Yogi started his canoe training today. Echo was a good demonstrator and Yogi did very well.

Good job Yogi! I was working with Lilcowdocs dogs a couple weeks ago.

Neat. Would like to hear more about how you go about this. Can it be done with a dog that is already a few years old?

rtallent: "Neat. Would like to hear more about how you go about this. Can it be done with a dog that is already a few years old?"

Of COURSE you can teach an old dog new tricks, lol. My dog FINALLY went into a lake voluntarily this summer at age 9 1/2. There was a submerged stick about 3-4 feet out and he wanted it SO BAD. (He actually thought it was something live.) We LIVE on a lake, but he will not get his feet wet typically. He wanted that stick/turtle/gator so bad that he finally went in on his own.

So YES, you can do it with a dog that is already a few years old - in my opinion.

rtallent: "Neat. Would like to hear more about how you go about this. Can it be done with a dog that is already a few years old?"

For sure you can. I have brought many dogs on their first trips. Mine were very untrained and you'd have to adjust accordingly in the canoe but overall they are good about not moving too much.

My pup was a little on the crazier side though out of all the ones I have been with. She'd jump out of the canoe trying to get the stringer as she was obsessed with fish. Sometimes she would jump out, dive under the water, and come up with my fish as I was yelling at her. She'd sometimes try to balance on the gunwales with all 4 paws and fall in sometimes :) Canoes in my opinion are very stable at least the Alumacraft ones. I never actually had an issue with any of them except once. I was solo and my dog jumped out for a swim and after a bit she wanted back in and normally this isn't an issue with 2 people but I was solo and trying to pull 50 pounds out of the water was a near tip.

rtallent: "Neat. Would like to hear more about how you go about this. Can it be done with a dog that is already a few years old?"

Like ducks, I start in the yard. I use the thin blue rubber mat to avoid noise, slipping, the scritchy-scratch of claws......a little more comfy. Then just practice entries and exits. Sit, stay, down.....toys and treats. Rock the canoe a little. Next move is to a boat launch or better yet a sand beach. Canoe partly in water.....repeat the yard procedures. Next is some short paddles from the same beach. Keep it short, keep it happy. Some water play time is good too. When things don't go right, just walk away and try a different day.

Doesn't look like it will be too long before Yogi is bigger than Echo! Are you planning to test this new skill out this year??

cowdoc: "

rtallent: "Neat. Would like to hear more about how you go about this. Can it be done with a dog that is already a few years old?"

Like ducks, I start in the yard. I use the thin blue rubber mat to avoid noise, slipping, the scritchy-scratch of claws......a little more comfy. Then just practice entries and exits. Sit, stay, down.....toys and treats. Rock the canoe a little. Next move is to a boat launch or better yet a sand beach. Canoe partly in water.....repeat the yard procedures. Next is some short paddles from the same beach. Keep it short, keep it happy. Some water play time is good too. When things don't go right, just walk away and try a different day. "

I do similar to cowdoc. Lots and lots of treats. With Echo I found that probably the most important command is "wait". I definitely do not want him getting in or out of the canoe before I'm ready.

The lady we got Yogi from boards Echo when we are gone and her dog (Yogi's mom) is Echo's best bud in the world. Her real job is training service dogs for Can do Canines. As part of our package of buying Echo we have 6 weeks of puppy training. She said that each training session I should give Yogi enough treats that it counts as 1 of his feedings.

Jaywalker: "Doesn't look like it will be too long before Yogi is bigger than Echo! Are you planning to test this new skill out this year??"

You are correct.....Yogi is growing fast ;) At 4 and 1/2 months he is as long as Echo and his back is almost as high. His legs are longer, head bigger, and paws much bigger. Echo is 96lbs and Yogi is 40 something now. When his body starts to fill out his frame look out ;) He is a sweet, calm, and cuddly boy and has been easier to train and much more well behaved than other puppies we've had. Most importantly, just like Echo..... he's great with the kids especially little baby Bruin.

There is very little hope of me getting out on a trip this fall. I'm holding out a tiny bit of hope that I can get a 2 night solo later this fall. Even if that does happen it will probably be just Echo and I. Definitely going to keep doing back yard trainings and I'll get him to the local lake for some paddles. I don't think I'm as brave as you and do not have plans to take them both on a solo trip with me.

Thank you for the info. I will try some of this with Rosy, our black mouth cur (yes, that is a breed, not an insult from an old Western). My wife uses treats to train her to stay beside the car to get in, instead of heading out of the yard to see what the squirrels are up to.
I soured our old lab by getting her into deep water too soon. Doing something wrong when you make a lab afraid of deep water...