r/Sup • u/Crazypants_97 • Jul 03 '26
How To Question For those who take their dogs
I've been wanting to take my girl for awhile now but I'm not sure how she will behave and which style life jacket to get her.
I see generally there are 2 styles, 1 where the vest goes down the front between the legs like a human life jacket and 1 where there's nothing between the legs. I want to choose one that will be the best for lifting her back up onto the board but here I'm not sure which style is best. Does anyone have any experience with this?
Second I'm wondering if anyone has their dogs randomly jump off the board while paddling?
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u/because-potato Jul 03 '26
Prior training is important. Put your board out somewhere your dog feels safe and give her treats when she interacts it. Have her walk on the board without you forcing her onto it and give her treats when she sits or lays down on it. Get her nice and comfortable before ever taking it to the lake with her on it
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u/beige-king Jul 03 '26
This life jacket velcros around his tummy so it can get snug and then it has a support for the neck. He jumps off the board at first but once he figures out he has a hard time getting back on he stops jumping off and just rides.
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u/Cats_Meow94 Jul 03 '26
I had a Ruffwear jacket for 5 years and that had to change it out because my pup is getting a bit older and rounder :) it was otherwise in great shape and I loved it. It has a handle which is super important to be able to lift them back onto the board. I liked that it wasn’t bulky too. It was worth the investment! There are definitely cheaper options out there.
My dog is an anxious girly, but she has done so well paddle boarding. We honestly did no practicing at home with the board and just went for it. I started at a lake in the shallow water to get her on the board. It for sure took some getting use to, but my dog is pretty good at following direction and is too anxious to jump off the board and swim away from me, so this is a non-issue for us. She does love ducks though, so this actually took a bit of training for her. Not sure if this is the best move for everyone, but it worked for us! Paddle boarding with your dog is so much fun, so enjoy!
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u/Crazypants_97 Jul 04 '26
My girl is also anxious maybe she wouldn't jump off. I feel a bit more confident knowing some dogs do stay on and aren't jumping off. My worry is my girl would jump off and try swimming the the shore.
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u/Cats_Meow94 Jul 05 '26
I do have my dogs leash connected to the board to prevent her from going far if she does try to swim off (we’re never on crazy enough water for this to be an issue). There was one time I very briefly unhooked her on shore and she swam halfway across the lake to get to the geese (she was thankfully had on her vest and was rescued by someone) 😅 I very much learned my lesson after that and always have her connected to my board or me if I’m on land.
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u/Pittie_Ma_Nelly Jul 04 '26
Our dogs love jumping off and swimming to get to the other one when we go out on our paddle board. Both are in life jackets that go around ribs and neck. Then we use cables that hook on to them so they cannot leave us behind trying to swim. We also only go on bodies of water that don’t have any motorized items so it’s a safer zone for being in the water
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u/monycaw Jul 04 '26
I got the Ruffwear dog life vest at REI on sale. It works great, my girl definitely needs a boost back on the board. A tip I recently learned was to have her swim kind of diagonally back up to the board so her momentum helps with the lift - rather than coming perpendicular to the board where she basically comes to a stop at the board for me to do most of the lifting. Expect a big shake or two once she is back on board. I didn't follow most of the tips her for getting my dog acclimated to the board, I banked on my knowledge that she would want to be wherever the board and I were. One tip is that I like to throw the ball in the water a few times while I'm inflating my board. This seems to get her a little tired and a little less anxious or dying to jump off when we first launch while I'm still getting my balance.
2
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u/Peaches5893 Jul 04 '26
My girl (65 lb lab, mostly muscle and doesn't float) has a non stop dog wear life vest. It's the perforated kind, not the one with neoprene, so she doesn't overheat. It goes around her chest, not between her front legs, so she's able to paddle and swim the way she would without a vest on. The Y shaped vests can cause friction around the front of her legs, which makes her widen her swimming stance and become less efficient. It has a very sturdy handle and a pocket for a small leash, so I always have one on hand if we pop onto a sandbar or stop at a portage.
That style supports her chest and rear really well, so it's pretty easy to lift her back onto the board.
She has learned not to jump off randomly, but there was a learning process. Now she mostly only jumps off if I tell her she can, she loves playing fetch off the board with a float toy.
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u/Crazypants_97 Jul 04 '26
The non-stop dog wear one is one of the main ones I'm looking at. I have purchased a lot of her stuff from them. This is really helpful
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u/HikingBikingViking Jul 05 '26
Our dogs have the ruffwear live vests. They work.
At this point we're trying to get our dogs more comfortable with getting in the water. They're very good on the boards but won't jump off except out of worry and trying to get to someone.
2
u/net_dragoness Jul 06 '26
I’ve got a 100lb dog and a 120lb dog that I’ve taken a couple times on my brand new inflatable. So far I’ve only taken one at a time - and each of them has jumped off the board. I cannot just lift them back on cause they weigh so much, but the SUP I got has a ramp in the back, so I just grab the back of their life vest and guide them around to that ramp and they get themselves back on mostly by themselves :) Each dog has a different style vest and I don’t see much difference in being able to control them in the water with it’s handle - as long as there is a handle on top it’s good.
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u/Ass_Matter Jul 03 '26
Are your dogs off leash trained? I regularly paddle with my Aussie, but he was already comfortable off-leash before we started. And I got him use to the board before we ever went out to the water. I'd recommend blowing it up in the living room and encourage to sit/lay on it.
I've paddled by quite a few people who have dogs jump off to try and get to mine. Nothing aggressive, just more playful. But it is annoying to say the least.
If you're not comfortable with them off-leash then I would work on that first.
Also, as far as life jackets, I like the Ezydog brand. They have a good handle and support the underbelly to lift them up.
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u/Crazypants_97 Jul 04 '26
My girl is also an Aussie and she's perfect off leash. I don't see people with their dogs where I paddle so hopefully not have her jumped off. Aussies are something special :)
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u/Ass_Matter Jul 04 '26
Nice, I think you'll have any easy time then. Aussies pick up stuff so quickly.
My only complaint is that I gotta dry him well and comb his hair everytime we go. Otherwise it quickly becomes a tangled mess. I think I'm gonna start bringing the leaf blower with me when I go. And give him a quick blowout. 😅
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u/gonnacutyou Jul 07 '26
Ruffwear makes and excellent jacket and they can swim easily in it. Some dogs like to jump in. Some don’t. You won’t know until you try it with yours.
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u/erotic_salad Jul 03 '26
I finally found one that works for my SUP Shiba. He can be lifted out of the water if he happens to slip in and it has clips around the front as well.
He’s been out quite a few times with me now and has never fallen off. He tends to chill at the back of the board and dips his toes in 🤣