It's a Cape Ann Double. It's super stable. As for Audrey (the dog), I've spent over 2 years training her to retrieve birds and work off hand signals. If a bird flys by, she looks at me for permission to jump, allowing me to brace and get ready, then I give her the Ok and she's off. The handle on the back of her PDF is the key to getting her back in. I have a leash on my paddle and dump it on the opposite side that she is on. She swims up to the side of my cockpit and I dunk her to get the effect of the PDF's bouyency and haul her up onto the deck. The carpet helps her get her feet steady and she walks to the front cockpit and steps in, ready to go again. She does this 20-30 times each paddle. I also built an alternative seat from minicell foam that her nails can mark up.