5 Canine Water Sports to Try With Your Dog

Summer is almost here! Ready to get in the water with your pups?… If you’re looking for dog water activities to do with your pooch, our team has put their heads together to come up with some of their summer favorites.

1. Stand-up paddle boarding 

Our strategic partnership consultant, Michelle, is also a part-time Yogi who will soon be training to give yoga lessons ON a paddleboard! You can paddleboard with your pooch, too, but we don’t recommend doing yoga on a paddleboard with your pup—downward dog can turn into man overboard in the blink of an eye! Stand-up paddleboarding, or SUP, for short, with your pup a great way to spend some time together out on the water, and it is great exercise for you! If you plan on bringing your pooch on board, you may want to invest in a traction mat to help them grip the board.

2. Boating

If your ideal summer day is spent on the boat, there’s no reason to leave your pup behind. Your pooch can be a great boating companion, and most dogs love the feel of the wind in their fur… although our director of operations, Chelsea, has one pup who doesn’t like the breeze and is only truly comfortable once the boat stops moving! If you’re bringing your dog out on the water, just make sure you bring along a doggie life jacket, some fresh drinking water, and a puppy pad, just in case. 

3. Swimming

Swimming is a popular favorite among most pups – though it doesn’t come naturally to all of them. Our company president, Jennifer, has two pugs. Her older pug, Lucy, can swim, although she doesn’t exactly love it! For brachycephalic breeds like pugs, swimming can be difficult because it takes some extra effort to hold their noses and mouths above water. Lucy does love wading in her doggie pool, though!

4. Fetch

Playing fetch in the water is a great way to have fun and stay cool at high temps. Even if your pup doesn’t enjoy fetch ordinarily, don’t let that stop you from attempting a game of fetch in the water. Chelsea’s other silly pup, Jesse, loves playing fetch in the water, but refuses to play outside of the water… maybe your dog will feel the same.

5. Kayaking

Kayaking is another example of water fun for dogs that allows you to enjoy the water with your pooch. Karen, our director of marketing, takes her dogs out on the water frequently. When they spot the canoe, they get so excited they try to race each other to see who can get onboard first! 

Water activities are a great way to help your pup stay active while still beating the heat. If you’re at all nervous that your dog may swim out too far, you can always bring along your SpotOn Fence and set your boundary… yes, even in the water! The SpotOn collar is waterproof to 1P67 standards and the pause feature lets you snap boundary lines between two points, allowing you to easily create maps through water.

What are some of your favorite ways to play in the water with your pooch? Share them with us in the comments!