Best dog for a yacht?

[whisper]

Why on earth does anyone want to illtreat a poor dumb animal by forcing it to endure living on a boat, especially if said vessel is a sailing yacht that regularly goes to sea. It puts the animal into a totally alien environment and is grossly unfair to it.
Yet another pathetic example of people trying to anthropomorphise another species. Take a stuffed soft toy with you instead.

 

[Sea_dreamer]

Well I would, and do... Stuffed animals, Fluffy the dog, the cat, mouse, spider, scorpion all join us.

The question was really whether it was feasible at all. I have enough trouble getting the humans on board... I think I would rather not, but there seem to be plenty people who do have dogs on board. The worst thing would be a reluctant dog joining the reluctant sailor!

John

 

[Joe_Cole]

LOL /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

....but in fairness I've seen lots of dogs on boats which were obviously content and happy...enthusiastic even. I'm not a dog owner, but I see nothing wrong with it.

Sometimes I think that, as far as SWMBO is concerned, the sea is a totally alien environment and that it's unfair to take her!

 

[Lakesailor]

Then, use the above suggestion, and stuff her! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[cliff]

Get a stuffed one - no doggie poo to clean up - come to think of it no doggie puke either.
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"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"

 

[BrendanChandler]

Best dog for a yacht is a SCURVY DOG

We sailed with a golden retriever for many years without problems.

I suggest that you consider the size of dog you can retrieve when the dinghy is packed away?

Brendan

 

[Joe_Cole]

Good idea, but he really will look daft when he goes ashore and takes it for a walk. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Joe_Cole]

I couldn't possibly comment. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Talbot]

The worst thing to have in a boat is wet dog hair - talk about stink! We had a labrador cross, and their hair dries very quickly so the smell is not a big problem. A lab is also at home in water, and most can swim better than we can. Mine loved the dinghy, but merely tolerated the boat. You will need some form of vacuum when they are moulting, and they are nort ery enthusiastic about a heeling boat or bad weather!. getting dog in and out of boat is another crucial element as they will demand a run ashore morning and night.

 

[dralex]

We have a labrador and now find her quite limiting for sailing. Hates the boat heeling nd is uite heavy to lift on and off. I would suggest and agile, slightly smaller dog. I suppose if you take them on board from puppyhood, it may be OK. Personally, if I had to choose a breed, it would probably a cocker spaniel- agile, like water and don' seem to mind very much at all.

In retrospect, I would think hard about getting a dog to combine with sailing. Our dog predates our boat owning, but I don't think we'd get another one.

 

[whisper]

"I don't think we'd get another one" - what,another boat or dog? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Clive_Rigden]

And, what's wrong with that anyway?

 

[Alistairr]

I'd think its gotta be a small dog.

Westies are good pets, but as thick as mince!!!
Our comes sailing with us all the time, Hard to keep him on board at times as he loves to chase the ducks!

 

[Peppermint]

Re:I\'ve sailed with a number of dogs

and only the Irish Water Spanial has truely being at home on a boat or indeed in the water.

Theirs probably a case for getting the smallest dog you can on the grounds that that would be most convienient for the on off business, would take up less room and smell less when wet and would deliver smaller packages of waste matter. It's food requirements would take up less room too.

I'm now of the opinion that the right dog for the boat is a cat. One of those stuffed ones that they sell in chandlers.

 

[Joe_Cole]

Re:I\'ve sailed with a number of dogs

[ QUOTE ]

I'm now of the opinion that the right dog for the boat is a cat. One of those stuffed ones that they sell in chandlers.

[/ QUOTE ]

but they're not much use when you chuck a stick into the water and shout "Fetch"!

 

[Lakesailor]

[ QUOTE ]
And, what's wrong with that anyway?

[/ QUOTE ] Sorry, as you've not quoted me and I've posted a few times on this thread, I haven't any idea what the question is about. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[ShipsWoofy]

If you read it in threaded you can see he is replying to ....

[ QUOTE ]
Scuse me? Are you saying your dog crapped in someone else's boat?

I think I would be extremely annoyed.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess it was tongue in cheek!

 

[Peppermint]

Re:You\'d get much the same effect....

...as I'd expect from the current crop of dogs we've got.

 

[Captain Haddock]

Re:You\'d get much the same effect....

We (SWMBO, 2 x kids and myself) have an English Cocker Spanial, he's small and light enough to lift on and off (especially with the dog life jacket with built in handle) and is very very good when underway.

We found the dog helped the kids when it was rough on one particular voyage as the dog took the kids mind off the voyage although I swear the dog looked at me as if to say what on earth are you thinking taking me out in this weather.

He doesn't leap off the boat yet however, he will stick his chest out and try to look tough when strangers come near, doesn't bark a lot and is quite happy to sit in the cockpit or wander around on deck.

Our Cocker is a year and half old, we chose a Cocker as they are good swimmers, good with kids and most important of all have a very friendly temprament.

Labs seemed to be a bit too big and heavy for our liking.

Our style of cruising is coastal at the moment, eventually we'll travel to Holland however, when this happens he'll be looked after by the relatives.

Just remember, a dog is for life and it's something the entire family should be commited to before buying... oh yes one more thing.

We had ours from a puppy from a pro breeder, this way he'd be used to us and the boat via our training early on.

 

[Ships_Cat]

In his books Ross Norgrove often referred to the dog they had on board. Unfortunately I cannot recall for sure the breed, but think it was a Schipperke which apparantly does very well on boats - the comments about their suitability on boats and photos on this site http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/schipperke.htm fit in with Norgroves comments and photos as I remember them. On the site is quite a bit about boats in the "Origins" section and even a couple of photos of them in boats.

Looks a very perky type of dog which may not suit.

We have a dog but while he is not very big he cannot get up and down the companionway steps without causing alot of claw damage and is too heavy to lift regularly, even into/out of the dinghy which otherwise would be a jump of quite a bit more than a metre - things to perhaps keep in mind. So while Ships Cat gets to go on holidays on the boat, doggie does not.

John