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  1. #1
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    Sep 2005
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    Kayaking with [big] dog

    I would like to take my 100+lb. Chessie kayaking with me. He loves to swim, but would never float on an SUP. I'm wondering 2 things:
    1) should I buy a tandem kayak, and take out the front seat when I'd rather be with my dog than my wife;

    2)Is it very difficult for one person to row a tandem.

    Thanks.
    “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher”. — Jimi Hendrix

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    2,440
    Doable, but will the dog stay in the boat? Can't imagine a Chesapeake being that close to water and not ending up in it.

    Canoe is probably a better option depending on the water and your objectives. More room for the dog to get comfortable and harder for him to leave the boat.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    I have been using a dog life preserver for down water trips with my lab. She cruises along quite well and keeps up no problem. Don't think she wants to be in the boat and I definitely don't want to wrestle her in. I don't tether her and she stays right with me.

  4. #4
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    Skistack, you're 100% right. The dog smells the water and gets a hard on. I could not really imagine him staying on the kayak without causing a commotion.
    “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher”. — Jimi Hendrix

  5. #5
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    Canoe will be easiest for you and pooch. Doggie flotation vest is highly recommended. Have phun.
    watch out for snakes

  6. #6
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    I had a lab chessie and she was fucking nuts about water and life in general, IME probably a canoe is best but she isn't gona stay in the boat much so just let er swim, mine would regularly swim 10k no problem and as long as the water is not too cold let them.

    She loved to windsurf specially in high winds, I had to drag her up on the board by the collar, she would brace herself against my knee or the mast until I got going, I hook into the harness then she would stand way out on the front of the board hanging 10 on the long reaches ... sporting breed eh?
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  7. #7
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    ^^^ nice!
    “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher”. — Jimi Hendrix

  8. #8
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    Oct 2011
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    A chessie that size would be happy pulling you upstream
    “THE EDGE, there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” HST

  9. #9
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    “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher”. — Jimi Hendrix

  10. #10
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    I've taken my 50lb black lab/ blue heeler mutt. She'd stand in front of me for a while, looking around until something caught her eye, then she'd jump in. After a while she'd swim back to me and I'd haul her back on board. More fun for her than for me. These days I usually just take her for a nice long (for me, not for her) swim.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by schindlerpiste View Post

    yeah take all the wood out of a lake or stream and put it on the bank, geat big pieces like that ^^ one

    and then start moving all the rocks ... that totally a Chesapeake move

    mine got all fucked at the sandy beach because no matter how much she dug into the sand she couldn't find any rocks or wood to fetch ...drove her crazy
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  12. #12
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    some folks do SUP with a pup
    watch out for snakes

  13. #13
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    a lab is a big dog for the front of a SUP and a chessie is even bigger,

    personaly I find the SUP great for meeting women
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
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    5
    I've never SUPed with a pup, but I have yacked with a quake.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
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    10
    You just need to have a good dog kayak or rather a kayak that will comfortably accommodate both you and your dog. Finally, there are a lot of great kayaks for dogs on the market

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
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    Also, if the dog wants to jump in the water any time he's around water, if you take him out in a canoe you're both going to go for a swim when the 100 lb dog makes a jump for it.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    I thought this was "kayaking with big Roj"

    expecting class 5 rapids, not a chesapeake retriever

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
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    14
    I took my dog kayaking with me a couple of times. However, I have been preparing for this for a long time.

    I taught his commands to jump into a kayak, sit there quietly for a long time, jump out of a kayak, sit next to him for a long time. When it seemed to me that he had learned enough on land, we went to practice on the water but near the shore.

    From the first time it did not work out, but the dog learned everything it needed.

    Therefore, you should be prepared for the fact that for your and your dog safety, you need to spend a lot of time training.

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