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Happy Caesar Crosses the Rubicon (49 BC)! "alea iacta est" 🎲
Training a pup for backcountry canoe expeditions!
- Thread starter GerminationStation
- Start date
2021? Beautiful pup. He’s going to be big. Get a big boat. Set it on the lawn now and sit in it with him and feed him his meals. Then, let him practice jumping in by himself. I have a video of my heeler trying to jump in the canoe when he was 8 weeks old; very comical. We put a bed in there and used it like a play pen until he started jumping out, which wasn’t long. We ALWAYS used a PFD for the puppy, so he learned to be comfortable swimming. I’d put him out and he’d swim to my wife’s kayak. That was when we could haul him in one-handed. He’s totally at home in the canoe and jumps right in at landings. His sister (born in the Fall) is more work to load, and doesn’t sit as quiet as my boy. Good luck.
Our Brittany, Libby, has loved the water since she was a pup. Probably due to that I was deficient in training her to be comfortable in a canoe. My bad. The first canoe trip we included her on was a one night local trip, camping on an island. She was extremely reluctant to get in the boat, but once in settled down nicely. We had a great weekend, but when it came time to go home she wanted nothing to do with getting in the boat. Although normally good on recall, we could not catch her. So we left. We paddled about 50 yards offshore and then circled back. When we were about 6 feet away and parallel to shore she jumped in. Ever since that day it's difficult to go canoeing without her. If she sees me loading the canoe, or with a paddle or PFD in hand, she's beside herself with excitement.
I start pups on the lawn. Feed them, play in the canoe with them.
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Things don't always go as planned. a PFD is important even for the little guys.
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Diesel didn’t get back in the canoe until today (except on the lawn). My Magic just wasn’t big enough to accommodate him last spring. With the arrival of my Prospector 15 (19 months on order) I’m able to accommodate him in chill mode. Diesel is 20 months old, we got him in October 2020. He’s so big that standing up is not a good idea, so he’ll have to sit or lay down..period. We were able to paddle up the shore a ways. He chased the geese before and after the paddle, but only watched them from the canoe. “Stay” command worked. He’s a smart boy. We make him stay when we feed him, verbally release him to eat. He jumped in and out on command. He’s a little clumsy in tight places, no sea legs.
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