Last year we received an email from Maria Christina Schultz sharing her story of learning how to stand up paddle with her dog Riley (aka “the SUP PUP”). Her story spoke of a desire to take up a new sport and it had to be one that Riley – her Australian Shepherd sidekick -  could enjoy as well. Stand up paddling naturally fit the bill so the duo quickly picked up the sport. Maria then wrote about a vet visit where she learned that Riley had hip dysplasia. The doctor said one of the best activities to keep his legs strong would be swimming. Stand up paddling became cemented as their sport of choice to both have fun as well as stay healthy.

Through her experiences over the past 2 years, Maria and Riley have learned a lot about how to enjoy the activity of stand up paddleboarding. So much in fact that we later learned Maria was working on writing the guide on how to get into the sport and even more importantly share this adventure safely and enjoyably with your dog!

“How to SUP With Your PUP: A guide to stand up paddleboarding with your dog” is now out and we got our paws on a copy! We liked it so much that we thought we’d write our first ever Ruffwear Book Review on it and share it with all of you!

At first glance, we thought… awesome pictures! As dog people, we all love good images of dogs having fun and this book is full of practical and inspirational photography. But diving deeper into this helpful guide, you will find not just tips on how to paddleboard, but tips specifically from the perspective of including a dog in the activity. Maria does an excellent job of walking you through the factors you need to consider when you are just getting into the sport, while highlighting the details that will also make the activity more safe and enjoyable for your dog. The decisions she helps you with include what kind of board to consider based on the size of your dog, what accessories you need and any safety items to be sure to have.

Once you have the gear figured out, Maria and Riley get into the fun of the whole process – training you and your dog for the fun to come. “How to SUP With Your PUP” includes training schedules designed to get from dry-land training to the water in a safe and methodical way so that by the time you hit the water, your dog is already comfortable with the board and where to be positioned on the board.

Lastly, and most importantly, there are great troubleshooting tips including what do you WHEN you and your dog fall into the water. Note the “when” and not “if”. Falling in is part of the fun!

“How to SUP With Your PUP” is an excellent guide for anyone considering the sport of stand up paddleboarding and especially anyone who wants to share the fun with their dogs. This book will not teach you how to paddle but what you need to get started and how to get you and your dog comfortable together on the board.

For some great tips on how to paddle, click here: Werner Paddles Paddling Tips

Thanks Maria for providing a great guide to stand up paddleboarding with you dog. As one of the world’s fastest growing water based activities, this book will serve as a great resource for many as they explore their local lakes, rivers and coastlines with their four-legged friends.

For more info, visit www.supwithpup.com and you can purchase the book at Amazon HERE.

You can meet Maria and Riley in person at the Ruffwear booth at this weekend’s (May 17-19, 2013) Dominion Riverrock in Richmond, VA. Maria and Riley will be doing demos in and out of the water, selling their book and signing books too if you ask! For more info on the Riverrock visit www.dominionriverrock.com

:: Tips From ALLGOOD and Karluk ::

Weight in Pack: I have been easing Karluk back into to carrying weight. We started with four pounds and have been working up the to the ten pounds he is now carrying. Just like a person I didn’t want to over do it when just starting back.

Miles: Just like weight we started slow and built the miles up. Our first few training hikes were six to seven miles. We then built up to completing a thirteen-mile hike. I think it is best to add a few miles each hike that way when it comes time for back-to-back twenty-five mile days Karluk will be ready and not risk and injury or strain.

Booties: When needed, the Grip Trex boots work well for Karluk. I found that once on, it helps to play ball to get him focused on something else beside trying to get the booties off.

Trail Food: With backpacking season approaching, it is time to start the process of dehydrating food for our trips. I am going to use two separate food items this year.

The first is using the Natural Balance meat logs and crumbling up one feeding size per tray in the dehydrator and then dehydrating the food to be reconstituted later on the trail.

The second dehydrated meal I will be making is a homemade recipe. In this, I mix cooked brown rice, chicken breast, beef liver and pumpkin puree in a large pot and then place it in the dehydrator. I then package the dried food into food saver bags. When on trail, all I have to do is add one and a half to two cups of boiling water, then seep and occasionally stir until it rehydrates. This usually takes ten to fifteen minutes.

By making my own dehydrated food, I can lighten Karluk’s food weight for him, and also ensure he is getting the proper nutrition and extra calories needed when on trail.

Upcoming Hikes

• May – Gorge or High Desert, Cascade Foot Hills
• June – Cascades Foothills, Mt Adams Climb & Ski
• July – Mt St Helens Climb, Timberline Trail
• August – Round the Mountain Trail (Mt Adams Wilderness), PCT Chinook Pass Area
• September – Timberline Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail

Upcoming Dog Talks

• May 30th & 31st-Sand Point, ID & Libby, MT, in conjunction with Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness
• June 1st Dog Talk & Hike, Scotchman Peaks Wilderness
• September 28th, PCT Days, Cascade Locks, OR

Patrick took some time to share this experience and his thought process leading to the design of the K-9 Float Coat. Here is his story. To see our latest K-9 Float Coat, click HERE.

Thoughts of heading down to that favorite swimming hole, lake, or the ocean make me appreciate those childhood swimming lessons.  Those early experiences opened my eyes to a new world, and life was never the same after that first dip.  In and around water is where I choose to spend the majority of my time.

Fast forward to 1996 where whitewater kayaking consumed every spare moment. Of course Otis, my Australian Cattle Dog was always by my side–the perfect companion for road trips, camping, and river running. Our days on the rivers were spent with good friends, paddling our kayaks while Otis would join us by running down the riverside. During more technical drops, he would boulder hop and dive in and out of willows and fragrant lupine. In the flat-water, Otis would swim out and join me on my kayak.

As we both adapted to this whitewater environment, it became apparent that I had a significant safety advantage–helmet, dry top, paddle, and ergonomic lifejacket.  Otis seemed content with running the river “naked”, but I started to become concerned for his safety as we upped the ante. So I outfitted Otis in a canine flotation device from a respected whitewater company. One of our first trips using his new gear was a 17-mile paddle down a wilderness run on the upper forks of the Kern River in California. At one point as Otis ran the riverside, the granite walled up and cliffed out, impeding his down river progress. This required me to ferry him across to the other side, just above a significant drop. As I grabbed a hold of his flotation device to lift him onto the kayak, he slipped out of his lifejacket and into the water. After a few seconds of extreme concern for Otis’s safety, I was able to scoop him up and get him back into his jacket, and ferry him safely across to the other side where we completed the run.

Back at camp, I fitted his jacket again, this time trying to tighten the straps to keep Otis from slipping out.  No matter how I adjusted the straps, Otis could easily spill out of the jacket.  This experience inspired me to create a better canine Float Coat.  My goal was to design and build a Float Coat that would allow Otis to run and swim unencumbered, while staying in his coat no matter how I tried to pour him out.  With this new Float Coat, we could both continue our waterborne adventures with a renewed level of confidence, safety, and fun.

I invite you to discover the added benefits and fun that can be had by adding Ruffwear gear to your adventure.  Take a dip for me and remember, it all starts with a doggy paddle.

Chow,

Patrick Kruse

Pretzel and I are now 5 weeks into the Swift Paws – GO With Me Tour. The two of us are camping our way up the east coast (even into Canada!) and hosting charity-benefiting dog lure chasing events in 10 destination cities along the way.

The adventure thus far has been a whirlwind of great events, lots of new friends, and of course, a whole bunch of camping, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and general adventuring with my pup.

We started the tour down in FL but quickly found some chilly weather at our event in Sylvester, GA. That didn’t stop Pretzel from thoroughly enjoying the mud though! I love to layer his Ruffwear Climate Changer and K9 Overcoat when the weather suddenly turns cold. He doesn’t have much to keep himself warm and this combo keeps the shivers away.

Camping in the Sylvan Sport GO has been incredible. It acts as a base camp for us, carrying the bike and kayak, and keeping us dry and comfy at night. We’ve been camping in state parks for the most part and exploring their extensive networks of trails either by hiking or biking.  Whenever we hit the trails, I like to fill Pretzel’s Approach Pack with some water, treats, and other essentials. He may be a “small” dog, but he can go all day and he’s quite comfortable carrying his 1-2 lbs of supplies.

We recently hiked “Turkey Path” at the (Pennsylvania) Grand Canyon. We stumbled upon this park out of need to find a place to camp for the night. Little did we know we had found one of the more sought-out scenic parks and trails in PA! The path is a 3-mile round trip trail with 1000’ in elevation gain. The night before had dipped to around 26˚ so the sunny 42˚ morning hike was pleasant indeed! We wound our way down and came upon the waterfall that marks the end of the trail. After snapping a quick pic we headed back up to the top to pack up camp and make our way north into NY on our way to Toronto.

With 4 adventure events left to go and just about halfway to our 2 big charity goals Pretzel and I are excited to see where the rest of this adventure takes us!

Happy trails,

Meghan and Pretzel

Visit www.adventurewolf.com to learn more about the tour and see where you can catch up with Meghan and Pretzel at one of their events!

The Conservation Alliance was founded in 1989 with a mission to engage businesses to fund and partner with organizations to protect wild places for their habitat and recreation values. Since their inception, they have contributed grants of close to $12 million to grassroots environmental groups helping save over 42 million acres of wildlands.

Recently, The Conservation Alliance invited Rufwear’s Brand Manager, Greg Freyberg, to join them on a trip to Washington DC. Their agenda was to spend a day meeting with State Representatives and Senators to thank them for their support and discuss various environmental bills and initiatives.

“At the end of this three-day whirlwind trip, I can honestly say, yes I am tired but very inspired!” said Greg after the trip. We encourage you to read Greg’s review of his experience to learn what inspired him on the Conservation Alliance Blog HERE: http://bit.ly/15AivuZ

To learn more about the Conservation Alliance visit www.conservationalliance.com.

Ruffwear wishes all of you a very Happy Earth Day!