How to Kayak With Your Dog

Rocco and I at the end of our trip, just a little waterlogged!

This past weekend Rocco and I went kayaking and it was the first time for both of us.

We met up with our pal Raychel and her pup Poppy, both who are seasoned kayakers. But as it turns out, even experienced kayakers can run into a bit of trouble. So it's important to know what to do if you do face the unexpected or capsize your kayak.

We met at Appalachian Outfitters near Dahlonega, Ga, where we rented a pair of sit-on-top kayaks. I was told these are the easiest to manage for beginner kayakers. There's more room for your dog and they are less "tippy" too.

Raychel and Poppy at the start of our trip… and still dry!

I've canoed before, which also helped a lot. I found paddling and steering (and staying out of trouble) very similar to canoeing.

It had rained A LOT the night before, so even though we were doing an easy 6-mile trip down the Chestatee, the water was high and it was running faster than usual.

That meant, paying extra special attention when we got to two areas where there were Class 1 rapids. We passed through those areas easily, but did take on quite a bit of water.

What we didn't expect was a big tree that had fallen across the entire river.  When we finished our trip, we learned that the tree must have fallen the night before. Even the folks at the outfitters didn't know about it.

Here's the tree we had to pass under

I passed through the one area where there seemed to be the most room (just to the right of center). I had to duck and push away branches, but Rocco and I both made it through without a scratch. Unfortunately, Raychel had a little fight with a larger part of the tree and her kayak tipped over. She and Poppy recovered quickly and they were fine, but Raychel lost her phone (with lots of great photos) in the process.

Even in spite of the rough waters and mishap, we had a great time and Rocco seemed to love riding on the front of the kayak.

Rocco got a great workout just balancing on the front of the kayak

He jumped off the side of the kayak pretty early in the trip and I let him swim alongside the boat for just a few minutes. He was wearing a lifejacket with a handle on it, so it was easy to keep him close by and safe.

After Rocco's little swim!

Here are a few more tips and things I learned from our kayak outing:

1. Make sure your pup has a good life vest that fits. Our Kyjen dog life vest has a handle on top which made it really easy for me to grab hold of Rocco when he decided to take a swim off the side of the kayak.
2. Attach a leash to your dog's life vest so he can't get too far away from you. I kept the end of the leash either on my wrist or around my foot.
3. Bring fresh drinking water for both you and your pup and a collapsible travel bowl comes in handy too.
4. Keep your phone in a waterproof phone holder like the FRIEQ Waterproof Case. It allows you to take photos while the phone is safe and dry inside its case.
5. Bring a little snack for both you and your pup and keep it in a dry sack. You can count on getting pretty wet, so pack towels (you can keep these in the car) and a dry change of clothing so you'll be comfortable on the ride home.
6. After you're done with your adventure, rinse off your pup with some fresh water. We brought a one gallon container of fresh water for each pup. 
7. And don't forget the sunscreen for both you and your pup, especially if your dog has very short hair or is hairless (even in spots). Be sure to make sure you have sunscreen that is safe for dogs.

Here we are on the slower part of the river!

Have you kayaked with your dog? And if you have more tips, please share in the comments below!

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