A question for some of you who take your dog fishing: Why do you do it? I'm just curious. I fished yesterday on 2 different rivers and on several occasions I watched as dogs were running all over the place while the owner just looked mad that the dog was running around up and down the beach. Several times I heard some version of "George, George, heel George, George, hey, hey, George, stay, heel..." I have my own theories such as you dog owners like to pretend that you are fishing rather than really fishing or your wife doesn't want you or the dog around the house or you think everyone is going to love your dog as much as you. Maybe you just like to be frustrated while fishing? What's the real answer?

I have a pup in training that has been out a few times so far. Yes there is a bond issue. No I don't believe everyone else will love my dog like I do. I would not take my dog to blue creek and let him run around either. I try to fish away from the crowds and enjoy being on the river/woods as does my dog. I also believe in training your dog to act on command therfore there are no issues with being frustrated while fishing.As for the wife not wanting us, could you blame her plus the scent of dog is a super zipper fishing scent.

Well, in my case it's because my dog is well behaved, hangs by my side the entire time, and has a great time. She is one of those dogs who will fetch till she drops, and can't get it through her fuzzy head that the bobber does not need retireving. She doesn't, because I tell her not to, but every bone in her body wants to. She goes absolutely ape when I catch a fish.

But I understand your point, and I take great care to make sure that she doesn't bother other folks. There are some folks who don't take the care, and/or don't have as well behaved a dog.

Silver Hilton said exactly what I was gonna post. My dog is very well behaved,and I won't let her bother anybody. I have the same problem with her wanting to retrieve every splash she hears,and she also is very excited when I hook a fish. She has to be the best smelling dog around,my wife won't let her back in the house before a bath.

I guess I like to take her fishing,because she's always ready to go. No matter how bad the fishing sucks,or how wet or cold she has a good time. That's more than I can say for some of my buddies.

I fish with my pooch a lot. Being a pure bred black lab, he thinks the water, rain, mud, and bushes are a lot better than home.

He doesn't bother pestering me with stick throwing, but will patiently place sticks near other anglers and try it out on them. Most think it's funny, and tell him that it ain't gonna happen. He'll move on...

Some will throw it, and now they've got a fishing partner for a while, at least.

If it looks like he's bugging someone, a quick whistle from me and he's sitting on the bank behind me, albeit a bit anxiously.

Not only is he the only partner I have some days, some days he's the only one I want. He never feels the urges to share my zippers!

He's also beat when we get home, so sometimes I barely know he's there evenings after fishing.

Fish on...

Todd

P.S. He also goes ape when I hook fish, and the look on his face when I release a fish is hilarious. He stands up to his ankles in the water, stares at the fish as it swims away, looks over his shoulder, and unmistakebly says with his look;

"What in the Hell did you do that for? If you don't want it, I'd have eaten it!"

Not unlike some of the anglers I run into on the river!!

You guys are the type of people that I would thoroughly enjoy fishing with! I too, love dogs, and echo what all of you have so well said!

And to those of you that don't like that!
Mery Christmas too! <img border="0" alt="[santa]" title="" src="graemlins/santa.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[santa]" title="" src="graemlins/santa.gif" />

Cowlitzfisherman

A well-behaved dog is a pleasure to share the river with. I well-behaved owner won't bring a rowdy, bothsome dog to a fishing hole where other anglers are likely to be.

I watched this dude's Rottweiler chase around a guy's chum on the Nisqually last weekend. I didn't think it was very cool of him.....you don't really want to start waving your arms around at a Rotty, if you know what I mean.

Think I've probably ran into two dozen dogs while out fishing in the last year and can't think of a time when any of them were a problem. Most stuck close to owners and all but one stayed out of the water.

My favorite wandered by, don't know who he belonged to. Big Rott, feared for my life at first, but he turned out to be shy. Took him fifteen minutes to get close enough to pet and then sat down and leaned against my leg and watched me fish for half an hour. I wasn't catching anything so he finally wandered off and I never saw him again. Like a setter who gives up on you when you can't hit anything.

I have a 2 1/2 yr. old Beagle named Coho. Named my boat the "Coho Mojo" Coho absolutely loves being on the boat with me, my son and my fishing partners. The boat is big enough that Coho can walk up to the bow and put his mighty chest in the wind then cruise around to the back and beg for some more smoked Salmon. Half the time he crashes out on someones lap. When I pull the boat up to the front of my house to load things up, Coho goes nuts. He knows we're going fishing. I've never taken him to the river only cause I know him too good. Think I'd spend half my day dogsitting rather than fishing. My beagle "Coho" is definetely a boat dog. Best thing about him is he always wants to fish, never has to work, doesn't complain about the weather and he always let's me catch the first fish!

cool posts I enloy peoples dogs on the river, on my favorite fishin spot theres a husky that lives nearby he always comes to visit me and we share a peperoni. Im always glad to see him. I havent takin my pup out yet cause I dont want her to bug anyone that gets POed easily.

be careful with your dogs out there around salmon carcasses ive read about them getting very sick from them

i like spending time with my rottweiler she loves going fishing and she is very well behaved and doe's not bother anyone.she will not chase fish that are being landed and doe's not feel the need to be jumping into the river like some dogs i have seen.she is more behaved than some of the people i have run across on the river.i feel i owe it to her to take her with me instead of leaving her cooped up at home why have a dog if she just stays at home bored,it's all a matter of how well you train them.and no that was not me and my rott on the river dan was talking about i only fish the sky so if you see someone fishing with a rott there it is probably me stop and say hi my dog is just a big baby so nothing to worry about,if there was i wouldn't have her with me,the only thing i worry about is her getting caught up in some old hooks lying around on the bank so please if you see messes on the river pick them up i always carry a small garbage bag with me and clean the area up that i am fishing in i just can't believe some people are such pigs,later Bruce

I used to have a border collie, they need to get out and run or they can go psycho. My dog was VERY well behaved, always came when called and would stay right next to me if told to do so. I would always take her fishin w/me unless it was somewhere with lots of other dogs runnin around. She never bothered other fishermen or went in the water (trained her not to go into the water cuz dogs also have that L-serine (sp?) stuff. She absolutely loved to be wherever I was and if it was outside that was a huge bonus for her. Good company too when yer hikin long trails to the river etc.

Happy Holidays,

Sincerely,
Roger

i have two german shorthairs which i take most everywhere, except bank fishing and in the driftboat, ive dug a couple hooks out of there feet so i try to keep em off the more popular fishing areas. i love watching the fight for who gets the bow when we go out in the jet boat

Dogs are great fishing partners,,in the right situation.
Good points: dogs dont have wives to ask to go fishing
dogs dont complain about anything! including the coastal weather...
Dogs can help keep your hands warm, big plus!
Dogs will get your lure (if you tain them right)
Dogs are fun.

Bad things:
the get wet and smell
they lick too much
they dont live forever

I have 2 goldens, both love the boat, and shore.
I keep them in the boat most of the time so others are not to disturbed .
Every one should think about the other folks as well., leave them at home if its crowded fishing conditions.

UP1886.jpg

I've also got a German Shorthair ... this one stays home though. She was really wild when she was little so I didn't have a chance to get her in the boat ... fearful she'd disapper into the woods on a bank stop or destroy everything in the boat.

She's older and much mellower now, and I keep talking about, just haven't done it One of these days I will.

We had we aunt prior, and she was great in the boat. All the years of running up and down the Willamette in the power boat ... she posed in the front all day long when on the move and always seemed to stare into the water while fishing ... I swear she was always doing her best to help me find those springers!

Well, thanks for all of your answers. Sounds like most folks take their dogs out because the dogs enjoy it and you like their company. Fair enough. Enjoyed hearing the answers. You could probably detect in my original post that I'm not a big dog fan but hey, that's me. My kid had a bad encounter with a dog with someone who insisted that their dog was "not bothering anyone" and since then I've been not entirely as trusting. Hope everyone has a happy holiday with their pooch.

My wife and I have a shepherd we take in the boat once in awhile.Its hard to say no everytime, because he loves to go so much.The enthusiasm he has is amazing.We put him in the bow so he'll be out of the way.He smiles the whole time.
When banking it he stays home because he loves the water so much you cant keep him out of it.
I used to sturgeon fish with a guy down by Stella. He had an old dog that had been hit by a car.The poor thing had a few surguries so it didnt get around to well.But you didnt have to worry about watchin your pole too much.That dog spent so much time on the river that when your pole started going off he would start barking.Would never believe it if I hadnt seen it many times.
I know another guy that has a yellow lab.I love labs but it seem like everytime this guy goes fishing,the dog takes a humomgous dump right where everybody walks. Then the guy just leaves it there.What a nuisance.(the guy) I think the dog needs a new owner.
All in all I kind of enjoy the dogs being around.Maybe more than some of the owners.I think a lot of people would be a lot better off,if they had some of the qualities their dog has!
Just sharing my experiences,good and bad.

Well, thanks for all of your answers. Sounds like most folks take their dogs out because the dogs enjoy it and you like their company. Fair enough. Enjoyed hearing the answers. You could probably detect in my original post that I'm not a big dog fan but hey, that's me. My kid had a bad encounter with a dog with someone who insisted that their dog was "not bothering anyone" and since then I've been not entirely as trusting. Hope everyone has a happy holiday with their pooch.

my wife and i have 2 beagles, zeb 4 1/2 male and chloe 1 1/2 female. they push and shove each other fighting for the bow spot, chloe likes to look over the side, one time too much and she went swimming but she was tied to the oarlock so we just reeled her in. 15 min later she was doing it again. pups never learn.. joni bought her a lifejacket for christmas. when we get a fish in the boat they just look at it. they know they get the skins off the bbq, sometimes they just stare at it licking their chops. dogs are so funny like that. kb

Another bonus of taking Guinness (my black lab mentioned above) is meeting nice folks on the river. Anyone who can't take literally five seconds out of their fishing day to say "Hi" to a wagging dog that stops by them to say "Hi" probably isn't worth me stopping to say "Hi", either.

For that matter, people probably talk to me sometimes because I must be OK if I own a dog as cool as Guinness!

On a local not-so-zipper-anymore yesterday I took Guinness out, and I was treated to four different stories about other four-legged fishing partners that had passed on in the last couple of years.

The storytellers looked a little sad when they talked about their dogs...but sure brightened up considerably when Guinness would shove his head into their hands and make happy sounds as they scratched his ears.

One fella said his dog of 14 years had recently died, and seeing Guinness out there made him realize that he was still a ways a way from getting a new pup, but another angler hasn't had a dog in a couple of years and was contemplating a last minute Christmas present for himself after meeting my dog. Both good stories.

Guinness is also pretty big on going in the DB, but it's a little rough for the first hour. He weighs around 100 lbs., so any shifting tosses the boat out of whack if we're pulling plugs. He can't get enough looking over the side, and man, does he get excited when fish are being played.

A friend of mine in B'ham used to call when I was at law school in Spokane and leave messages for Guinness asking when he was coming over to fish with him next. He would tell Guinness he could take me, too, if Guinness promised I would behave.

Fish on...

Todd.

the two best fishing partners I have ever had and will ever have!!A black lab named bear and a heeler named k.c.The lab sits by my side waiting for the hook set.She has taken her hunting instincts and applied them to fishing.I had to leave her home this last weekend and missed her dearly.I think K.c did too.My dogs do heel and when I get to the river I say "ok were going fishing now"and they drop into stealth mode enabling me to fish the smaler water I am used to.An out of control is a product of a bad owner,not the dogs fault.

Wow,

After all of the nice posts about fishing dogs, I guess I will be the "turd" in the punch bowl

It's not that I dislike dogs, ( I own two great ones) it's that I seem to have a mojo that other dogs hate.

I had a shepard come at me from over 50yds on a dead run with raised hair, trying to attack me, on a northwest oregon stream. I had to back that dog down with my lami, and the owner didn't even try to call the dog off. It was a scary experience.

On another river, I had a yellow lab (yes a good old lab, just like the one I own) come up to me with that look like most labs have (friendly and wanting to be pettted, tail wagging) I gave it a few nice words and reached down to pet it and got a nice "snap" and a growl at my hand. Then the hairs started coming up on it's back and it really started growling and coming after me. I ended up retreating across the river while the owner tried to calm the dog down. Luckily it was a smaller river and I could cross to safety. The owner apologized and said his dog had never, ever gone after anyone before.

My point is, I guess I just bring out the bad in dogs. These are only two of about 8 bad dog experencies I've had. I've been bit twice and had a few other close calls.

I don't dislike dogs, If I know them, but to be honest with you guys, I'm scared as hell of other peoples dogs. I seem to put off bad vibes

In my opinion, there's nothing better than having a good lab in the boat to share the day with, but a strangers dog on the bank, gives me the willies.

Aaron

I have a 7 month old lab pup, and she is well on her way to being the best dog I have ever owned. I look forward to taking her on a couple of rivers I fish. I'll only take her if she listens, and isn't a pain in the arse to other people.

A word of advice to those who take their dogs fishing. As I have mentioned many times, alot of our rivers are very crowded. Very common to see wads of line, hooks, etc on the banks. In the last year, their have been several posts on a Midwest board, about guys dogs swallowing hooks , or getting hooks in their paws, while walking the banks. Hard for a dog to pass up something stinky to eat. Keep an eye on your pooch, as it can be very expensive and painful as hell for your dog.

I saw Todds dog a couple of years ago on a river we were fishing, and he was a riot to watch. Unfortunately, Guiness was by me, because I was catching all the fish. LOL

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jelly head,

I have a black lab that wouldnt hurt a flea but has gone beserk on a few poor black kids in the neighborhood.I used to think that it was th e color and there eyesight but have learned since that it is the fear of the dog that she is reacting to.
It is that fear that they are reacting to!As hard as it may be next time you have a dog like that runn at you drop down to one knee and act submissive.smile and say nice things.Let the dog aproach you and smell ya before making any moves toward it.

I tamed a german shepard that was trained as a gaurd dog once doing this and a few other tricks up my sleeve.I was building a house for a doctor and the dog was trained to take care of the wife and kids.I got out of the truck and this ***** come running at me,hair up,barking.By the time miss's got out of the trailer Her gaurd dog was licking me in the face.She did not know what to think.Those shepards are a scary dog sometimes though.

It's not that my dog is not well trained, it's hum, well the fact that he gets a little excited......yeh that's it. My dog just can't wait to get into the drift boat, unfortunately he can't tell a Lavro from a Willie. The other day I launch, spot the boat next to this other guy's Willie boat. I go park and let the dog out who immediately sprints for the wrong boat. You get the picture....... my dog jumping all over this other guy's six racked out Loomis rods. Oooops! Sorry buddy, he gets a little excited. Now days I walk him to the boat on a leash.

I fish with Leadthrower a lot and he's almost as bad as the dog!

Hey Jellyhead,

I guess I'm kind of with you on this. I go to the river for as a relaxing time as possible and a dog on the bank doesn't add to my relaxation factor. Not that other things aren't distracting, but poorly behaved dogs just add to the equation.

OK,

One last question that I don't really expect to get much of an answer to but I'm going to throw it out anyway. Do dog owners enjoy dog drool on everything or do you just put up with it as part of the bad with the good? I've got friends who whenever my wife and I visit the dog insists on gobbing a big wad of spit/snot in your crotch as the owners kind of chuckle. That's gross. Don't you think? Add to that a wet shoe that gets chewed on when it is left at the door or the inside of truck windows covered with dried dog slobber and I'm sorry, I'm just not into getting licked in the face by a dog that's just licked himself. Or, as dog jumps around the truck cab it puts its tail end within inches of everyone in the truck. You get the picture. Some people are into that and some aren't. I'm one that isn't. But like I said, hope everyone has a happy holiday with their pooch. And how many of you enjoy that slobber thing?

I don't enjoy the slobber thing either,but my dog doesn't slobber. Unless you're playing ball then watch out cause you might get slimed. I don't like dog hair or cloudy windshields in my truck either,so she rides in the back under a canopy. I,love my dog,so I guess I just put up with some of what goes along with owning one.

Dan,
I know that cur and his fat ass master.
Same chit during the king season. I lost a nice king from that dog. A seal taking your fish is acceptable, but a dog releasing your fish for you is a no no.
I love dogs but never seen a well mannered dog on the river. Except for the ones on a leash tie to a tree, still there is the constant barking and yelping. I took my dog out once and he is worst than any of the dogs I encountered. Once is it for him unless we go to some remote hole where no people is around. And I encourage dog owners to do the same. Its suppose to be a relaxing activity.