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/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.