Learn to SUP safely on the river with your dog.
There’s nothing as rewarding as sharing your SUP time with your fur baby, and we absolutely LOVE our SUP Pup sessions and teaching paddlers how to safely include their dog in their paddling adventures.
All of our sessions prioritise your safety and wellbeing above all else and the same consideration is given to your dog in our SUP Pup sessions.
Just like us, our dogs are all different. Some absolutely love the water and are confident swimmers, others need a little more patience and understanding to get the most out of their time with you on the water. Also just like us, our dogs are the sum total of their life experience so far and their experience of open water might have led to a positive association or perhaps a little fear if they have previously had a scary experience close to water.
Before we move forwards with any session we always speak to you first to get to know you and your pup a little better, so that we can best curate your session to suit you and your dog.
We will also discuss your paddle experience too. If you are complete beginners we recommend that you first join one of our Learn to SUP sessions so that you are confident in your own paddling and SUP safety skills, then we can progress towards a SUP Pup session when you can safely parse some of your attention to your dog during the session.
What does a SUP Pup session look like?
Every session is different because every dog is different. We need to build a positive association with the board, the water and the experience so we allow the dog to dictate the pace and arrive at a confident place to enjoy the activity in their own way.
Typically we spend a little time getting to know your dog, ensuring they are safely kitted out in a doggy buoyancy aid (we have some of our own you can borrow or feel free to bring your own), and building a little trust between us and the board whilst on dry land, treats are very helpful here so we’ll ask you to bring your pooch’s favourites!
Once we are happy that things are going well on land we will start to transition to the water, allowing the dog to get used to getting on and off the board whilst safely attached to the jetty before finally heading out with us for a little paddle to get them used to it. You’ll be joining us for this as we feel our way into things at their pace.
Once the dog is happy and adjusted to being on a board on the river we will begin to transition them from our board to yours as you start to work together to share a board (definitely an exercise in balance if you have a large, frisky pup!).
We’ll be with you at all times to keep you all safe as you build confidence together and we’ll be giving you plenty of tips on how to plan for and manage days out on the water with pup as well as how to keep them safe and happy.
We’ll also take plenty of pictures so you can remember your first time together on the water!
If you’d like to find out more and book in for a session, just hit the button below to get in touch and tell us a little more about you and your pup, or feel free to give us a call :)
Activity duration: 2hrs approximately
Location: Arden Sailing Club
Ages 18+
Private Session Only
All participants must be able to swim 50m.
Cost: £180 for up to 2 humans and a dog
