paddle boarding with dogs

Who does it or has done it?

I've never paddle-boarded before... would you say it's smart to test out paddle boarding by yourself first with no dog? lol... I'm not in my best shape right now but I've always been fairly athletic. Jackson does great on the pedal boats and such, LOVES it, and he's also got great balance etc, so I think he would be fine on a paddle board, I'm more worried about myself haha!

I tried paddle boarding for the first time last month.
Out of 5 people, I was the ONLY one to not fall, but I also didn't go very far lol.

Going from kneeling to standing on the board can be difficult, and going straight on the board requires some sort of trick.

I would say for the first time leave Jackson on shore until you get used to the mechanics of it.

I've paddle boarded a few times, the board is actually very stable, much more so than you would think from looking at it. I think it's no problem to do with Jackson, especially if he's been on boats and kayaks before. I saw a couple people with their dogs on the paddle board and the dogs were having a great time.

You might want to try to paddle with Jackson while sitting or kneeling first. That way, the paddle board works pretty much like a small boat and it's very stable.

A friend of mine is coming out with a SUPing with your dog video via Tawser in the first quarter of 2015.

I would DEFINITELY recommend getting the hang of it yourself before adding a dog. I'm doing the same thing with my new kayak addiction.

I've never paddle boarded with a dog, but I have paddle boarded a bit and agree with the above posters that you'll want to get a feel for it first. I just started this summer, so I'm practiced, but still don't have too much experience paddleboarding.

The more weight you add to the board, the tippier it becomes. I don't have a problem with it on my own, but I've played around on it with two people before and inevitably someone (or more often both of us) end up in the water. Granted, a second human is 120+ pounds and Jackson is little, so I don't know that that analogy is particularly insightful. Boards come in different sizes of course. I'm smaller than the average person that uses the board that we bought, so it's a bit less wobbly for me. On the flip size, we've had individuals who are heavier get on the board and it's a bit more of a workout for them just to keep it balanced.

That said, depending on the board, they are pretty stable, but I do recall just a few weeks ago making a move to adjust my weight on the board. I moved one foot and somehow ended up caught off balance enough to almost fall off and have to catch myself on my hands and knees.

I wouldn't bring a dog on a paddleboard unless you knew that they dog wouldn't panic if it ended up in the water. I think that a water-loving dog would be thrilled. One like Boo would be a wreck

Kayaks are certainly more stable than paddleboards. Still more of a risk of ending up in the water than on a boat, but not too much. I've never felt at risk of tipping a kayak except when trying to climb into it from a raised dock. Kneeling or sitting on a paddleboard adds to the stable feeling, but still not to the extent of a kayak in my opinion.

That said, I really enjoy paddleboarding and I wish I had a dog that would like it too (even if we were to fall off now and again).

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/is...-Up-Paddleboarding-With-Your-Dog_21024-1.html

^Article from my friend who is writing the book.

I've paddles boarded with Teagan. I find it easy, but I have pretty good balance and Teagan has amazing sea legs. Try it out yourself first and go from there. It is loads of fun.