# Dog surfing: fun for all, or animal cruelty? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 27, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774 "2011-09-27T16:55:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/1 "2011-09-27T16:55:41Z")
( **Disclaimer: the “animal cruelty” bit is purely tongue in cheek!** ) LAT Article/Slideshow: [Sit, stay, surf: Sea dogs hang 10 in Huntington Beach](http://framework.latimes.com/2011/09/25/sit-stay-surf-surfing-dogs-in-huntington-beach/#/0) A couple of the dogs–the boxer in particular–don’t seem to be enjoying themselves all that much. Maybe he’s worried about sharks or stingrays. Now I’m all for pet owners who want to enrich the lives of their dogs. The catch is, once you teach a dog to surf, you have an obligation to keep taking it to the beach for the foreseeable future. After all, once a dog gets hooked on surfing, a walk and a biscuit just don’t cut it anymore. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/2 "2011-09-27T17:55:31Z")
I certainly would watch their body language and never force them onto the board in the first place if they indicate they don’t want to. My [black lab](http://media.egotvonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/surfing-dog-1.jpg) (pic is someone else’s) would have loved it tho (and yes even for him I’d get him a doggy lifejacket). ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/3 "2011-09-27T18:09:35Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I certainly would watch their body language and never force them onto the board in the first place if they indicate they don’t want to. My [black lab](http://media.egotvonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/surfing-dog-1.jpg) (pic is someone else’s) would have loved it tho (and yes even for him I’d get him a doggy lifejacket). I agree some dogs love water. I visited my friend who lives on a lake. His neighbors dog, a lab, loves to chase the geese on the lake. He can do this all day. And when he scares off the geese he hides in the water behind a bush till they come back so he can scare them off again. That is until the geese decide they’ve had enough of this and start to chase him. To him this is a huge game. He doesn’t seem particually vicious when chasing them and he seems to enjoy running away from them. When my friend and I go out on his boat, if the lab is outside, he’ll run over and want to ride in the boat with us. So I can imagine some, but not all dogs might enjoy surfing. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/4 "2011-09-27T18:11:52Z")
My beagle is obsessed with jet skiing. He hops on the thing and won’t get off, even though he’s been riding it all day. He whines when we make him get off. What can I say? He’s got a need for speed. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/5 "2011-09-27T18:11:54Z")
It’s all fun until they start chasing the catfish. Or sniffing the butt of the dogfish. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/6 "2011-09-27T18:34:51Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > ( **Disclaimer: the “animal cruelty” bit is purely tongue in cheek!** ) > > LAT Article/Slideshow: [Sit, stay, surf: Sea dogs hang 10 in Huntington Beach](http://framework.latimes.com/2011/09/25/sit-stay-surf-surfing-dogs-in-huntington-beach/#/0) > > A couple of the dogs–the boxer in particular–don’t seem to be enjoying themselves all that much. Maybe he’s worried about sharks or stingrays. > > Now I’m all for pet owners who want to enrich the lives of their dogs. The catch is, once you teach a dog to surf, you have an obligation to keep taking it to the beach for the foreseeable future. After all, once a dog gets hooked on surfing, a walk and a biscuit just don’t cut it anymore. 😛 I believe my husband had the exact same look on his face when he tried surfing - and he assures me he enjoyed it (but probably won’t do it again). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/7 "2011-09-27T19:17:41Z")
I see 5 dogs on a board in that first pic, 3 or 4 of them brachycephalic and built like sacks of potatoes. If they fall off, are they even capable of swimming very well? I am pretty sure pugs can’t swim very well, don’t know if the bulldog breeds can. ETA: Yes, they have vests, but can’t they even keep their noses up while paddling? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/8 "2011-09-27T19:36:43Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I see 5 dogs on a board in that first pic, 3 or 4 of them brachycephalic and built like sacks of potatoes. Yeah, I’m pretty confused as to the breeds. Obviously, not every dog of the same breed is the same, but on average, pugs, boxers, and bulldogs are not “water dogs.” You’d think they’d be a lot more labs and retrievers…they LOVE the water. You get them in, good luck getting them back out. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/9 "2011-09-27T21:56:54Z")
From personal experience Boxers swim like rocks, I was also very surprised to see two in a water sport. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/10 "2011-09-27T22:11:58Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > What can I say? He’s got a need for speed. Given the leg length of a beagle I think that’s pretty understandable. And using that logic I understand weiner dogs like flying jet fighters 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/11 "2011-09-27T22:13:22Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Yeah, I’m pretty confused as to the breeds. Obviously, not every dog of the same breed is the same, but on average, pugs, boxers, and bulldogs are not “water dogs.” That was my thought, too. Plus, bulldogs aren’t real big on…well, exerting themselves. Surfing’s hella exerting! ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/12 "2011-09-27T22:25:58Z")
How the heck does a dog stay standing on a surfboard, anyway? I thought their feet got all shuffly and they lost balance pretty easily on moving surfaces. Cute pictures, though. My only concern would be if a dog got caught in an undertow. They don’t know how to respond in that situation, and would surely die. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/13 "2011-09-27T23:42:11Z")
A dog was one of our white water kayaking crew. She loved to surf. Just like any person, it took a while for her to learn how to surf (e.g. when to lean and how much to lean), but once she mastered it, she wouldn’t stay on shore for love or money. [Kipawa River Quebec Buttonhook wild water kayak kayaking photographs](http://my.tbaytel.net/culpeper/Buttonhook.html) ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-surfing-fun-for-all-or-animal-cruelty/597774/14 "2011-09-28T14:33:34Z")
I don’t know if there’s a correlation or what, but bulldogs in particular (and bully breeds in general) seem to love to skateboard. I thought maybe their short legs and low center of gravity made it easier for them. I don’t think it’s a real stretch to say they might like surfing. And certainly, anyone who spends a lot of time teaching their dog to surf is probably also a surfer (and a dog lover) and so would probably be pretty careful.