As a dog owner, you love your pet and would do anything for them. Me too! You already spend a lot of time with your dog outdoors, so why not expand the experience and teach your best furry friend to be a passenger in your kayak? In this article, we discuss how to kayak with your dog, so that the two of you stay best friends.
To kayak with your dog safely and enjoyably, the two of you will need on-land and on-water training, a game-plan for ‘doggy-impulse’ situations, and the right equipment to keep everyone safe and comfortable
Table of Contents
Can Your Dog Be Trained for Kayak Life?
First off, some honest introspection is required. Is your furry best friend really cut out for the kayaking experience?
If your dog is not already at ease on (and in) the water, is it probable that you’ll be able to acclimate them to the sights, sounds and feelings that come with gliding on top of a lake?
Is your dog a strong swimmer? If yes, that’s certainly helpful. If not, it’s not a deal-breaker, but a doggie-PFD will absolutely be required. Candidly, even a strong swimming pooch is best-served sporting a PFD.
There are a lot of exciting things to consider out in nature, both in the water and out. Sticks, frogs, ducks, whales, other dogs on other kayaks. The list is deliriously long. Is your dog wired and trained to manage the impulses driving that need for a ‘closer look’?
If your dog isn’t stricken by anxiety, has the innate ability to manage impulses and can be trained to behave safely, then a great kayaking relationship could be in your collective future.
Get Your Dog Used to Kayak ‘Things’
On-land training is the first step to preparing your dog to kayak with you.
A kayak (or canoe, for that matter) is a big, colorful, tippy, noisy beast – not just to dogs, but to us humans as well. It will take some time to get your dog used to being in and around your kayak.
Plastic kayaks can be slippery
Your dog’s first step into a kayak might be a difficult one to negotiate. Kayak hulls can be slippery, especially if your dog’s nails aren’t trimmed. You’ll likely need to provide some coaching and positive reinforcement to support your dog as he navigates this new surface
Remember to reward your dog for behaviours that you want to encourage in the kayak.
Your dog might benefit from a towel or mat to help him take his first steps into your boat.
Kayaks are tippy
The ‘tippiness’ of your kayak is broadly a function of its primary and secondary stability.
Recall that the primary stability of a kayak is its initial tippiness, or what you feel when you first enter the boat. Typically, the flatter the hull of your boat, the higher the primary stability and the less initial tippiness.
Secondary stability is the tippiness of your kayak when exposed to waves and swells.
Usually, kayaks that are designed with primary stability in mind are intended for calm water. When exposed to moving water they become more tippy and difficult to control.
At least initially, your dog will likely be nervous trying to negotiate the instability of your kayak. Furthermore, as your dog moves around inside the kayak, tippiness will be exacerbated.
Consider exposing Fido to your kayak rocking on land before entering the water. Reinforce his attention with rewards and treats.
When comfortable observing a rocking boat, then invite your dog into the boat (while still on-land) to learn to sit or lie down, while the boat is rocking. Again, positive reinforcement is helpful.
Once your dog is comfortable being in a kayak as it moves, it will be time to take the boat out on the water.
Teach Your Dog Where to Sit / Lie Down in Your Kayak
Your dog requires a comfortable, safe spot in your kayak. The size of your dog and the style of kayak you paddle determines where your dog should reside.
A sit-on-top kayak provides more options for your dog to sit and lie down. In reality though, your dog will move around the boat, sometimes visiting you as you paddle, other times gazing over the edge of the boat, contemplating life’s mysteries as she stares into the liquid depths, below.
If you paddle a sit-in kayak, bringing your furry buddy along might not even be an option. Even with a sit-in kayak, you require a cockpit big enough to house your own moving, paddling body, plus that of your dog, again with room to not accidentally whack your buddy in the noggin with your paddle.
Identify a location that keeps your kayak weight balanced and delineate it with a towel that your dog can identify as her comfortable ‘kayak-home’. Reinforce desired behaviour as she sits and lies down on the towel.
Kayak interiors get wet so, consider how this might impact your dog. If a wet towel is a problem, pack an additional dry one in a dry-sack for when the current one gets too wet.
Some pet-owning kayakers line the floor of their kayaks with more towels or even yoga mats. This allows your pet to move around without slipping. As you might expect, this is a double-edged sword as improving your dog’s mobility increases her opportunity to move around. Your call.
Get Your Dog Used to Your Paddling
First, this is primarily an on-land task. With your dog in the kayak, practice the motion of paddling. Your dog’s instinct is likely to seek protection from a paddle flying around overhead. Over time, he’ll learn that a moving paddle doesn’t pose danger.
The next step is to move to the water. Paddling creates noises that your dog isn’t used to. Spend time acclimating him to the sounds of splashes and drips that come with paddling. Often these sounds slip into the background and actually become soothing to your dog – just like to us humans.
Teach and Practice Kayak Commands with Your Dog
It’s important to effectively communicate with your dog while in the kayak.
Go to your towel
You need a command instructing him to move to his spot where the towel is located. Remember to reinforce good behaviour not only when your dog goes to the towel when asked, but also when he stays on the towel without being asked.
Lie down
You also need a command instructing your dog to lie down. This could be due to the onset of weather or waves that are creating a safety issue. It could also be to protect from a situation that might result in a negative impulse, such as the approach of birds or animals. Or an ever-so-tempting raft of ducks.
Leave it
Related to the command to lie down is the instruction to leave it alone. For your dogs’ safety, you need to be able to break her attention before something modestly interesting (again, like a bird or animal) becomes all-encompassing, resulting in a dangerous impulse. Remember to reinforce desired behaviour.
OK
There are time when it’s actually ok for your dog to hop out of the boat, go for a swim, or chase down a highly-desirable stick floating around in the lake. Practice a command that let’s your dog know she’s allowed to do something she wants to do.
In the Boat / Water
Finally, it’s helpful to use a command that let’s your dog know it’s time to enter the boat or get in the water. This command is particularly useful when trying to chorale a dog that is happily puttering around in his PFD with nary a care in the world – paying absolutely no attention to you.
Get Used to Wearing and Swimming with a Doggie-PFD
Sure, your dog might be a strong swimmer. Still, do her a favour and buy her a PFD. Not just any old PFD, but one that fits, with buckles instead of Velcro, and a strong handle that will help you lift her out of the water and into the kayak, if needed.
Once you have the right PFD, you’ll need to teach your dog to wear it and love it.
Step one is to get her used to it on-land. Reinforce good behaviour connected with wearing the PFD. You want her to associate wearing the PFD with good times paddling with you. You can actually get to he point where she is super-excited to put on the PFD, knowing what’s to come.
This could require practice hanging out, walking and eating, while wearing the PFD on-land.
Step two is to get her used to wearing the PFD in the boat. If she’s comfortable on-land, then wearing it in the boat shouldn’t be problematic.
Finally, give her practice swimming with the PFD. Throw a stick from a beach or dock and have her retrieve it. This will build her confidence wearing the PFD in the water.
How to Enter and Exit a Kayak with Your Dog
I’ve previously written articles about how to get in and out of kayaks in various situations. Never have I written anything about doing so with a dog.
Rather than rehash entire articles that have already been written, allow me to point you to: How to Get In and Out of Your Inflatable Kayak (without Drama), 3 (Very Different) Ways to Get Back in Kayak after Falling Out, How to Paddle Your Kayak in Waves.
These three articles go through strategies for entry and exit of kayaks across a great many scenarios.
The key principles of entering and exiting a kayak with your dog are: 1. Keep your dog close to you, 2. Enter the kayak before your dog enters, 3. Exit the kayak after your dog exits.
In each case, you need to use commands to help your dog feel comfortable and let him know it’s either okay to hop out or necessary to get in.
In some cases, like on a dock, it is beneficial to keep your dog on a leash until he has entered the boat. Similarly, it can be helpful for some dogs to be on a leash when they exit a kayak.
It’s not advisable to keep your dog leashed while in the kayak as it can create tangling problems while in the boat as well as safety issues if he jumps out or if your kayak capsizes.
What to Do if Your Dog Jumps Out of the Kayak
Should your dog’s impulses prove insurmountable then she might jump out of the kayak.
If she does so without permission, firmly tell her to get back in the boat as you paddle towards her.
If she is wearing a PFD, then pull up alongside her and use the PFD handle to help pull her back aboard. (Be sure to stow your paddle so it doesn’t fall out and float away.)
If your dog isn’t wearing a PFD, you’ll still need to paddle up alongside her. Instead of lifting by the PFD handle, you’ll need to reach across your dog’s back, hooking under her front legs and lifting her high enough so that she can proceed back into the kayak.
Though you’re probably frustrated, it will still serve you both to stay calm and use a soothing voice.
Once your dog is back on board, reward her for returning back to the kayak and letting you help her get back in the boat.
What to Do if Your Kayak Tips Over
It doesn’t take much to tip over a kayak, and an anxious, floundering or swimming dog can certainly be a root cause.
Before you embark on a kayak trip with your dog, be practiced in at least one re-entry methodology to get back in your kayak after you fall out. If you haven’t spent time doing this, then read the articles I wrote (highlighted above) about re-entering your kayak, then go out on the water and practice.
You owe it to your dog and yourself to be prepared for this situation.
If your kayak tips and you find yourself, your belongings and your best friend floating in the water, take a deep breath.
Gather your paddle, your kayak and your dog, preferably in that order.
You’ll need to use one of the re-entry strategies to secure your paddle, flip your kayak back upright (if it’s upside down) and pull yourself back onto the boat.
Some folks choose to push their dog back into the kayak first. I subscribe to the airplane-oxygen-mask reasoning – first help yourself so that you’re in a position to help everyone else, including your dog.
Once you and your paddle are in the boat, collect your dog and then any gear that might be floating around on the water.
You and your dog will be wet, cold and potentially in shock. Use the spare towels that you packed in the dry-sacks to dry off, warm up, and take a breather.
What is the Best Type of Kayak for Paddling with Your Dog?
The best kayak for paddling with your dog is the one in which both of you feel safe, comfortable and stable.
Sit-on-Top versus Sit-Inside
Broadly speaking, a sit-on-top kayak provides the buffer room necessary to sit both you and your dog safely and comfortably without the risk of getting in each other’s way or having an accident with a paddle.
Also, assuming you and FIDO are under the kayak’s stated weight limits and you paddle on calm water, the scupper holes of a sit-on-top kayak should keep you both (perhaps your dog more than you) reasonably dry.
It is possible to kayak with your dog in a sit-inside kayak, but the cockpit opening needs to be an above-average size. It’s the only way to keep the two of you safe and comfortable.
Alternatively, you can sit your dog in the front cockpit of a two-person, sit-inside kayak. However, if your dog feels the need to ‘get to you’, the situation will escalate quickly. Why? Because the only way to reach you is to get out of the cockpit and scramble on top of the very slippery deck in your direction.
Your buddy is likely to end up in the drink.
In my view, a sit-on-top kayak is the best style of boat if you want to kayak with your dog.
Hard Shell versus Inflatable
In a different post, I discussed the merits of hard shell versus inflatable kayaks and how to choose the best boat for you.
Overall, my conclusion is that, when considering weight, transportation, storage, performance, comfort, durability, repair and price, an inflatable kayak is the best choice for recreational paddlers.
(For paddlers on a really low budget, as well as paddlers seeking high performance, a hardshell kayak is the best choice.)
When adding a dog to the mix, my conclusion still stands. Broadly speaking, I think that a quality, inflatable, sit-on-top kayak is a superior choice for paddlers that want to kayak with their dog.
Good quality inflatable kayaks are durably constructed in order to withstand the many sharp hazards lurking under water that poke and prod at kayak hulls. The nails of your dog shouldn’t be any challenge to the integrity of a well-constructed inflatable kayak.
Furthermore, quality inflatable kayak hulls tend to be less-slippery than hard shell hulls.
An inexpensive inflatable kayak – the type you buy on Amazon for $100 is however, definitely at risk from your dog’s nails. Avoid cheap inflatable kayaks if you have a dog. And usually if you don’t have a dog, as well.
One caveat, though. If your dog likes to chew and really gets into his work, then an inflatable kayak might not be for you, for obvious reasons.
In summary, my general preference is to select a high quality, inflatable, sit-on-top kayak for kayaking with your dog.
Furthermore, my preference is to also talk to your local kayak outfitter about your particular situation. Their advice is always valuable. Buy your next kayak from them!
What Gear Do You Need to Kayak with Your Dog?
PFD
In my experience, a high proportion of kayakers that have flipped over with a dog on board now make their pet wear a PFD.
If you both fall out, you don’t have to worry about whether your dog has enough strength and stamina to stay afloat. You can focus first on getting safely back in the boat and then on helping your buddy back in as well. Who knows, she may actually want to stay in the water (even though her timing isn’t great).
Towel/Blanket
Some floor covering that clarifies where your dog’s spot is and makes it comfortable for sitting/laying down is helpful and will make for a more enjoyable day for you and FIDO – especially if you’re paddling a hard shell kayak.
Water and Food
Both you and your dog need water and food. In that order. Obviously. Don’t rely on lake water to hydrate your pooch, even though he’s probably going to drink some, anyway. Bring more than sufficient water for the amount of time that you plan to be away.
Don’t forget a bowl. Until evolution blesses dogs with opposable thumbs, those water bottles will remain inaccessible to them.
Just like you, your buddy gets cranky without food, so bring some. It could be treats, it could be a meal. Remember, the more things you let your dog eat and drink out in nature (because of unsatisfied hunger and thirst), the more risk you assume of an upset doggy-stomach that will immediately spoil your trip.
Also, remember that food and water create pee and poop! Your dog will need breaks to handle both of these needs, preferably while not on your kayak. Bring a poop bag for these little deposits.
First Aid Kit
This is for you as well as your dog. Keep some sunscreen and sun balm handy.
Given that your dog is as susceptible to the impact of sun as you are – particularly around his eyes, consider a sun hat and even sunglasses to cut the glare of the sun reflecting up off the water.
Dog Toys
Not every dog needs them, but some sure enjoy them. Make sure they’re waterproof so they don’t get mouldy and funky between kayaking trips.
Dry Sacks
Pack at least one dry sack and keep a towel or two, a wicking layer garment, an insulating layer garment and a windproof/waterproof shell (for you) inside. It’s preferable to stow them in a dry hatch.
Depending on where and when you’re paddling (I usually do it in Canada), the risk of hypothermia can be real. Pack the right layers and keep them dry.
Dog Leash
To be used, if necessary and/or legally required outside the kayak. There are too many bad things that can potentially happen to a leashed-up dog inside a kayak. Give your buddy a little ‘supervised’ freedom while in the boat.
Parting Thoughts
We love our dogs and enjoy being outdoors with them. With a little bit of training and planning ahead, we can make everyone safe and comfortable while enjoying a unique experience with man’s best friend.