Jeanette Sandbæk Håland | SUP with dogs Season 4 Episode 1

Blanka: 

Welcome! We’re super excited to bring back the Unleash podcast. My name is Blanka. I will be your new host. And today we have a special episode since I'm here with our previous host, Jeanette. 

Jeanette: 

It’s a pleasure to be here. 

Blanka: 

Today, as you can see, we're going paddleboarding, and we will take the opportunity to talk about paddleboarding with dogs. Since Jeanette is actually the author behind our, most recent email course, Paws on paddles, where you can learn, everything you need to know about starting paddle boarding with your dog. 

So, Jeanette, how when did you start with paddle boarding with your dog? 

Jeanette: 

I tried it a few times, maybe like, 5 or 6 years ago, just for fun and, a time or two and then I saw that it's a really nice activity, both for strengthening the dog and, just as a summer activity, because it's a bit limited what you can do in summer because of the temperature. And with paddleboarding, you can do so many things because your dog can swim, they can stand on the board. That's also exercising because they will, train their core muscles. And it's a very good activity for all dogs - young dogs, very fit dogs, dogs that are not as fit and I have three dogs myself. Two of them are quite old now.They need a bit, some exercise that's a bit gentle on the body. While my border collie that's younger and more fits, very active. She requires a bit more. So it's a nice way of training with all three of them at the same time, because then my border collie, she can jump off and swim whenever, she needs some more exercise, and, she can get a lot of training while the little ones are just chilling out and still, still having fun and enjoying. 

Blanka: 

How old are they now? Tequila and Max? 

Jeanette: 

My oldest one, Max, he is 18 and then Tequila, she's 13. So, I think I can say they are seniors now. 

Blanka: 

Yes, they are seniors. So when you bring them paddleboarding, are they just on the board or do they also go in the water and swim? 

Jeanette: 

They can also swim, but they don't enjoy it as much as Jess. On very warm days, I see that they really want to swim. So then, of course, I do allow them. But, usually, they enjoy just staying on the board now. I can usually tell if they want to swim or not, and I don't force them to swim if they don't want to. 

Blanka: 

But you mentioned that nevertheless that they are only standing on the board. It's a great training. Can you talk a bit about the training benefits of, simply like actually standing on the paddle board? 

Jeanette: 

Yeah. Because normally when a dog is on the ground, of course the ground is firm. While on a paddleboard everything is moving. So it is it can be compared a bit to standing on a pillow. 

Blanka: 

Like this balance pillows? 

Jeanette: 

Yeah. Because then the soft, the surface is a bit softer. And then the need to work with, with the core muscles to, to be stable. So of course, just standing or just laying down or just sitting, that's an exercise in itself. And what's important to think about because of this is that maybe the first times when you go paddleboarding, don't do it for too long, because our dogs are usually not used to using these muscles so much. 

Blanka: 

Because when you're doing strength training on, balance pillow or balance ball, then it's usually like just a few minutes in the beginning. 

Jeanette: 

Yeah! So I would start like very, very gently even with a very fit dog, because otherwise it can be uncomfortable for them. If they get very tired, that's not comfortable. They can even get sore the next day. So start carefully and then build up gradually. And it's also very nice to very if they're laying down, sitting, standing. That's a great training for them, actually. Change a bit the positions. So and they seem to enjoy it because it's very gentle on the body as well. This type of training, just like swimming, you don't put too much pressure on joints and stuff. So, you can get, very good session. 

Blanka: 

You mentioned that the your older dogs, they don't enjoy swimming so much. 

Do you think that dogs who don't really like water or swimming can, despite that, enjoy paddleboarding? Or is this only for dogs that are of water dog? 

Jeanette: 

Crazy about the water? I think the dogs that love water the most, like Jess, my border collie. She just loves swimming. So for her, being on a paddleboard is more like she wants to get off it. But she stays because she knows that okay, if I stay on this paddleboard, then I will get to swim at some point, so then it's fine. While the small dogs that don't like swimming as much, they seem to enjoy the paddleboarding a lot more. The paddleboarding as activity itself. So even if you have a dog that's not too keen on water activities as swimming, it's worth giving paddleboarding a go because, I've seen quite a few dogs trying it, and I still haven't seen a dog that didn't enjoy it. But of course, you need to do the right preparations before. So they're used to some unstable surfaces. 

Blanka: 

In the Paws on paddles email course, you wrote, great tips on how to start that and get into it. But you also, go paddleboarding with two or three dogs, even. Are there any special challenges, with that, with so many dogs, even though, Max and Tequila, they're all smaller, like, miniature Spitz size maybe. It's still three dogs to pay attention to. 

Jeanette: 

It's a lot to pay attention to. And sometimes, of course, maybe one dog will knock the other into the water and yeah, we do have some bloopers sometimes, but I think it comes down to preparations and practising different skills before you go into the, into the water, because otherwise it will be just chaos. Having three dogs that don't know what to do. So making sure that the dog knows, some cues and, what their task is on the paddle board, That makes it a lot easier if you have some cues, because, so, I would spend some time with the preparations just practicing at home in the garden, on the paddle board. So we have different cues for entering the paddle board and for, like, sitting. If I want them to sit in their own spot, I can point out the spot and they will sit there or lay their. That makes it a lot easier. And they are also not just we also trained, trained a cue to ask them to go off the board. That's also very helpful. So I don't have to worry that one dog will jump off. The other ones will stay here. One might fall in. 

Trying to set the dogs and myself for success. 

Blanka 

That is, I think something that in every sport we aim for that. Try to set the dogs up for success so they have a positive experience.  

Jeanette: 

And break it into small, small steps. That's something I learned from, from agility because I was doing agility before. And in the agility, I think the athletes are really good at breaking every, every skill into tiny, tiny pieces and rewarding all the small steps. So that was very valuable both for me and the dogs, because they are also used to this type of training. So, break it into pieces and, and remember to reward the behavior you want. 

Blanka: 

Would you reward with a toy or by letting them swim or with food or what would you use? 

Jeanette: 

Depends a bit on the dog. For most dogs I think I would recommend foo  

because with with the toy they can get very excited and we don’t want too much  excitement on the paddle board. We want them to be quite quite calm. But of course If you have a dog that’s a bit unsure and you want them, You want to teach them that the paddle borad is a cool place to be then, of course, using a toy is a very good idea. And for some dogs, like Jess, she doesn’t care too much about treats. For her the best reward possible is swimming. Just figure out what’s best for for your dog. And you start basically. Try to reward them with. 

Blanka: 

You said to break it down for smaller pieces. And I think that's a super good tip, but once you become a, GoPro, not a GoPro, but the pro J 

So once you become a pro, how long can you actually go paddleboarding with your dog? 

Jeanette: 

During the summer, when we practice quite a bit. I can do some longer trips. Then I will do some overnight trips as well. with baggage. And then we can paddle for maybe two, three hours, then we stop at the shore or on an island or something, take a break. But the most important things is,  I think, listening to your dog. And check if they seem to be tired, need a break. Also remember that the dog might have to go potty at some point. That can be tricky, both when swimming and staying on the paddle board. So having regular breaks, if you do, for example, every 30 minutes, every 20 minutes or something, that's very nice to give them a chance to to go potty and, to rest for a bit. 

Blanka: 

Do you have any personal experiences with this not going there as you planned? 

Jeanette: 

No, luckily not. But my oldest dog, Max, he’s very good at telling me if he need to pee or something. He’s the one that thought me. 

Then it’s just to paddle to the shore as fast as possible. He has a special sound for, like, now I need to pee, so, he was the one that taught me that. Okay, yeah. Every 30 minutes or so, it's time to, go, because they might drink a bit of water when they're standing on the board and, drinking a lot. So, and it's just nice to give them a chance to very the position, stretch the legs for us as well, because it is quite tough.  

Blanka: 

Yes, I already feel my legs are going numb from sitting. 

Jeanette: 

Yeah. Being in one position for a long time is quite challenging. And also, yeah, I think the biggest blooper I've had is being too ambitious with how far I can go, especially if you have the wind in your back, because then you have to paddle. 

Also, to get a dog out of the water on a paddle board, it can be a bit challenging. 

Blanka: 

Did you ever struggle with like your dog maybe swimming away or anything like that? Because now I see that Jess is  just, like, “bye bye”. 

Jeanette: 

Yeah, Jess loves swimming. And, it's nice to keep an eye on them. And to practice a recall so that it's possible for you to get the dog back. Because you might have, a lot of boats in the water as well. And that can be really dangerous because the people in the boat, they might not see your dog in the water. It's just a tiny, tiny spot. Even though they have a life jacket with the visible color, it can be challenging, especially in some light conditions. So, always keep an eye on your dog so we know where it is. That's very important. practice a recall as well. So it's possible t to get them back. 

Blanka: 

So what is your favorite thing about paddleboarding?  

Jeanette: 

I think it's just so peaceful. Just floating around, and the dogs are enjoying it, and, it's just a lot of fun, and it's something different. So, I think that's my favorite part of it. And I'm a sucker for sunsets. So paddleboarding into the sunset and you have your dogs with you. You can bring some strawberries, maybe something nice to drink. Just make make a good experience of it for, both yourself and the dogs. That's, that's really nice. 

Blanka: 

That does sounds very, very nice. I understand because we mostly just use it for training. My dog refuses to be on the paddle board. He only wants to swim. So do you actually have some tips on should I bother to try to get him to be on the board or just give up on this project? 

Jeanette: 

I had the same problem with Jess. She was so stressed in the beginning. She was like, why do I have to be on this stupid thing? I just want to do something fun. I don't want to wait on this. Because she just likes doing things and ideally in full speed. So what I would do is I would start the paddleboarding session when she was tired already. When we had already maybe been on the longer hike or done some swimming. So I knew that she wasn't full of energy when we started. That's a good starting point. And she would still be a bit stressed. So then I figured out, okay, look, maybe I should bring her food. So then we had her food and some treats, and of course, we practiced just the cue of laying down and staying. In the beginning, she would whine a bit. Eventually it worked out. And that was very nice, because when your dog is stressed, you get stressed as well. 

Blanka: 

Yes. And then like, it's not so much fun to do stuff with them when they are stressed, even though it's not necessarily like the bad kind of stress sometimes it's just this excitement stress. But still… 

Jeanette: 

That's usually what it is. Very often it's also because they are unsure what to do. So I think giving them a clear task is, is very beneficial for, for many of them. But of course, all dogs are different. They have different issues just like us. So just need to try different things and see what works for your dog, basically. 

Blanka: 

You did give some tips on the actual paddle board in the course. But do you have any recommendations when one chooses a paddleboard? Because you have sometimes three dogs on a paddle board. So that might, need some, special type of for the board. 

Jeanette: 

Yeah, if you have multiple dogs especially, or one very big dog, I would recommend you to look for a very stable paddleboard. And it's a massive, difference between the very cheap paddleboards and, more expensive range. When I was buying my own, I was considering to buying a cheaper one. So I tried some different types, and then I tried, the one I have now, which is a yoga board, actually. But that means it's very stable. And you also have grip on the full on the whole surface. Because in most paddleboards you will only have parts of it with the grip surface. 

Blanka: 

Yes, like mine. It only has on this part but I went for the cheapest options. 

Jeanette: 

But that's fine as well, as long as it works for you and your dogs. Then it’s no point on spending more money then necessary. But I knew that I wanted to use it a lot. 

That I wanted to bring baggage sometimes. I wanted my dogs to be able to just chill and move around. So I went with quite expensive yoga board, but I’m very happy with it. 

Blanka: 

How durable are these? When first I was like ooh something that is like floating and has to you know, be like pumped up, I don't know how that will last with my dogs and their claws and everything, but so far and knock on wood, it's seems to work quite well. Yeah, I'm very surprised by the quality because I've also been, paddling and it's been rocks under and everything. All these rocks on the beaches, dog claws, just chaos sometimes. 

Jeanette: 

But I'm very, very surprised about, the quality of these boards, even the cheap ones are very, very good. But, of course, you never know. So, always wear a life jacket, even if you're going on just a short, short trip along the shore. I would always use a life jacket, especially on my dogs.  They're the most important. And stuff can happen so quickly. And then it’s very important to be able to grab them, to easily get them back on the board. I’ve had for example, Tequila falling off the board and having her Titanic moment. Poor thing. Looking like Jack sinking into the ocean. Becasue if they fall off by accident, they can get very surprised. Even though they know how to swim, they might not be able to react. And of course, if they are under the water and they don't have a life jacket, 

Yes, that can be scary and really dangerous. So, I would always use a life jacket, that's for sure.  

Blanka: 

Yeah, safety always comes first. 

Jeanette: 

I had one time when I usually I will keep the life jackets in the backpack for the paddle board, but of course you want to dry them sometimes. So I forgot the life jackets once, and I'd be driving to this really nice place. I was so ready to paddle board. And then I thought, oh shit, I don't have the life jackets for my dogs. And then of course, you could choose to still go, but, I did not want to risk it. I don't think it's worth it. 

Blanka: 

I feel like when you have the life jacket, nothing will happen. But that one time you actually, like, ah you know what? Nothing ever happens. I was just like, leave the life jacket or the helmet or whatever in whatever sport. Then it will be the day when something will go wrong. 

Jeanette: 

That's the thing. And, if something goes wrong, then the consequences are quite serious. 

Blanka: 

It's better to be safe than sorry. 

Jeanette: 

Yeah, yeah, it really is. I guess everyone listening to this, they love their dog. So... take care of them. And it also helps them when they’re swimming as well. 

Blanka: 

Yes they can go for longer. 

Jeanette: 

Yeah, it gives really good support. My oldest dog, for instance, Max, he used to be a bit insecure in the water, but with the life jacket then he really enjoys swimming, so that's very nice to see because you can tell the difference if they, enjoy it or or not. 

Blanka: 

How different is paddleboarding compared to other sports on the body. So for example, my dogs, I think that they are pretty fit. They come usually right out of their winter season. They are in top shape. Should I still go quite gradually with a paddle board and start with, like a few minutes? Or can I go then already, like, okay they are so well trained they can just do long sessions immediately. 

Jeanette: 

I would still start quite carefully if you do some training on these balance balls and stuff, I would start with sessions that are a bit longer,maybe like 15, 20 minutes. Longer could also be like unproblematic. But to give them a good,good start on this new activity, I would, would definitely do it gradually, still. Even though they're very fit for running and all this other activities swimming as well, because it is a bit different. But you know your dog best. 

Blanka: 

Are there and signs when it's like okay now they are tired then too much, I feel like it's a bit easier with the very physical activities because you see when they are like panting too much or slowing down while here it's a bit more it's core work and it's more like they get sore muscles. It's probably harder to see.  

Jeanette: 

Yeah that's very true. The way I see it on on my dogs is if they're changing positions a lot and seem a bit like uncomfortable. My older one, he would also shake a little bit, not much, but just a tiny bit. And, also maybe pant a bit because they get when they get uncomfortable, they might also feel a bit stressed. And then you can see that the expression in their faces are changing a bit. So, that's what I would look for. And in general, signs of discomfort, maybe if your dog is usually looking at you in a specific way when they are tired or uncomfortable, then be extra. Be sure to to look for those signs, all the little signs. And it's it's better to keep the sessions too short and take too many breaks then the opposite. Usually it's no problem at all, but it's good to just be aware of it. 

Blanka: 

I think that's the most important. Be prepared.  And it can be quite difficult because I know it myself every time I'm trying a new activity and it's so much fun. You just want to keep on doing. 

Jeanette: 

You don't want to stop straightaway,but,to set the dog up for success,I think it's important to keep the sessions short. 

Blanka: 

I know for me it was in the beginning very new that, and it makes so much sense that of course it's unstable. I feel it on myself sometimes. It's like the day after, it's like okay, not only my arms if I pedaled a lot, but like also in my core, if I have to balance a lot, it's just like I'm sore and like it makes sense that it's hard for the dogs as well, but it's very nice activity. And I see that a lot of our athletes at Non-stop, they are using it as training. Both for the strength part and also with the swimming.  And I guess it requires a bit different skills maybe than the other sports. So it's nice to build also some connection with your dog practice a bit like, different things, a bit of maybe obedience maybe yeah, just what you wouldn't necessarily do in canicross or bikejoring. 

Jeanette: 

Variety is definitely good, both for your dog's mind and also for the body, because, they do get tired after a long season. It's nice to do something else. 

Blanka: 

When you started with it, was it more for the pleasure part, or did you want to train the dogs? 

Jeanette: 

I started with it because of training since I was competing in agility. Because there you do a lot of these core exercises with the balance balls and stuff, but at the same time, both me and my dogs enjoyed those exercises. But we also enjoyed being outside. So that's why we started looking for something similar that you could also do outside. And then paddleboarding was just perfect because, then we could combine the strength training also with, proper cardio session. So that was just ideal and so nice to be able to be outside at the same time. That was my favorite part of it. 

Blanka: 

Do you have a favorite memory or, adventure or something like story with paddleboarding with your dogs. 

Jeanette: 

Which ones to choose? I think it was summer holidays two years ago. We were paddling on the lake in Telemark. I'm not sure what the name of the lake was, but it was just so pretty. You had these nice beaches. It was just so pretty. And I was there with, with my friend Marthe. And we brought some, food for us. Food for the dogs. It was a nice sunset. Everything was just so peaceful. No boats, no nothing. So it just feels like it's just you and the dogs, and you can just do this forever. That was very nice. So, you can create quite many nice memories with them.  Highly recommended. 

Blanka: 

Sign up for Paws on paddles and start with it!  Do it, do it definitely. 

Jeanette: 

It's a great way of being active and just bonding with their dog as well, because the more activities you do together, the stronger your bond gets. And even though it might be challenging for some dogs, if you help them through it, they will trust you more just having fun together is, is awesome. I would try it for sure, even though you might have tried, for example, paddling in a canoe and stuff before. It is similar, but it's also different. The benefit with the paddleboard is that it's so easy to get the dog, the dog can easily jump out to swim, and it's very easy to get them back in. That's a bit more tricky in a canoe or a boat or something. Or a packraft. 

Blanka: 

But I actually I learned that from you that when do dog jumps off the paddleboard that’s not necessarily the best, because they are pushing away the paddleboard so they can get injured. So do you then have like a release word or are you helping them with a life jacket, or how are you avoid them getting injured? 

Jeanette: 

Because when they're jumping off, they will, of course, their force will push the board away. And that will cause a hyperextension, in their hind legs and back, which can lead to injury, worst case. So of course, sometimes it happens, but I try to avoid that my dog is jumping off the board when it's on the water. If it's on the shore and if it's stuck, then it's, of course, you don't have the same effect. But, when my dog is on the water and I want them to, enter the water, I try to make its, as calm as possible. Not as crazy, like “Go, go, go!” And then they will run and jump off the board, because then this, it's a big risk that this hyperextension will happen. So I tried to help them by holding the handle. And guide them into the water. Becasue I can support them a bit. Of course, if you have a big dog, like you have, for example, then it’s a bit more tricky. With my small 5 kg dogs it’s very simple. I can just lift them. So, of course it depends a bit, but, try to be a bit aware of that stuff because, it looks super cool and it's probably super nice for the dogs. They think it's fun to do it, but dogs don't always know their best, so we have to, think for them sometimes. 

And I do have, release cue telling them that okay now it's fine. You can you can, enter the water. That one I also use on the shore. Because when I get closer to the shore, I don't want them to just jump on the beach and maybe run around. It's nice to respect the others that are enjoying the beach and everything. And also to make sure your dog is not running off and and stuff. So, trying to keep it, a bit controlled. 

Blanka: 

I think, some of the stuff we went through, it might seem a bit like, I don't know, negative or like, scary, but I do think that it's just nice to be aware of these things. But as you can see, we are out, with Jess. So it is a fun activity and I think everybody should just, like, go and try with their, dogs. Build up gradually, as you mentioned. Sign up to Paws on paddles! Check out, the tips from Jeanette on how to get started and then just Yeah, have more and more fun out on the water in the summer. It's a perfect activity for the warm days. Low intensity. You always have the water nearby. 

Jeanette: 

And it's just something different. So, and of course, you don't have to think about all the things you can do wrong all the time, because, usually it's just fine, but, hopefully with some extra guidance on, do's and don'ts because other people have tried all the don'ts before you, so, then you don't have to do the same.  

Blanka 

Yeah. I learned a lot from you. And I think it's just it's very nice to be prepared for these things. Even though, yeah, I think most of it, it never happened to you. 

Jeanette: 

Nevertheless, it's just like it's a very nice knowledge to know about it and be prepared to be able to get even more out of that activity. Then you set yourself up for success both yourself and your dog. 

Blanka: 

That is the motto for today. Hopefully that is the motto for the whole podcast. We’re setting up ourselves and our dogs for success! 

I think we covered the all of the most common things we could for stand up paddling with dogs, as we mentioned, a lot of times, good advertisment, sign up for the Paws on paddles course or read in our magazine for more information on paddleboarding with your dog.