I have a new dog. She is a shelter dog. 2 years old. Border collie mix. Good girl. Smart. 50#. I'm not fooling myself that she is a canoe camping companion this year, but those of you with experience, what should I be doing to groom her for future trips?

I would just get her out in the canoe as much as you can. Small local lakes just to get her comfortable. See how she reacts to it. Good luck with her!

What Tom said. Take her paddling a lot. She also needs to mind you at all times and not suffer from selective hearing.

Alan

Congrats on your new dog! You'll likely hear a lot of the same, but here's my list:
1. Obedience: work on stay, heal, come, stop, etc.
2. Get to know how she react's to lightning. Training can overcome any trouble (or make it worse if not done correctly).
3. Learn about her prey drive. Will she chase grouse, deer, moose? If so, can you stop her?
4. Like AlanG and TomT said, put some time in the boat.
5. Join the Doggie Paddle Private Forum. Lots of great advice from others who paddle with their dogs.
Good luck!

With animal chasing problems it takes patience. I live in the country and see things like deer everyday. Babysitting my daughters boxer hound mix. She was very unruly when I got her. Loved to chase... when we see deer in the truck I point it out and have a calmer voice and just play it down different than I would a squirrel at home. She now pays less attention. She sticks to frogs, toads and squirrels... and mice. Appearantly mink are big mice. But the big thing is time in a boat. I let them move around at home on our small lake. Most dogs don't like movement and such and will balance things out well. But it takes practice. If they are made to sit still all of the time they won't learn this well. Bernice went from a big clod in the boat to playing full contact hockey with her ball without disrupting the boat at all. This is good for a bigger dog who may need to get up and turn her butt around once in a while on a long stretch. Not sure this all made sense, but it's what I do. I would not take a dog that I couldn't control. I'm glad this is my daughters pup, or I may have given up before her break throughs. Shock collars can help when they need that extra boost. We had our come to Jesus moment. Took one afternoon. With persistence she's a dog I will hate to see go back.

I have trained two labs in the canoe.
I went to local lake with boat ramp and started on the ramp with the dog on the ramp and the canoe next to the ramp. Then I got into the canoe and coaxed/pulled lab into front end. problem I had is they both wanted right in my lap!!! Had to break them of that and get them to stay in the front. That took two or three trips, as they always wanted to come sit right with me in between my legs.
After using the dock the first couple times and they got used to the canoe, I then moved to getting in and out from shore. This took a little while also. But after a couple more trips they got it.
On the trips they eventually just jump in the canoe when commanded and jump out when we got to shore.
Best to you.

SunCatcher

dreaded double post

Ben gave great advice about using a calmer voice to note a deer than a squirrel. Dogs follow our leads.

I have a heeler, which is basically cheating for worrying about keeping her close. But my tips for canoe country are this:

She is fine in a canoe, but she has fished with me enough that she watches the line and knows when a fish is on. This is why I use a tandem and sit backwards rather than something like a prism. She gets excited. If I'm not fishing she is fine. So tips, put a life vest on your dog. If the dog is 50 pounds or less, that handle on the back of the vest is worth its weight in gold. Unless she will sit calmly in all circumstances, do not go your first time in a true solo canoe like a prism. I recommend an adirondak

Recall is a big deal. I view this as short term and long term. Long term, a lot of breeds will keep track of you and not stray. If that is not your dog, do not bring it along with you. You do not want to spend a trip in the BWCA and have to leash your dog 24/7. If the dog will stay close, your concern is short term. What degree of recall do you have, etc?

Those are your two big concerns to know on the front end: how the dog acts in the canoe, and recall.

I can not disagree with any of these posts - they are all correct, great advise. would add it helps to work with your dog in making the canoe a great place the place it wants to be - make it a fun place.

I played with my dogs and the canoe in the lawn. They got treats there, learned sit stay in the canoe, played fetch in the canoe etc.

Then we went to the lake after a a lot of "lawn work". We did not take the canoe out for a few trips. We played in and around the canoe, the beach shore, had treats in the canoe etc. When we did hit the water, we were always about 30 feet from shore - short trip - work in sit/stay, lots of treats, etc. Eventually, we made longer trips, farther form shore. That is when we started to work portaging. My dog Jake is not allowed out of on into the canoe until he gets a command from me. We would walk the woods,come back to the canoe, ahve a treat, paddle some more and practice portaging again.

Good Luck with your dog, they can really add to a great trip.

Bob.