Anybody else take their dogs out in a Canoe? We have done it with Tilly since she was a pup, but this Summer will be Cooper's first experience. It is going to be interesting with two Labs in the Canoe, especially since Cooper is over 80lbs and very tall. We may have to take them in two different boats, just to keep things on an even keel. We always have lifejackets on the dogs (and us) so we can spot them in the water, and have a handle to get them back in the boat. We have canoed with Tilly and a Sammy in one canoe before but Blitzen was smaller, and had no desire to get out of the Canoe. Tilly wants to get in and out, and will swim along side the canoe for a while. I expect Cooper will be the same. Our favorite canoe is a White Water Tandem with airbags. When we run moving water, we say that Tilly adds one class number to what ever we are on. Class 3 is our limit in canoes.
Yes, we tripped most summers on vacation. Not with Oban but with a previous ESS and a Lab, not at the same time. We Always wear our PFDs but have never put one on the dog, reasoning they are so hot. Class 11 is as much as we've done on a trip and it's my limit at any time. OH has done more but not with dogs or on an overnight trip. Our canoe is a kevlar/fibreglass layup on a Peterborough female mold, handmade by a local guy, a friend. He put cedar ribs in it which adds weight but it does not absorb water and only weighs 53 pounds. On an easy portage I can carry it by myself. The man who made it has used his moose hunting and brought moose out in his.
Did the dogs bail our of the Canoe and go swimming? How did you get them back in the boat? Our primary canoe is an 16' Old Town Appalachian which is a Royalex boat with a round bottom and some rocker. We also have an old 17' Gruman shoe keel with a sail rig and a 15' fiberglass Navaro with cherry ribs and a very sharp entry and V bottom. Do Canadians normally use OH? We seem to always use S.O. I had to look up OH to figure out what the UK folks meant.
I would love to take Simba out in ours but I can't see the OH being too keen. We have to get him more used to the water, first, anyway.
LOL, first of all, my attempt at roman numerals with Class 11 means Class 2. OUr young Lab bailed out once and had to swim to shore so we could get her back in. She never did it again. While we do not use the command STAY in a canoe somehow they knew they had to lie quietly. Changes of position were allowed. I sleep on a 6 foot, thin, closed cell foam pad which was folded into thirds and placed where the dog will lie, to cover the ribs and keep her out of the wet. Yes, our canoe is 16 feet too and it has a keel. With two of us, a dog and gear and supplies for a two week trip it works The first chat board I was ever on was the UK Champdogs, where they use OH. I just kept using it.
Please can I see a photo of Tilly and Cooper in the canoe when you set sail? We have a share in a motor boat.....Dexter is allowed to walk along the boardwalk where we moor now ( he wasn't previously ) Here he is with his life jacket on for his first voyage..... It's getting too hot now to take him out x
Yes I want to see a photo of Tilly and Cooper in the canoe as well! And Oban as well! Lucky doggies!!
We will get some this summer. I probably have lots of photos of Tilly, but Cooper hasn't been in a boat yet. Pics in the canoe are pretty easy, since we just have to hold it steady. Tilly is only fair at staying still, and often when she wants back in the canoe, she picks an inconvenient place in the boat. Its pretty easy when she starts to board in front of the stern thwart, since I can just stand up and yard her in. The Thistle is a different story. With a Portsmouth rating of 83 and a lot of sail with a very low boom, the boat takes most all of our attention and hands when it is moving. We may not get pictures in the Thistle, unless it is pretty calm.
Here are Tilly and Cooper, on Cooper's first canoe trip. Just a mile or so on a warm day, and a very flat river. The water was not too cold, since it comes from the Coast range, not the Cascades. Cooper did not bail, and I did not have to get her back in the canoe in deep water. It may be a challenge, between me being older, and Cooper being considerably bigger than Tilly. Cooper was actually quieter in boat than Tilly. I'll put up some more pictures when we get out on the lakes or other rivers. The water is still pretty cold, since most of it is snow runoff.
Aww...love it! I'm a little afraid of taking Simba out, to be honest. I would have to be more secure about his confidence in the water first. And I would definitely be worried about him bailing out...and tipping us in the process
All of our labs have been very good water dogs, so I have no concerns about that. They all retrieve balls, etc from the water. Cooper was a little reluctant to get in the canoe from the dock, so I took Tilly out first and came back for Cooper. Coop did not like the fact that the boat tipped when she put her weight on the gunnel, but she was better once Till was in the boat. Bailing out is a concern, but not a big deal. Tilly has bailed many times in the past, and I expect Cooper will in the future, especially if we have two canoes out, or there is something very interesting on the shore. Also I don't think our dogs ever pee or poop when they are swimming, so they have to get to shore or at least shallow water some times. Canoes are pretty stable if you stay braced in them. Ideally you should be kneeling, but my knee joints aren't flexible enough to kneel on low seats. The next best is to sit with feet braced and knees hard against the gunnels, or even standing up with your feet on the hull. In 40 years of canoeing I've never had a dog tip my canoe, although our first Lab did help me swamp a sailing canoe one time. The biggest problem we have is when both decide to sit on the same side of the canoe at the same time. The canoe in the photo is an Old Town Appalachian which is a whitewater canoe. It has a round bottom so it is initially a little more tippy, but it also has more freeboard, so it can stand being laid over further than most flatwater boats.
It sounds like it went really well,thanks for the photo X Dexter hates the boardwalk.If you have seen the Facebook video of the glass bridge in China and people crossing it,that is basically how he arrives at our boat.Once he's on he's ok though and doesn't show any desire to bail as we are quite high up from the water line....( my dog won't jump in the pool from the side :rollseyes so I feel quite secure the the won't leap overboard.Would be great to try him in a canoe....or even a paddle board. Hope the water warms up a bit now in case you do have a tip.....ours is becoming like a warm bath now x
Our first Lab Ginger would not jump off anything to get into water. Even a partly submerged dock. She wanted to walk in. She would get half way out of the boat, and we would pickup her butt and dump her the rest of the way in. Once she was in the water she was as happy as a clam, and would swim forever. We tried to make Tilly into a "Dock Dog". She was fine jumping off the dock, but after running down the dock, she would always almost come to a stop before jumping (making sure no one drained the lake?). As a result she would get maybe 5' while the competitive dogs got 20'-25'
