THE ESSENTIALS

Work on your cardio: Competition heats run 20 minutes, and dogs can’t paddle their boards back out to the breakers after catching a wave in. “You won’t believe the workout you get,” Uy says.

Watch the surf forecast: Uy won’t take Abbie out in waves much bigger than 4 feet — a size he calls “triple over-tail,” a play on the usual “headhigh” metric used by surfers.

Mind your surroundings: “Watch out for stingrays,” Uy says. “I’ve been stung over 15 times.”