Surfing Dogs

Surfing dogs.  Believe it or not, there are people that train dogs to surf for a living, and many dogs actually enjoy surfing.  I just started teaching surf lessons (to humans) which is hard enough, so I checked on how dog surf trainers teach their pooches.

Surfing dogs must like the water and the beach, otherwise they're impossible to train.  Dog surf trainers start on the beach and get the dog used to the surfboard.  The dog will sniff the board warily and eventually jump on.  When the dog gets on the surfboard, they're rewarded with praise and treats.  When they step off, the dogs are ignored.  The dogs learn to love the attention they get on the surfboard.

That's when the surfing dogs take to the water.  They'll sit on the front of the board (usually with a life jacket) and catch waves with their surf buddy (or on their own).  Check out some of these photos...

###