Episode #62 How To Paddleboard With Your Dog Safely In Arizona Waters

We take our bird dogs paddleboarding and turn wipeouts, splashes, and river chaos into smart off-season training for Arizona hunters. We share what actually works to build fitness, confidence in water, and steadier obedience while keeping dogs safe in the heat. 
• why paddleboarding is legit exercise for high-energy bird dogs 
• how regular water time can build swimming confidence over time 
• training “lay down” and “stay” on the board to create calm 
• starting in calm water and keeping early sessions short and positive 
• using an e-collar as reinforcement when it matters 
• essential gear like a dog life jacket with a handle, dry bags, river shoes, and sunscreen 
• lunch and tie-down tips for keeping food and gear usable on the water 
• Arizona spots like Salt River, Canyon Lake, Bartlett, Pleasant, Saguaro, and Roosevelt 
• planning shuttles and keys for river floats like Coon Bluff to Granite Reef 
• lessons learned on parking, Tonto Passes, and crowded weekends 
• safety reminders on holiday enforcement, sober driving, and heat risks for dogs 
To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquailtoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Till then, remember to get outside. 

Connect with us: Email us at ryan@azquailtoday.com —we'd love to hear from you! 
Follow us on Instagram at @azquailtoday

Transcript

Welcome And What We’re Doing

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to Arizona Quail Today, your go-to podcast for all things quail hunting in Arizona. We're dedicated to educating and inspiring the next generation of quail hunters. A big thanks to our supporters and proud partners. Thanks for tuning in, and now let's dive in today's program.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Alright, welcome back to another episode of Arizona Quail. Today I'm in the studio all by my lonesome.

Dogs On Paddleboards Gone Wrong

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Dogs on paddleboard. That's what we're talking about today. So, man, it was good having Nate on the program last week. I don't know if you guys heard that episode, episode 61. That was a fun one. That was a really, really good one. If you've got you know comments, feedback you want to send in, uh just Instagram message me. Uh I'd love to hear your feedback, and I'll get back to you when I can. But uh anyway, so I wanted to talk to you about I'm in the home studio. I want to talk to you about dogs on paddleboards. Um I know it's random, but it's good stuff. So hello everyone out there, Ryan here with Arizona Quail today. We are talking about getting your bird dogs out on the water with paddleboarding. So first time, uh my dog bailed off a waterboard and flipped me. Oh man. That's happened so many different times. In the beginning, I'll say, you know, it's funny, uh there's uh I go on paddleboards with my wife and my kids, and and uh I just decided I'm gonna take my dogs with me. But one of the put ins that we put in, I think it's called um uh coon bluff off of the Salt River. And if you put in right there, there's like a little rapid depending on which year time of the year that you go into uh you put in over there. But it's uh you put in and then like right away you got water, and my dog I remember one time just put two on a paddleboard at the same time. That's chaotic. I would definitely say one isn't good enough if you can do it. Um thankfully about paddleboarding, the cool thing about paddleboarding is that you do have this uh flat section where your dog can really just uh do well with um just a flat section to stand on. So I just turned up the gain a little bit, so hopefully you can hear me a little better. Now you might be turning down the volume on your truck there or whatever you're listening to. But anyway, yeah, I remember one of the first times I went out there, the dogs just bailed off and lost all my gear, and uh thankfully it was in a floating ice chest and all that good stuff. So you there's a learning curve for sure. Your dog, if it's not used to the water, then it just it's gonna get crazy. So gonna be a lot of fun. So um in the background, you can probably hear Miss Arizona. She's chewing on a cowhoof right now, and so we're in the home studio having a good time. So all right, why I think it's a great part of uh segment one here. Uh, I think it's unbelievable exercise for bird dogs. I had a buddy, I can't remember who who I had this conversation with, but he runs dogs literally for like sled dogs. And uh in a in uh gosh, I can't even remember where it was. I was having this conversation. Obviously, he's not that good of a buddy. Uh, but anyway, we're having this conversation about sled dogs, and he's talking about how he seen that some bird dogs actually they link them up for like like sleighs, like for mushing, like getting out there and and running, like replacing like you know, those huskies uh with bird dogs because they just have so much energy. And I would say I totally believe that it's unbelievable exercise if you get your dog swimming. Um yeah, I have seen my dogs really accelerate. So it's a lot of healthy summer adventure fun during the off season. It burns energy without overheating your dogs, um, you know, with long runs or whatever. It keeps the dogs active during the summer, you know. So uh a tired dog is usually better, a better dog, because these bird dogs have so much energy they need to get out. Literally, the other day, Leslie's like, you have to take the dogs paddle boarding. You gotta take them. So it was a great time for me to just get out. I went out with my son, Sam, went out with my daughter, uh, Maya, uh, had just uh such a great time. And we took both bird dogs and just had a blast, tons of fun. So um we went out, gosh, we went out to Canyon Lake one one weekend, and then another weekend we did uh over there at the Salt River. And so I'll tell you a little bit about that, uh some of the location specifics and and all that. And so here we go.

Turning Chaos Into Training

SPEAKER_01 6:00

So um training benefits. You know, what are the training benefits for for the doing this kind of thing? I'd say it builds core strengths, it builds a good leg muscles, balance, endurance. If you've ever seen my dogs, um, they're pretty muscular. I'm not gonna say like I'm like I'm like got the secret sauce or anything, but I feed my dogs pretty good, and I have them exercising, moving, um as much as I can, you know. So, I mean, I do some weird stuff, like I put, you know, a dog on a big harness and put them on a skateboard and have them pull my daughter around the street, and um we do different, you know, we'll do take them to all to we'll have them swim constantly through the rivers and uh retrieve and and they do good, they love it. So it turns when you start really working in the water, it'll turn a bad swimmer into a champ. You know, once you get your dog to a spot where your dog's comfortable in the water, and maybe you'll never get your dog comfortable in the water because maybe you tossed your dog in the water when you it was a pop, and it's like doesn't mean you can't overcome that, but you screwed up if you did that. Okay, seriously. Um I used to train water dogs, and I love the water, love getting out in the water, did uh river raft guiding, uh, I do scuba diving, um, surfing, um, slaloming, uh, wakeboarding. Just love the water. Now I do kayaking and uh kayaked big rivers and uh kayaked little rivers, like the salt. And the salt can get kind of gnarly in the verde, too, but it's not like steady flow, like you can build an industry off of it, like Colorado Rivers. But anyway, um I will say we have seen dogs, I have seen my bird dogs turn into excellent swimmers just by getting them out on a fairly regular basis, you know, once a month, once twice a month, uh in the in the in the rivers or the lakes. Maybe so I would encourage you to chick try that. I mean, as much heat as Arizona has, dude, it's it's fun. It it turns some bad swimmers into some swimming champs if you you get after it. Yeah, I think it improves the uh the just the mental focus and the bonding with a dog because you're doing cool stuff together and you know it's kind of unstable environments. I mean, think about it. The dog's like having to learn how to navigate, balance, and listen and obey. Um you know, so you know, like, I mean, just the other day I had Happy. He was, dude, he would just he loves riding on the front of that powerboard, and then you get you cruising down the river in a rapid. That's a dog is crazy. He'd just jump off in the middle of a rapid, and then you'd think he'd like try to swim to shore to like run the shoreline. No, this dog just like white waters. He just loves going cranking through the middle of the river, and he'll swim for a hundred yards, two hundred yards. It's crazy. And you know, it's kind of like from chaos to calm, though. Like, it'd be crazy, like you know, uh he's flipping around, and then um white water, and then uh not heavy white water, just easy salt river uh easy going section. Like I said, from like section I like is Coon Bluff to I think Granite Reef is what it's called. Um but you know, get them on that board and then you do some steady training. I use the e-caller and uh when needed, I teach them to lay down and stay on the board, you know. So I mean I teach them lay down on ground, but laying down on a on a paddle board is actually really helpful because you could stand up then. Um so you know, I think if you're starting out, like I'd encourage you to start out in calmer water because you know it gets it can get a little crazy. I would keep the first few sessions short and positive. That's probably a lake would be better. Um and don't rush nervous dogs. Like, I don't let my kids like push my dog off the board if the dog's real scared. I don't I don't like that. Um, I don't want my dogs to have negative experiences with water, and so um the the the board actually exposes, I would say, holes in your training and obedience real quick because they're stuck on this board and then they've got to make a decision whether they're gonna stick and stay or they're gonna just run and and go off. I think, you know, we kind of tell our dogs, like if we're gonna, you know, tell them to lay down and stay, then we're gonna reinforce it with an e-collar, even even in the river. And the reason why is because there are some sections they need to just chill out and relax and realize that they just need to be a passenger and they don't they're not there to for just to have a a blast. I mean, although we want them to have fun, you also want to navigate and get down the river in in a in a timely fashion, you know, because you're dealing with the heat, you're dealing with timing restraints and and and all that stuff. So those are a few just training tips, I would say, for for getting out there, understanding the e-collar usage and the laying down and stay on the board is good, starting in in shallow or calm water, uh, either or, and uh that can be helpful. And and and them just learning how to navigate water is I think really, really good. Um and you know, again, the training benefits, it I think again, the unstable environments kind of sharpen the obedience a little bit, and you get to help navigate your dog from chaos to calm, which is really pretty cool.

Gear That Makes It Easier

SPEAKER_01 12:59

So uh a few things on essential gear, gosh, I'd say just get the right paddle, you know. Like there's the kayak paddle where it's got blades on both ends and they're a little bit offset so you can row well. Um, if you're doing like a paddle board and using it as a kayak too, I think that's a cool way to do it. Um you can you can pick up a cheap paddle at Walmart for like 26 bucks. Um, paddle board you could get over at Costco or whatever, do whatever you want. Make sure you air those things up good though. Um Dog Life Jacket. Uh wait, back on the paddle. You can also get the long extended paddle where it's just one blade and it's a stand-up paddle. Um, and then you'd have to use it, you know, if you're gonna paddle like row strokes and sit down or on your knees, and you have to kind of like go from side to side in order to, you know, navigate your paddle board correctly. Um either way, you you can do what you want to do on that. I I kind of like kayaking more than versus standing up uh just because it's a little more stable, and then I like kayaking. So I actually get in a hard boat kayak as much as I can and practice my role so I can get out on big water later in the summer in Colorado or whatnot and uh enjoy some rapids and stuff like that. So I put my dogs on other people's paddle boards. That's that's kind of fun, and I can still uh e-collar uh train or you know, watch out for them or whatever. So um, but yeah, that back on the life jacket thing, I would say get a good life jacket. I think one of my favorite ones is um the neoprim ones for the dogs, because especially if you've got like a short-haired dog, I mean it's it's chilly. My dogs are they're shivering a lot just because they've got nervous energy, but then they um it's just the river's chilly, you know. So depending on where you live and which rivers you're accessing accessing, but uh, I'd use a neoprim vest and um it has some flotation to it, and then um it's got a good handle on it. But there's also you know, there's also a flotation one. My um uh happy wears the flotation one, it's a little bit more good. Uh it's a little uh a little better fit for a beginner dog because it creates a little more flotation. He loves that thing, but you definitely want to handle like where the spine of the dog is so you can pull the dog in. A lot of times you'll be you know tempted just to grab it by the collar and pull it in. And that's not necessarily bad, but um, that handle is really helpful as well, and you want to be able to get them in and up on your board when they jump off or or when they fall off. And uh so I would say that, and it keeps them warm when they're chilly, and then it also provides some flotation and it um kind of an easy uh dog handling setup with a handle on it. Definitely get one with a handle, and then as far as for me for gear, gosh, I'm gonna wear Chacos um just because I like to f or some kind of Tevas or or river shoes, something that's gonna stay on my feet so I can navigate. I'm gonna take a dry bag and uh maybe also um there's a number of dry bags you can get in different sizes and whatnot. But I put my keys and my phone in a couple um Ziploc bags, like two, and then inside the dry bag as well, and then put my keys in a Ziploc dry a Ziploc, and then put it in the dry bag pocket, and then um yeah, put whatever else in there, maybe um first aid kit. I take my little uh marsupial um canine kit that uh uh it's a it's a it's a great little uh uh first aid kit to take. Uh and then I'll as far as other gear, I'll wear marsupial suntex shirt. I love that. That's super, super advantageous. I'll I'll wear a life jacket as well. I forget the name of the life jacket that I have, but just some kind of a low profile life jacket. Um polarized sunshades for sure, some croakies so my sunglasses won't fall off and lose them. Definitely some kind of hat. Um when I'm wearing when I'm kayaking, I actually wear a helmet just because I'm rolling over underwater, so I'm gonna do that. But for paddle boarding, you would probably just just a hat would be fine. Um extra rope and sunscreen. I'd bring a I'd bring some rope, you know, that's um uh and and it depends if like if your dog's new and it jumps off in a lake, then a rope could be good because then you it starts freaking out and going the wrong direction, you can kind of pull the dog back in. Um, I'd be real careful about that. Just a rope and a dog can get messed up quick, uh especially on like rivers and stuff like that. So be very mindful of that. It it's kind of in many ways, it's better for the dog just to go free and go where it wants, and then you recover the dog. Usually those dogs will go towards land if they're scared, or another boat, and other people will pull in your dog from time to time. So, um, but I would bring some extra rope because when you camp out or when you set up for lunch or whatever, you you can uh have your dog, you know, um tied up and and just relax uh uh under in some shade. Definitely some sunscreen. Gosh, I got sunburned my legs, especially when you're laying out on a paddleboard with your legs, you're just getting cooked a lot of times. So, some good sunscreen, I'd say. So um, you know, other pro tips would be just bring some extra rope. Some I, you know, we do bring a throwbag from time to time, especially if you're in more swift moving water and you're swimming across the current. You know, uh there's a couple of spots on the salt where we're going back and forth across the river, and you got to swim pretty hard to get across the river in certain sections. So I bring some extra rope. Uh, in case uh we want to practice pulling somebody in um on big white water, then yeah, if you get folks that are going downstream before a big rapid, then we'll we'll use the throwbags to catch people. Um, but extra rope never hurts. Uh uh, as far as another pro tip goes, I'd say, you know, you can during lunch find some good shade, uh big trees. Um, I camp, uh not camp, I set up shop on the opposite side of the river of the big crowds. Um and then there's find some shade and then just haul your board over, flip it over, and use it as a lunch table. That's really pretty cool. Things that I carried for lunch on the river, I'd be I'd carry like cans of tuna, and uh, because then you don't have to worry about them getting waterlogged. Carry some mayonnaise, maybe an avocado, um, some crackers, you know, everything's basically concealed and safe. So if it gets waterlogged, it doesn't ruin your lunch. It's the way to go, and then the peel-off uh tuna. And so then you get your protein, you get your carbs, you know, and then of course I'll pack a few apex, predator drinks, those are good. Plenty of water, uh, ice chest, ideally, it floats. You know, there's some lower profile ice chests that are kind of soft ice chest. Those are definitely better for paddle boarding because you're you're navigating a river and you're also needing to strap your board down, and that's what the extra rope can be used for as well. Too, it's like you're gonna have to tie down your board, you're gonna have to tie down your uh ice chest and all that good stuff. So um gosh, bring extra water for your dog, not okay, because there's plenty of water. Those dogs are gonna l drink the river water, they're gonna drink the lake water, and then you're if you're like, No, my dog can't drink that, I'm like, eh. Your dog will be fine. Actually, watch out for dog poop. Because usually when you're putting in, you know, your dog's gotta go. And so just be mindful. Don't be that guy who leaves a freaking dog turd right on the trail the other day. My dog did that. So just clean up after yourself. Don't don't be that guy. Um that's that's no fun.

Arizona Spots And River Logistics

SPEAKER_01 22:24

Um specific locations. I mean, I'll give them to you because I think it's good. So, like I told you, I put it on the Salt River, I like to put in around Coon Bluff and then take out around Granite Reef. And then you need two cars, so don't be that guy and forget that. Don't also forget your keys uh for you know the vehicle that you leave back at at the put in. Um or or the or the takeout. So, you know, so you'll have to figure this out, you know. So usually we'll park a car at the takeout, and then we'll drive upstream and then leave a car at the put in. And um when you put in, you should have the keys of the vehicle for the takeout. And the takeout vehicle obviously needs to be um yeah, it just can shuttle you back up, depends on how you arrange your vehicles and all that stuff. So you you guys should figure that out. Um so I'd say too, um just be aware, like on rivers like that, like there's a little bit more logistical challenges uh that you need to be pay attention to. Um, you know. Uh Canyon Lake, we went out there the other day, and that's another cool location. I've gone to Lake Pleasant, Bartlett Lake, uh, Swarrow Lake, Roosevelt Lake. Um, I don't know if I have a favorite lake right now. Well, lakes are not as much fun to me, but I'll go um for sure, just because they're accessible and it's still good water time with the dog. Um, but Saturdays can be so busy, and uh parking can be such a pain in the butt. We went out to Canyon Lake the other day, and it was awesome. I mean, I know why they call it Canyon Lake because there's all sorts of canyons and it's really cool, but you go on a Saturday, it's so busy, so it can be a challenge.

Tickets, Cops, And Hard Lessons

SPEAKER_01 24:35

So let me talk to you about some lessons learned. Oh my gosh. Okay, so the other day I went down to Canyon Lake and I forgot I didn't get a Tonto pass, and I get there, and the parking lot is filling up super fast, and it's on a Saturday. Thankfully, I actually had a spare Tonto pass in my truck, so I was like, heck yeah. But then I parked in the wrong spot. I parked well, I dropped off my daughter, 14-year-old daughter, at the boat ramp, and we pumped up all our stuff, and the guy was like at the you know, like the the guy, uh the parking attendant or the park guy, whatever, was like, uh, okay, you can either park your vehicle and then hike all your stuff down, and it was like a quarter mile walk, and we had paddle boards and dogs and gear and ice chests. He's like, or you can take your chances and go down, drop off all your stuff, and then come back, and then um, you know, maybe there'll be a parking spot. So I'm like, okay, I'm gonna take my chances. So I go down, unload all my gear, pump up all the paddle boards, get everything ready, dogs ready, everybody's in the shade, everything's set up near the water, and then I drive back up, and the only spot of parking available was a spot. Well, I parked in there at first, and I saw it says parking for boat and trailer only. So I missed the well, I parked there thinking I was probably gonna be okay. I was like, I got a parking pass, and I do have a boat on my truck, like a a kayak, and it's not a trailer. And um anyway, I got a 250, 275 ticket later that day, and that totally sucked. I mean, that was like oh that was a bummer. So um man. All all I gotta say is what I could have done is I could have parked further out on the road and parked off the white lines, and it would have I should have not done it, obviously, because now I gotta pay this stupid fine. Um I I was I had my daughter down there, and I was worried about the heat, and then I'm thinking, well, maybe I'll slide because I do have a boat on my truck, but you get what you get, man. So I broke the rules and gotta pay the consequences. So anyway, don't I'd say be careful, and then the other thing, lessons learned. Gee whiz, I'm just getting in trouble over here. So then I'm um I'm on the the next weekend, I'm on the Salt River, and I'm trying to pick up my board, or I'm trying to pick up my truck. We had just we got to the takeout, granite reef, and paddled down, been on the river for five hours, my daughter and my son, and then we're like loading up, you know, and then so yeah, so we get there and I'm like, hey, Maya, you stay here with the dog. Sam and I are gonna run upstream and pick up my truck and then bring it down, and my truck is gonna be the truck to get all the gear. Now, again, this is like gee, yeah, this is this is uh this is Saturday, this is Labor Day weekend, basically. And uh so there's cops everywhere. So I get my truck at the put in, thankfully, well, so so uh get my truck, jump in, and I'm kind of driving out of there. Apparently I was going 42 in a he said a 25, but my son said a 35. And he pulls me over, and I've I'm like, officer's like, you know I I pulled you over, and I'm like, Yes, sir. I I uh accidentally creeped through that stop sign. I didn't do a full stop. He's like, Oh, no, actually, no, you were going 42 into 25, and my son like just passed me as I was pulled over and he like waves. He's like, Okay, see you later, dad. And I'm like, shoot. And uh he's like, Yeah, you're speeding, and I'm like, I I didn't even see that, sir. I was like, I've got a daughter downstream, she's I dropped her off with two dogs, it's hot, and then he's like, Have you got anything to drink today? I'm like, Thankfully, I was like, no, sir, not a drop. I mean, I truly hadn't, and I don't drink much, but I was super glad I didn't that day, because a degree of negligence he would have probably busted me on. They were hammering people, so be very, very careful. So he's like, All right, let me run your license and I'll come back to you in a minute. So he jumps in his car. We're sitting there off the side of the road. I'm sitting there, we're just praying, Lord, I don't need a ticket. I just got a ticket the weekend before. I got a ticket for parking in the wrong spot. So I'm like, I cannot. I'm like, what if he sees my ticket from last weekend? So I'm like, shoot. And sure enough, he comes back and he's like, Hey, uh, I don't really want to sit in traffic court. One more question. Do you have you had any alcohol or any marijuana in the last 24 hours? I'm like, no, I don't smoke dope, and I'm haven't had a single drop. He's like, All right, well, just keep it slow. Here's your license back. I drive on from again the put in at Coon Bluff to the granite reef takeout, and I'm like, pull in the kids that are like, Oh, dad, did you get budgeted? I'm like, no, thankfully I didn't. But I saw like three or four other cop cars literally lined up arresting people, handcuffs, I mean, DUIs, MIPs, I mean, all sorts of stuff. They're we're getting them, buddy. So it was be very careful. It's it's not worth it, you know. So be very, very careful when you get out there on big holiday weekends, especially. There's a lot of idiots that overdo it. And just drinking a little bit too. If you're driving. Boy, I I don't like it. If I'm having anything to drink, I I don't like to drive, just because I don't want any any bad uh degree of negligence at all or anything. So be very, very, very careful. If I would have said I had a little bit to drink, I guarantee you he would have tested me. He would have had me get out of the car, he would have probably done a I mean, just it takes more time and energy. I mean, they were there to arrest and basically make big statements to people out there. They had huge setups. People, cops and people were called in from all over the place in order to basically hammer down on the on those areas out there. And they do a lot of drinking on the river. That's just part of the culture of that river. So be mindful of that. If you go with like those paddle board, not paddleboard, but if you go with the salt river tubing thing, it's just like a drunk fest of college students, and it's it is what it is. So I don't go in those areas. Uh, I try to go to the more uh less uh you know busy sections of the river and uh enjoy it. So the area that I told you about is a little less busy. So uh lessons learned, get your Tonto Pass ahead of time. Um, there's a bunch of gas stations around that will sell it. I know at that location that I just told you about on the Salt River. I think it's at Granite Reef, it is at Granite Reef. They do have a pass uh section right there, and that's the perfect takeout. I mean, I think it's the end of the line for the river right there. And um I think they dam it up and then it turns into canals or whatever. But uh yeah, on any of those lakes, like just do your homework because it turns into a headache. It's already like you're trying to have a good time, and you just don't want the extra stress of not being prepared. So, lessons learned, get your Tonto Pass ahead of time. Realize parking can be a pain, so start early or don't go on the big weekends. Um don't I would say don't drink if you're driving, it's probably the best rule. And then I would say as well, uh lesson learned don't ever leave a hot dog in your truck, a hot truck. It it gets gonna get hot out there this summer. And uh, you know, unless you've got some kind of setup where it's like you got a lot of ventilation, you got a lot of shade, and you you you know you're gonna be in a good spot, you know, um, where he's not gonna the dogs aren't gonna stay back there longer. You can get in big trouble for that too. So just be very, very, very, very mindful of that. I don't I don't like to leave my dogs in the back of a truck unless I'm like at a coffee shop real quick, like grabbing like a Dutch Bros, and I can see my dogs, and the ventilation is open, and um I'm not gonna be very long at all, you know. So don't leave your dog in a hot truck. That's that's a big

Heat Safety And Off-Season Mindset

SPEAKER_01 34:31

deal. Um, and then you know, hey, summer's coming in fast. It's it's here in many ways for Arizona, and so uh yeah, it's here, and so uh don't just kennel your dogs in the off season, get them outside, train, and do some adventure together. So this is part of being a good caretaker of your dog and prepare well, and uh you're gonna be ready for a great season this next next uh of 2026, 2027 quail season in Arizona. It's gonna be a ton of fun. Okay, guys. Well, hopefully that helped, and uh we'll tie talk to you soon.

SPEAKER_00 35:17

Thanks for listening in. To help further our work, please consider making a tax-deductible gift. Visit us online at azquailtoday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Till then, remember to get outside.