.
  • 4. Practice sitting, standing still and paddling the board with your dog on the board.
  • 5. Head to the water.
  • Safety precautions
•  Dog Life Jacket, Poppypet Dog Pet Life Jacket Increase Visibility for Dog, for Daily Life, High Help, Flotation, Life Jacket for Dog – Orange, L
  1. When training works
  2. Inflatable paddleboards are perfect for dogs

Taking your dog paddleboarding with you can be a unique outdoor adventure for both you and your pet. The trick to making it a fun and rewarding experience is to train your dog well before he hits the water. When I adopted my dog, Cora, I knew I wanted to share my love of sup with her. He needed to get out on the water and enjoy the experience.

Luckily she’s the type of pet that’s up for any adventure and doesn’t like to be left behind, so it was a natural at paddleboarding. However, I spent some time preparing and training her before hitting the water. I started right away, getting her used to my board and comfortable just being on the paddleboard. In a brief period, Cora became a SUP pro! The five steps below are an excellent guide to follow, and they worked very well for us.

5 step guide

1. Have a plank in the house for a week in an area your dog is comfortable with.

This goal is to help your dog get used to the board and see it as something fun and safe that he doesn’t need to be afraid of. Let your dog explore the chart on his own at first. It will probably sniff it all out and may or may not try to walk on it.

After a day or so of this spot, give your pet a treat on the board so they can walk on it and earn it. Once he’s on the board, give him another gift. Ask him to sit down give him another treat. Do this periodically throughout the day. If your dog still seems uncomfortable, take it easy.

2. If your dog quickly gets on the board, continue.

My dog ​​got the message very quickly. It was understood that it got a treat when it sat on the board. Suddenly it quite liked the paddleboard as it has been a rewarding experience so far. Always keep the energy light and turn the board into a fun place. If you’re having trouble with this process, take it easy and let it feel completely comfortable before moving on to the next step.

Once your dog is comfortable sitting on the board on his own, practice with his vest on so he learns to associate the vest with the whole process. string (57) “The ItemId B07DJY6PJ3 provided in the request is invalid.”

3. Look for special orders to go down and upon the table.

Having a particular order to go up and down the table is quite important. If your dog jumps off the board because he sees a duck while you are paddling in the water, he can knock you into the water too.

Give your dog a special command to get on the board, and he can win his treat. Then teach your dog another special command to ask him to get off the board. Every time he does well, give your dog a treat. If your dog jumps off the board before you have given the command, then you should not give him any reward.

Ask your dog to get back up, sit and stay still. Then give it the order to go down. Over time, you’ll be able to lengthen the amount of time it stays on the board before asking it to come down.

4. Practice sitting, standing still, and paddling the board with your dog on the board.

Once your dog is comfortable sitting on the board in the right place by himself, you can practice sitting and standing on the board. Ask your dog to climb up the board and sit on his spot. Then sit on the board behind your dog. Give him another treat when he stays in place with you sitting behind him.

When you feel comfortable with that, try to stand still and sway a bit. Some dogs are better at this than others, so if your pup is in trouble, take it easy and take a step back if you need to.

Try to keep the environment positive and rewarding rather than setting it up for failure. Once you are comfortable with this step, you can practice SUP paddling, so your dog gets used to the paddle moving around him.

5. Head to the water.

Then take your dog to the water with the board and practice the same steps with the board near the water or on the bank on the water. Follow each step to make sure it responds the same way in a different environment. Depending on your dog’s nature, you may need to practice this a few times before he gets in the water.

Cora is so used to our routine that I am often still getting ready and find her sitting patiently on my board, waiting for us to get out on the water. When your dog feels comfortable and confident, take the first short outing and praise your dog once he’s finished.

Expect some bugs and possibly some falls into the water. However, once your dog gets it, the experience is truly unique. Cora and I have paddled together from beautiful mountain lakes to meandering rivers, including making waves in the sea.

Safety precautions

• I highly recommend that your dog wear a vest while rowing stand-up. It will ensure that your dog is safe if it falls, jumps in the water, or hits the dog’s head. Ideally, your vest should have a handle at the top. The handle is essential to help your dog get back on the SUP board if he falls or goes swimming.
• It is also highly recommended that you never tie your dog on a leash while paddling. If your dog accidentally falls into the water, the leash could strangle the dog. Train your dog before getting on the board so that the leash is not necessary.
• If your dog is afraid of water, that will be your first hurdle to overcome before getting on the board. That said, Cora doesn’t like swimming. The dog jumped once, and it realized that meant she would have to swim, and she never jumped again.

When training works

With Cora, I followed these steps, and as a result, I feel that she is an inseparable companion when I go out with my paddleboard. He climbs on my friend’s boards as he likes to hang out with everyone.

Inflatable paddleboards are perfect for dogs.

Inflatable SUPs tend to be ideal for paddling with a dog. They provide excellent traction for their legs and are pretty stable. We have compiled a list of the best SUPs for paddling with dogs that can help choose a board that suits your and your dog’s needs the most.

Introducing your Dog to the Paddle Surfboard

The initial idea is that your pet gets on the SUP board while it is on a hard surface, for example, the floor of the house or that of your Stand Up Paddle rental center. If this is your first session, try to allow a little extra time for the pet to bond with the team. If your dog is insecure, this introductory stage may take longer and require several repetitions before he is comfortable on the board.

A good trick is to leave the board available in a garden or surface that does not damage the board so that the dog can climb on it and become familiar with it. One way to lure him to the surface to explore the board under his own will is to leave food on top of the board or spread something he likes, for example, pâté or similar.

It is essential to ensure that the paddleboard is stabilized correctly to prevent it from tipping over or sliding if the dog jumps on it and carefully check that the bottom surface will not damage the board. In this stage, you must identify and prepare the point of your Paddle Surfboard in which your dog will remain during the crossings to provide it with non-slip elements that offer more excellent safety when treading on these areas.

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These can be small pieces of foam or non-slip glued throughout the region, even rubber bath mats. And above all, it is always advisable to supervise your pet whenever he explores the Paddle Surfboard.

What is ideally intended to be achieved is that your dog gets on the table when you ask or order it. You can use phrases such as “up” or “get on top.” You must be sure that your pet will sit and lie down in the exact place on your table that you have arranged for that purpose. It is essential in the case of large dogs that can lose their balance while you are paddling.

First, launch into the water with your dog.

The best place to do your first experience paddling with your pet is on a beach with calm waters or a lake with a very gentle incline to enter so that both the board and the dog can gradually enter the water. Other recommended places are low docks, as long as you hold the SUP board very well since the dog will jump on it and get off continuously.

At this point, your dog should feel comfortable both getting on and off the SUP board. . Otherwise, it is advisable to repeat the techniques on the firm ground until you get used to the board. Once your pet feels comfortable with this exercise, we can quickly move on to our first row with our dog.

Short plan SUP tours

The first times you go out with your SUP board in the company of your pet, opt for short trips of less than an hour. It is always recommended that your dog wear a buoyancy vest or portable flotation device (PFE) adjusted to his body from her.

The first crossings will help you know where your pet will be naturally, and once the space has been marked, both of you will feel better in each stroke. You will also be able to train paddling turns, orientation, and speed changes and continue reinforcing the commands to stay in the same position whether sitting, standing, or lying down.

As in any other crossing, there is the risk of losing balance, entering a current, or receiving an unexpected wave that makes us fail without ruling out the possibility that the dog itself can launch. That is why it is essential to know how to fall and, above all, to have the skills to get back into deep water.

Teach your dog how to fall off the SUP and get back on it

When we paddle, we can go through areas to prevent our pet from being involved in a dangerous situation; it is convenient to teach him to jump at a suitable distance to avoid possible damage without getting too far away. It would be helpful to rehearse a voice command like the depth of the water does not allow the dog to touch the bottom.

In case of falling in those circumstances, the board would float higher than the dog’s head, so he will need assistance to get back on the board. The advisable thing to solve this type of contingency is to teach your dog to get on the SUP board in deep water since it will allow you to resume the journey without major setbacks in case of falling or the pet jumping.

If the dog has a buoyancy vest or an EFP, it will be enough to use it by grabbing any leash or tape to help the dog get on. In the case of being a large dog, the effort will be more significant on the owner’s part. A helpful alternative if the dog is hefty is sitting on the board and helping yourself with your arms and body. An additional element that helps is to have some rough and grippy surfaces on the sides or at least one of them.

Once we master the procedure to get on the board, we will practice failing. Stand Up Paddleboards are usually solid, rugged, and of considerable weight. These characteristics, coupled with the effects of a current or sudden movement (for example, the table being turned over by a wave), can give us a solid blow to both us and our pets. “jump.”

In any of the cases in which we get on the Paddle Surfboard, either to start our journey or to resume it after a fall, the first thing will be to get on ourselves and then the dog following the advice explained above.

Arriving from rowing with your dog to the shore

One detail to consider is that the reaction of many dogs, when they see that they are approaching the shore or pier, is to jump off the board, which, being floating, can shoot away from the animal. It can throw you off balance or cause your dog to bump into the nearby bank, dock, or rock they’re reaching for. For this reason, you must make sure that the dog always lands on firm ground and that when jumping from the board, it is supported and remains stable.

We recommend that you put your dog in a “waiting” state as soon as you approach the edge of the beach or pier, and do not allow him to descend until you have secured something firm on the dock or shore to prevent the board from being thrown backward.

Once we are ready, we will only have to row and SUP with our dog.

While we row with our dog

Before each SUP trip or when we go out paddling, we have to consider the weather since, in cold conditions, the dog can suffer from thermal shock when falling into the water and getting back on the board. On the other hand, if they are short-haired, they could get sunburned. In any case, it is recommended to have fresh and drinking water within reach to hydrate it frequently, especially on very sunny days.

Rest assured that your pet will not get tired while you’re on top of the board, you won’t be looking at the clock or the GPS, and you’ll enjoy the ride. That is why you will have to manage your energy and rowing capacity when planning your journey since they will not row back!

Beyond the incredible connection that you will achieve with your dog and the additional amount of hours that you will spend with him, both of you will discover an activity in which you will enjoy more time together. You will continue practicing SUP with a new partner. 

In some parts of the world, there are already races in which a minimum of 6 legs is required on the board; 2 of ours and 4 of a dog. Other people venture to paddle with more than one at a time, which is not impossible as long as the board’s volume allows us to support that weight and that each one of them is already trained.

Your dog won’t accept any excuse to stop paddling.

Both will be able to exercise, you will notice its joy, and you will not be able to resist the movement of their tail. You will be surprised how often he will ask you. Many studies have proven that people who go out to exercise with their pets tend to maintain their work routine with greater discipline than those who go out alone or with other people, so that it will be a greater motivation for you.

As the last comment and not the least important, let’s remember that dogs are better pets being tired. We are sure that any dog ​​tamer and trainer will agree with the idea that keeping your dog active and taking him out of the house or outside will prevent him from staying indoors and committing mischief. So when we return to our home, it will be much better to see him dozing instead of eating his booties, the leash of the board, or looking to make some mischief. So we recommend. Keep SUPing with your dog!

5 step guide to SUP with your dog

Last update on 2022-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API