Kayak/ Stand-Up Paddleboard Training?

[Guest HeatherLee]

One of these days, when it cools off enough here to go to the lake (yes it's actually too hot here to go to the lake) I'd love Gambler to come with me. He's pretty adventurous and loves hiking and likes to splash around in water. However I'm not sure he would readily get into a kayak or onto a SUP without training. He doesn't like to be pushed into anything (who does?) and definitely has a problem getting into anything that looks like a bathtub. And picking him up is definitely out.

 

I'd really like to train him to be my adventure buddy (only if he enjoys it of course) so we can do more together. The problem is that I live in an apartment and don't have a kayak or board to test drive our training. So I'm sure I'd have to make a diy kayak out of a pool float or something and train him in my living room at first. Any thoughts on how to train a greyhound to do this? I'm thinking this would also be super helpful for bathtub training too

[Guest Scouts_mom]

There is a greyhound called Mouse, living in Australia, who goes kayaking with her people. I'm not sure if I've seen the video here or on UTube, but if you do some searching you will probably find it.

[tuff]

I SUP but haven't been courageous enough to try to get one of my greyhounds on. You would definitely need a good life jacket for him and have his recall extremely well trained. I don't think I would leash on a SUP as there would be too much chance for entanglement. It might work if your guy likes to sphinx and would stay in that position.

I think you could start by using a clicker and training the hound to go to a spot and sphinx and stay. Without an actual SUP to train to get on, I think it will be difficult to transfer to the water. The fear and uncertainty of the unstable platform on the water will be challenging to overcome. I think you might have easier luck with the kayak. I second Scouts-mom suggestion. Mouse is a seasoned kayaker and bike trailer rider. See if you can contact his owner and get some training tips for kayaking. I'm pretty sure the videos have been posted on this site so you could search and message the owner.

[Guest normaandburrell]

I SUP, and have neighbors that paddle with their lab all the time. I would never try this with my grey for four reasons. One, I have a "soft top" board which his claws would tear up. Two, balancing on a SUP is delicate, and greys have a high center of gravity. Unless he lies down and stays perfectly still, it's not going to work. Our neighbor's lab lies down with all four legs splayed out on the board. Three, greys are more susceptible to injury. Our old grey used to go on our sailboat but he obviously didn't like it, and we quit taking him due to concerns that he would get injured. Our biggest worry was how to get him back in the boat if he ever wound up in the water. Four, none of my greys have been strong swimmers, even with a life jacket on. They love splashing around in water, but the minute they are in over their heads, they just want to go back to shore!

All that having been said, we have had other breeds that we could take out on the water, and our current grey is also very adventurous and loves going everywhere with us. In addition to the SUP and the sailboat, we have kayaks and a small dinghy, So we have talked about taking him out on the dingy, as being the most secure. If I were you, I would start with swim training first, then maybe a pool float, if you can find one that his claws won't puncture. At some point you will know if water sports are suitable for your dog, but don't be too disappointed if he really doesn't want to do it. Most greys are not water dogs.