Suppen with a dog: out and about together!

Would you like to Supping with your dog? Suping is a fun activity that you can do together with friends, family or acquaintances. In addition, it is also possible to go surfing together with your dog. In that case, it can be useful to prepare both yourself and your dog. 

This way you can be sure that everything is safe. Together with your dog on a SUP Steps may involve some riskBut if you are prepared for this, you have nothing to worry about. Therefore, we would like to tell you a little bit more about paddling with a dog and give you some tips.

What are the important points of attention when going on a bike ride with a dog?

Preparation is essential when going on a diet with your dog. It is important that the dog feels comfortable. feel confident on the SUP board. This is not a matter of course for every four-legged friend, especially when they are in an environment with only water. Nevertheless, most dogs like water, but they also need to be familiar with it.

In addition, it is important that you are able to surf reasonably well yourself. If this is not the case and you do not have good stability on the board? Then the dog will probably become restless and your trip will not be a success. Therefore make sure that you Have some experience with paddling before taking your four-legged friend out on the water.

How do you prepare a dog for supping?

It is of course important that your dog is well prepared for the SUP adventure and feels comfortable with it. Besides, you need to know how to SUP before you take your dog on the water. You need to have a keep a good balance for yourself and the dog.

It can therefore often be wise to have a longer and wider board to be purchased. The dog should also be able to swim, in case you go into the water together. There are other things to prepare your dog for, but we will discuss these below:

1. Make sure your dog is familiar with swimming;
2. Let the dog get used to the SUP board;
3. Teach your dog to stand on the SUP board;
4. Try to put into practice that your dog is standing on the SUP;
5. Find an ideal location for you and your dog, for example a quiet lake.

You might also be interested in this: what is supping?

1. Make sure your dog is familiar with swimming

Sailing with a dog is not for every dog or breed. There are many different dogs and they are, like people, not all the same. For example, there are already certain breeds of dog that are unable to swim due to their body structure.

You can think of breeds such as Pugs, Dachshunds, Bulldogs, Boxers and some other breeds. This does not mean, however, that you cannot go surfing with these breeds. It is, in fact, a possibility to buy a life jacket for your dog, but it is important that your dog is not afraid of the water.

Is your dog very good at swimming? Or can you get your dog used to the water? Then it might be fun to take your dog out on the SUP board. Even if he/she can swim, we still recommend to provide your dog with a life jacket. This offers additional safety. Would you like to read more about safety while paddling? Then press here.

2. Get the dog used to the SUP board

It is important that your dog gets familiar with the SUP board before you actually start SUPing with a dog. Not every dog is as enthusiastic about new objects as other dogs. Especially when it comes to large objects. We see a reluctant reaction in dogs. That is why it is important that your dog becomes comfortable with the SUP board.

To achieve this, it could be a possibility to put the SUP board in the room where your dog is most of the time for a week. Do you see that the dog hardly comes in the room anymore? Then you should try it in a different way.

Yet the curiosity of dogs is often greater than fear. In many cases, the dog will inspect the board by himself and get used to it after a few times. You can then proceed with the next steps to get your dog on the SUP board.

3. Teach your dog to stand on the SUP board

Once your dog is used to the board, you will practice to actually let your dog stand on the SUP board. For this part it is important that your dog listens well to commands and follow them. This is also essential when you are actually going on the water with a dog. If you choose to go Suping at sea? Then in our opinion, this is a mandatory point.

Now it is time to teach your dog new commands. Put the board for example in the garden and arm yourself with some snacks for your dog. Then you put a snack on the place where your dog has to stand on the SUP board. Use also a command, so that the dog knows what he must do when he hears the command. Let your dog know when it understands the command, so that it knows it is doing it right.

After that, it is time to teach your dog a command to get off the board. You do this in the same way, but the other way round, of course. Reward the dog when he/she does the command properly and repeat this a number of times. Furthermore, we would like to advise you to watch out for (possible) scratches and cracks caused by the nails of your four-legged friend before you go on the water, especially if you are in possession of a inflatable SUP.

4. Try to put into practice that your dog stands on the SUP

Now that you have practiced with your dog to get on and off the SUP, it is time to do this in practice apply. Go, for example, to a grass field with which your dog is not very familiar. In this type of environment, we often see that dogs get distracted, which can make it difficult for them to learn. is ideal for checking Whether your dog understands the commands.

Lay the board down in the grass and practise the commands with your dog. At first, the dog will probably only go onto the board and get off again. As soon as you can do this in a less familiar environment, it is time to get on the board yourself. The idea is that you stand on the exact spot where you would stand when going on a paddle. Then let your dog come on the board and see if he/she sits down in the right place.

Is the positioning on the board right? Then start moving the board up and down a bit to imitate the waves. This way you let get the dog used to the waves and make sure he/she does not jump off directly when the board starts to move. As a final step, you go with your SUP paddle rowing in the air. In this way, your dog can also get used to this movement.

5. Find an ideal location for you and your dog

Have the steps gone well? Then it's time to go supping with your dog. Please practise the above steps in shallow water first and make sure your dog is completely familiar with the board and the water. Do you find that your dog is already used to it and feels at ease? Then you could go on a short trip.

Put a life jacket on your dog and go for a nice ride. Do make a short trip the first time and give your dog a lot of attention. many compliments when he/she behaves well. As soon as you, the dog and the SUP board are in harmony, you can have a great time together. Suppen with a dog is in fact a very fun activity.

Workshop Supping with a Dog

Do you find it difficult to teach your dog the right commands? Then a SUPPING WORKSHOP This is a good solution for people with a dog. Sailing with your dog is not easy for everyone, because not every dog is the same. A workshop can therefore be the perfect solution, where your dog gets the right help to get used to the board and the water.

Of course, it is also important that you have experience with paddling. That is why it can sometimes be wise to take a lesson firstBefore you go on a ride with your dog. Eventually you can always go on the water together with your dog. But always do this in a safe way. 

What do you need if you are going to go paddling with a dog?

When you go surfing with a dog, it's important that you take the right equipment with you. Think of a waterproof bag, a dog swimming jacket, snacks for your dog, food and drinks, sun cream and an extra towel for your dog. This way you can be sure that the trip goes well and that you have a lot of fun together.

If you are still missing some accessories or looking for a suitable beginner SUP board. Then have a look in our webshop where we offer everything in the area of SUP. You will have a wide choice of boards in different shapes and sizes, and you will find all the accessories you need to make your SUP adventure complete.

Last updated on 07/02/2022