Anyone sail with a large dog

Paul_S123

Paul_S123

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OK, my dog Noggins is a big German Shepard......he hates coming out on my power boat. He didn't like...but tolerated it when I had a rib.

How I am going to get him on the Moody 31 is beyond me, I am hoping for some tips here.

Just to set the scene...he hates the marina pontoons...I am often seen carrying this 50 kilo dog down to the boat, with his big dufus ears pinned behind his head. He goes into full Scooby Doo mode and can not be taken down by lead.

Help.......

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Here's a few from back when I had a rib

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If you have any dog boating pics, please share them.
 
Have a similar problem. Inca is a 40kgm Lab x Irish Water Spaniel. What better mix for messing about on boats one would think. No way. He tolerates the boat but doesn't like it, although he does not mind the 14' sailing dinghy.

Those pontoons made from metal mesh are terrible for him as they hurt his paws, wooden and plastic pontoons are not too bad, although he has fallen off twice.

Getting the great lump on and off some low pontoons is a problem, as for getting him back aboard fron the Avon is all but impossible. Will watch this thread with interest.

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Get a smaller dog? :) This is Jack, our mixed breed (Yorkshire Terrier, Pug, Chihuahua, Dachshund and Poodle!) on our Moody 31. He doesn't mind pontoons (even the Titchmarsh expanded metal ones) even after falling in off one, he's easy to carry (about 5kg!) and is scared of absolutely nothing - not even dogs 10 times his weight. I think we should have called him Tardis, because he's bigger on the inside! The really good thing is that he's too small to get up and down the companionway!
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Paul_S123 said:
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Just to set the scene...he hates the marina pontoons...I am often seen carrying this 50 kilo dog down to the boat, with his big dufus ears pinned behind his head. He goes into full Scooby Doo mode and can not be taken down by lead.
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I've never sailed with a dog. Will he go in a marina trolley?

Mike.
 
He does not look happy does he? I think you are going to have to buy a motorhome.
Ours, a collie/springer tolerates the boat with limited enthusiasm, he does not like beating or sails which rattle and slap so our tacks have to be perfect but he does really enjoy the dinghy, inventing calls of nature every half hour when we are at anchor and jumping off the transom if the dinghy is near enough. He also likes sleeping in closer proximity to the humans. However he never wants to risk been left behind so will get on board when he knows we are serious about leaving.
You have a serious problem if your dog hates boats, he will enjoy sailing even less, not sure there is an answer.
 
My dog Lulu (lots of photos on my Instagram in my signature below) - she's medium sized, half Husky half Staffy all idiot - tolerates sailing when the weather is calm. It sounds like your chap is really frightened, and forcing him to sail when he's stressed and scared is not fair. If you have to carry him he is obviously terrified, poor fella. Your dog can be unstressed through classic conditioning and then everyone will be happy though. It's not difficult but it takes time and a lot of patience. Introduce him slowly, bit by bit, using loads of tasty treats. And I mean loads. Or a favourite toy, if that's his thing. Slowly means a couple of feet walk on the pontoon, lots of praise, treats, then leave. Longer pontoon walks. Gradually he will come to associate the pontoon with good stuff. Then the same with the boat, before the boat moves. It can take a long time to accustom a dog to something they have previously feared. Takes time and consistency and A LOT of patience. But it's worth it if you want your dog to be OK with it and not stressed and frightened.

Get the advice of a good behaviourist also, worth their weight in gold :)
 
I forgot to post a photo. Lulu. Half Husky, half Staffy all idiot:

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[I'm also mostly idiot it seems, as I can't embed my photos at a decent size, but you get the idea...]
 
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Agree with sniffyjenkins - bribery is the best method. Sounds as though you have a hard job ahead but sure he can be persuaded. We have sailed with all our 5 boxers (not, fortunately, all at the same time). The current boxer, Asbo, has the odd hissy-fit when the wind gets up and we are currently working on nice quiet days out (reefing or motor-sailing to help things remain calm). She has her meals on the boat which naturally gets her vote. And we do our best to associate the boat with good things - like trips to the beach in the dinghy ! Like most boxers, she is child-mad and had a wonderful time when my niece brought her three children to visit. Here is one of her at the helm :

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She also has her own berth which we think is pretty comfy -but she would prefer a pillow :

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Do hope you win - the other thing which might work is taking along another dog who is happy boating. Good luck !
 
pragmatist said:
Agree with sniffyjenkins - bribery is the best method. Sounds as though you have a hard job ahead but sure he can be persuaded. We have sailed with all our 5 boxers (not, fortunately, all at the same time). The current boxer, Asbo, has the odd hissy-fit when the wind gets up and we are currently working on nice quiet days out (reefing or motor-sailing to help things remain calm). She has her meals on the boat which naturally gets her vote. And we do our best to associate the boat with good things - like trips to the beach in the dinghy ! Like most boxers, she is child-mad and had a wonderful time when my niece brought her three children to visit. Here is one of her at the helm :

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She also has her own berth which we think is pretty comfy -but she would prefer a pillow :

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Do hope you win - the other thing which might work is taking along another dog who is happy boating. Good luck !
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Harrumph! That's the view she gets. This is the view I get.

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shan said:
Why submit the poor creatures to something they clearly hate? At least your wife can tell you off or divorce you.
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I must admit thats the way I'm starting to think. I have a whippet - not the best water dogs as they can hardly swim (no body fat = not very floaty). He's looks plain miserable if its calm, when there's a blow and boat heels he looks terrified and it makes me feel guilty so I leave him with my mother these days. I should have got a multihull maybe.
 
Interesting thread for me and Zig, she loves water but not a bath. we will be taking her along most times with us. She is also a big lump of 40+kg and a sift sod, scared of a wheelie bin so good to see what she will be like on the boat.

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I have an idea to get her on board from the tender or low levels by making a davit type lift, like in old folk homes etc to lift her on board and then it can be folded away under the deck a stowed easy.
T will be making her a jacket that will have a loop on for clip to attach to. I think this will be needed incase she jumps or falls in, will be hard to lift her out otherwise.


Some lovely dogs you guys have :).
 
We 'inherited' a Rhodesian Ridgeback. She was brilliant in the marina, on the pontoons and on the boat - except when we were sailing... She now lives ashore with my sister-in-law!!!
On the other hand the Spanish Water Dog really lives up to her name and loves all things boating...
 
We sail with two dogs: a 30kg retriever/collie and a 16kg whippet cross. We wouldn't take them if they didn't want to come. They don't especially like the rough stuff but on balance they love it- more time spent with the humans, seeing new places, meeting new people.

The practicalities have been much less trouble than we had assumed. The wee dog is nimble enough to jump in and out of dinghies at will. The larger dog can jump down OK, so long as she can see a clear space in the dinghy to land in (it's an Avon with a soft floor which might help). Getting on to the boat requires her to jump up and put her paws on the gunwale, then I can lift the back end and that's that. It was even easier back when we had a 27ft Vega, the current boat has much higher topsides but it still works.
 
Worzel is a large ungainly lurcher who adores his sailing, now.

It took a little time as it does with anything with a rescue dog particularly.
In fact his adventures spawned a couple of books and a load of other stuff.

There are lots of tips and tricks and I've been tasked by swmbo to recount the sailing specific ones on his new website.
Not done it yet as I'm still working on the other bits of the site first but its in the pipeline however there a bunch of photos.

Any guesses where these two shots were taken?
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Getting on and off the boat when its ashore has been a bigger issue!
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Loads more at http://worzelwooface.com/
 
Thanks for the replies so far...and keep them coming.

Just to clear up a point...I don't want to take him if he doesn't want to go, I want him to enjoy it.

He is very important to me. I don't take him out on the powerboat very often at all as he doesn't like it. I wanted to take him on the sailboat as I wanted to go on longer overnight trips and won't leave him in a kennel.
 
Our 2 (mongrel and Springer Spaniel) hated our little Shetland 535 if it was bumpy as the boat slammed quite badly. They are happier with the bigger sailing boat unless it starts to heal. The Spaniel likes to do laps of the deck while the engine is running and the boat is level, but gets a bit freaked out when the 'ground' moves underneath him!

Some good advice from Sniffy on training. You will know what reward works best for Noggins, but lots of little rather than few big rewards is the way to go.
 
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