Safe Boating for your dog..

[GabriolaJohn]

I have seen more and more people taking their dogs with them boating, which is awesome!

Not only is it another way to spend quality time with the furry member of your family and strengthens the bond, but it also exposes you and your dog to new real life situations which will only boost your dog's confidence. One word of warning though…

When taking your dog boating or on any watercraft, always have them in a lifejacket. Even if they are strong swimmers, if they were to fall overboard, they could panic, and depending on the situation, they could be in the water for a long time.

When looking for a life jacket there are a few things to look for:

a. Be sure that it is a snug fit
b. That the floatation material wraps under the belly
c. That there is floatation support the under the neck to keep the dogs head afloat.
d. Most will have a handle on the backside, which is imperative for pulling your dog out of the water.

There are a number of companies that make lifejackets for dogs. A line that I really think is great is Ruffwear.

Be safe and have fun!

 

[Charter Tofino]

Another word of advice with dogs around water is NEVER tie them up on something above the water i.e. boat,dock ect. I know someone who tied their dog to a dock piling and it fell in without supervision. It didn't turn out well.

 

[Finished Business]

great info John, Can't wait for the day me and my two best friends hit the water!

another point....and I think you can include ruffwear life jackets is that the 'handles' on the back of the dog jacket is usually no where near strong enough to lift the weight of a dog (unless its a chihuahua or something)...I can hear the stitches ripping when my bulldogs are out for a swim and I try to coral them via the handle. Mind you there are pretty heavy, stout pooches.

and I cant help but think my big male bully looks a whole lot like a harbor seal! don't hold it against him!

 

[finaddict]

great info John, Can't wait for the day me and my two best friends hit the water!

another point....and I think you can include ruffwear life jackets is that the 'handles' on the back of the dog jacket is usually no where near strong enough to lift the weight of a dog (unless its a chihuahua or something)...I can hear the stitches ripping when my bulldogs are out for a swim and I try to coral them via the handle. Mind you there are pretty heavy, stout pooches.

and I cant help but think my big male bully looks a whole lot like a harbor seal! don't hold it against him!

My Golden has her own life jacket and I agree that it isn't likely that it would hold her if I had to pick her up. But she's packed on a few in her years (8)

With regards to resemblance to a harbour seal..........

Nah, no resemblance at all ;-)

 

[trendsetter]

Yep, I just had to pull out the life jacket and see if it still fits. We got this for him when he was a year old and he's a lot heavier now.

Needs some new clips but otherwise fits.

 

[Finished Business]

With regards to resemblance to a harbour seal..........

Nah, no resemblance at all ;-)

View attachment 4165

I'm framing that photo comparison for sure! haha thanks!

 

[Sharphooks]

Coming back from Daphne to Port Hardy last summer a passing boat punched a huge wake and little miss sunshine went overboard. I just happened to see her go over---not only do life jackets float them---makes for a good hand-hold to get them back in the boat in a panic moment.

Also use the life jackets on rivers for the dog, especially for winter steel---let's me abuse them with a clear conscience...

 

[bushwackin]

I learned my lesson, will have a lifejacket in the future for my dogs. We were in Esperanza inlet fishing and my smallest dog all of a sudden jumped in! He wouldn't come back to the boat and would just swim away when we got closer to him. He's not the strongest swimmer so in a minute or so he was starting to struggle a bit. So I got the boat as close as possible and my buddy reached out with the net as far as he could and got him. I think my dog was more pissed off about getting netted than anything else!

 

[finaddict]

I learned my lesson, will have a lifejacket in the future for my dogs. We were in Esperanza inlet fishing and my smallest dog all of a sudden jumped in! He wouldn't come back to the boat and would just swim away when we got closer to him. He's not the strongest swimmer so in a minute or so he was starting to struggle a bit. So I got the boat as close as possible and my buddy reached out with the net as far as he could and got him. I think my dog was more pissed off about getting netted than anything else!

Great idea with the net, Normally I don't net dogfish.

 

[bushwackin]

Great idea with the net, Normally I don't net dogfish.

Haha, that's hilarious!!!

 

[Finished Business]

Better the net than the gaff, given the choice I'm sure doggy would choose the net

 

[Money Well Spent]

way to funny...on another note...who sells doggie jackets?

 

[Money Well Spent]

Thats an awsome pic of your puppy

Coming back from Daphne to Port Hardy last summer a passing boat punched a huge wake and little miss sunshine went overboard. I just happened to see her go over---not only do life jackets float them---makes for a good hand-hold to get them back in the boat in a panic moment.

Also use the life jackets on rivers for the dog, especially for winter steel---let's me abuse them with a clear conscience...

 

[Doug]

It's always a good idea to wear a life jacket while you're fishing, and stand close to your rod.

 

[Finished Business]

Awesome shot Doug. Love it!

 

[adrianna3]

I had a chocolate lab. I had a harder time keeping her in the boat than anything else.

Dave

 

[Saxe Point]

We have a buddy who watches the rods very carefully as well. He always seems concerned about how the drag is set!