When it works, paddling with a dog is a lot of fun for both of you. You don’t state what the size of your dog is, but my wife regularly paddles with our big dog in front of her. A few things to consider:
- A dog can be pretty unpredictable when it comes to distractions. A duck landing nearby, a fish jumping, an unexpected wake, something interesting on shore... Sudden unexpected movements can lead to undesirable results. Keeping the dog between your knees allows you to control its motion and gives you a warning as to its movements. I wouldn’t have it in a separate cockpit.
- A bigger dog sitting up significantly raises your center of gravity. A wider boat will help mitigate that. So will a flatter bottom.
- Comfort for the dog is important. If it is forced to sit on a frame or in water, etc., it’ll be squirming and trying to reposition. Some sort of rug or pad might be a solution.
- You’ll need to be able to paddle with the dog sitting in front of you. That likely means positioning it a ways forward of you. But it’s a balance with point #1 above.
- A lot of cockpit openings are too small to accommodate the two of you.
- Consider how you’ll board the kayak with the dog. From a beach? From a dock or big boat? Unassisted? Generally we’ve found it best to get in first then have the dog get in. If the dog is small you can hold it during the process.
- Consider making the deck of your kayak nonskid so the dog can step on it without slipping off. That’s probably incompatible with your strip cedar plans, but it’s a practical reality. One of our kayaks has a relatively flat deck. Our previous dog would walk on it to the bow and hop off after nosing up to the beach. Worked great. The current dog is too clumsy and dumb for that...
The most recent kayak I built seems to be working pretty well for this.
Mill Creek 13 Recreational Kayak: Speed, Stability, and Classic Good Looks! https://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/kayak-kits/recreational-kayaks/mill-creek-13-stitch-and-glue-recreational-kayak-kit.html
