Fred,
Your dog may or may not be the slacker that some paddlers tend to be, but it might behoove you to put him or her in front of you so that you can soothe him/her should she/he get excited by your scenery or the conditions. Also, just as in a canoe, the rear paddler is most responsible for steering the boat. If you are worried about trim, you might simply add ballast to compensate.

Bill

: Hello everyone,

: I am trying to design a tandem kayak to use with my 90 lb. dog.(I am 170 lb.)
: The question is should the dog be in front or back? With him in back I
: would be very close to the center of the kayak and I can place the
: cockpits closer together. That seems like it would be the best location to
: control the boat. But someone has told me that I should be in back for
: better control. Any advice?
: Thanks,
: Fred Graus