Quote:
Originally Posted by QuackXP  Our girl Bailey will be lucky to make 5lbs given the size of her parents mom(4lbs) dad(9lbs).
Who out there has personal experience with life jackets for Yorkie's in the 4-5lbs range?
This will be primarily for Kayaking on calm water. If she does good ill take her downtown to the river where there is a little current and ripples.
Also a general question for those who kayak with their Yorkie. Do you tether them to you while they are in the boat? |
Hi QuackXP,
I have been kayaking with my Yorkie for years. :-) I bought a Pet Gear Bike Basket that I strap onto the front of my kayak, and my Yorkie sits in there. "Pet Gear Ultimate Traveler Pet Bike Basket." Available at Petsmart online, and many other sites.
NEVER tie your Yorkie to the boat, if you flip, it could trap her under water. You could tie her to your waist, though, but make sure the rope is LONG enough that if you flip, and she ends up on the other side of your kayak, that it is not too short so that it might trap her underneath. Also, you must buy a “Bungee Paddle Leash” (on Amazon), this attaches your paddle to your boat, so if you do flip, you do not have to worry about keeping hold of your paddle, you can just focus on grabbing Bailey.
I use a Paws Aboard life jacket, (Amazon) it has a handle on top. If my Yorkie gets very hot, I will grab the handle of the lifejacket, and dunk her into the cool lake water just up to her tummy, it cools her down immediately. Just be very careful the first time you do it, to make sure you are well balanced so that you don’t flip when holding her out to the side.
I bought an umbrella with a clasp that I attach to my kayak, to give my Yorkie shade. “Island Shade Clamp-On Umbrella in Blue” at Amazon. If this particular one does not fit your cockpit, try a different brand. I get a lot of stares when I am kayaking, because of the umbrella, but it works fantastic, and gives me shade also! And make sure you have a couple of Frogg Toggs Chill towels (Amazon) (you will want one for yourself also they are fantastic!) just wet them in the water, and lay your pup on the towel, it will cool her down immediately. (It is best to soak them at home for a good 30 minutes, wring them out, and them put back in the container. They will stay wet for a long time. But if it is dry, and you dunk it in the lake, it will not absorb a lot of water, and it will dry out much quicker.) You can use those if it is too windy for an umbrella. I also bring along a collapsible water dish and bottle of water for her, they fit into the pockets of the bike basket. If it is too windy for the umbrella, I would put a hat or visor on her, because I think it would be very uncomfortable for a pup to be out on the water with the sun in her eyes all the time.
I have a new puppy, Lacy, that I have not taken out kayaking yet. When I first take her out, I will put her in the carrier on my kayak, and walk around in the water for a good hour with her, to make sure she will stay in her carrier, and not try to jump out. It is very important that your Yorkie is trained well enough that she will stay when you tell her to. Also, make sure you put her in the lake and then walk to shore and let her follow you. I did that a dozen times with Chanel, so that she won’t panic if you happen to flip and she ends up in the water. She will know to swim to shore if you are close. I took my Chanel out for 5 hour trips many times, and she was always so good, she never once tried to get out of her carrier.
Even if you take all of the precautions, and you do happen to flip, I think it would be very difficult to upright your kayak, while holding onto your pup. She will be clawing at you to get out of the water and it would be very difficult. So it is best to go with another person who can grab your pup, while you upright your kayak. I have to admit that I go kayaking all the time on my own, but I make sure that I am not far from the shore, so if we every do flip (have never done so yet), then I know I am close to shore, and I can just stand up in the water to get the kayak upright and get my pup back in. Make sure you have a small warm, cozy blanket in a waterproof bag, just in case you flip and your Yorkie gets wet. If I can’t get onto shore because of rocks, at least I can stand up close to shore, flip the kayak over, put my pup back in her carrier, get in myself, and then wrap her in the blanket to warm her up.
Have fun and please post a pic of you both kayaking together!
Sharon