Surfing is a spot that takes balance, patience, and a lot of humility, so it takes a certain type of person—or dog—to do it. Golden Retriever, Drake, and German Shorthaired Pointer, Blaze, recently joined their dad on a surfing expedition, and honestly, they make it look too easy.
These two pups may have started their surfing lessons a little rocky, but once they got the hang of things, they were total pros. Take a look!
Obviously this duo is meant for water sports, but let's be clear: Dog dad Zack Fairhurst ( @maddak ) is the real hero here for keeping the dogs afloat with one hand paddling himself and the two pups!
Thankfully, the Retriever and Pointer figure things out pretty quickly. It's in their blood! Drake, who has nearly 800k followers on Instagram alone, is no stranger to water activities. There's a whole highlight reel of the Golden living in and loving the pool as well as multiple clips of he, Blaze, and their pet parents on the paddle board with him. He's a natural!
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It's no wonder people are obsessed with this series of videos showing exactly how the dogs learned to surf, because I am, too!
"The ears flapping in the wind is my favorite," one person wrote.
"That’s awesome! I cannot even begin to figure out how you would do that!! Adorable!!" another added.
"Bro those dogs are living their best lives with u guys," another said.
With these skills, what can't Drake and Blaze do?
Related: Golden Retriever's Epic Roll in the Mud Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving
Dogs Can Become Excellent Surfers
While surfing can be difficult for people like myself (aka uncoordinated!), some dogs take to it like it's no biggie. Take for instance Labrador Retriever Koa , who won Purina's Incredible Dog Challenge, World Dog Surfing XL, and World Dog Surfing Tandem after beating cancer. Not only is it a testament to a dog's resilience, but their ability to accomplish just about anything!
If you want to teach your dog to surf , Dogster says to first make sure your pup has an interest in water sports. It may seem obvious, but don't confuse their interest in running and playing on the beach for wanting to stand on a board in the water. Try having them get on the board in your house first, away from water, to gage their interest. Some dogs want no part in it, and that's fine.
The site says most of surf training should happen at home, combined with good things like praise and treats to build positive associations with the board. The most important part, aside from safety, is to desensitize them to the board so it's not so scary.
Once you take the training to the beach, encourage your pup on the board while in the sand or close to the shore to test if they desire to stay on it or not—and don't force it. Take their lead. They will need to decide if they trust the board enough to want to be on it, or not, so if they're not into it, leave it be and let them have fun however they please.
This is all a great start to see if you have a surf dog, or a pup who just loves the beach . Drake and Blaze are great examples of how amazing dogs can be—in, and out of the water.
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