Dogs, cruising?

I have had no success trying to get my bitch Labrador to toilet on deck despite all the usual remedies - astro turf, real turf with scent, seaweed etc. We therefore normally keep our passage times down to 6 hrs or less. When we exceeded this once she became so stressed that she developed canine cystitis which apart from an expensive course of antibiotics led to uncontrollable weeing everywhere. So good luck with the training. As others have mentioned I think it depends on the breed and gender. Dogs, I believe, are easier to retrain toilet wise than bitches.

As for bringing dogs back from the ROI I received from the Animal Health & Welfare Division of the Irish Government the following advice:

Travel has now been harmonised throughout the EU, dogs ,cats and ferrets entering Ireland from any EU state including the UK need to be prepared in the following order.

1. Microchipped
2. Rabies vaccinated after microchipping and at least 21 days before travel
3. Have a valid EU pet passport
4. In the case of dogs they need to be treated by a vet for tapeworms between 24-120 hours before arrival, This is not needed for travel between the UK and Ireland.

The skipper should give advance notice to the port of the arrival of the animal .
 
Some friends have a lab who loves being on and in the sea. When sailing on passage Brock generally curls up in a suitable spot in the saloon from which he can check out his crew in the cockpit. On hearing the call 'lee ho', he rolls his eyes with a 'here we go again' expression and ambles over to the other side of the saloon to flop down.

More seriously, his owner's are assiduous about walking him twice daily if possible. That, and the dog's other needs aren't trivial, so any owner needs to be fully prepared for the necessary responsibility.
 
Some friends have a lab who loves being on and in the sea. When sailing on passage Brock generally curls up in a suitable spot in the saloon from which he can check out his crew in the cockpit. On hearing the call 'lee ho', he rolls his eyes with a 'here we go again' expression and ambles over to the other side of the saloon to flop down.

More seriously, his owner's are assiduous about walking him twice daily if possible. That, and the dog's other needs aren't trivial, so any owner needs to be fully prepared for the necessary responsibility.
 
aowen said:
I have had no success trying to get my bitch Labrador to toilet on deck despite all the usual remedies - astro turf, real turf with scent, seaweed etc. We therefore normally keep our passage times down to 6 hrs or less. When we exceeded this once she became so stressed that she developed canine cystitis which apart from an expensive course of antibiotics led to uncontrollable weeing everywhere. So good luck with the training. As others have mentioned I think it depends on the breed and gender. Dogs, I believe, are easier to retrain toilet wise than bitches.

As for bringing dogs back from the ROI I received from the Animal Health & Welfare Division of the Irish Government the following advice:

Travel has now been harmonised throughout the EU, dogs ,cats and ferrets entering Ireland from any EU state including the UK need to be prepared in the following order.

1. Microchipped
2. Rabies vaccinated after microchipping and at least 21 days before travel
3. Have a valid EU pet passport
4. In the case of dogs they need to be treated by a vet for tapeworms between 24-120 hours before arrival, This is not needed for travel between the UK and Ireland.

The skipper should give advance notice to the port of the arrival of the animal .
Click to expand...


Hmmm, but the question is how it is handled in the opposite direction - entering the UK... It is certainly the case that you are not allowed to bring an animal into the UK from the continent on a privately owned boat. I was under the impression that you could cross from Eire to Northern Ireland with a pet on a privately owned boat, but someone above has questioned that.
 
maby said:
Hmmm, but the question is how it is handled in the opposite direction - entering the UK... It is certainly the case that you are not allowed to bring an animal into the UK from the continent on a privately owned boat. I was under the impression that you could cross from Eire to Northern Ireland with a pet on a privately owned boat, but someone above has questioned that.
Click to expand...

OK, to clarify, this was received from the Pet Travel Team at the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) via the RYA:

From 1st January 2012 the requirement is that all pets travelling between the Republic of Ireland and the Great Britain should be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and accompanied by a pet passport. Following the rabies vaccination the pet must wait at least 21 days before travelling to Great Britain. Please note that the date of vaccination is classed as day 0.

Currently, UK domestic legislation does not require approved routes or carriers from ROI
 
aowen said:
OK, to clarify, this was received from the Pet Travel Team at the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) via the RYA:

From 1st January 2012 the requirement is that all pets travelling between the Republic of Ireland and the Great Britain should be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and accompanied by a pet passport. Following the rabies vaccination the pet must wait at least 21 days before travelling to Great Britain. Please note that the date of vaccination is classed as day 0.

Currently, UK domestic legislation does not require approved routes or carriers from ROI
Click to expand...

http://www.rya.org.uk/infoadvice/boatingabroad/Pages/pets.aspx Says pet passport required, and seems to say can bring pet back by boat, last paragraph.
 
Thanks for all that encouragement and advice. Obviously need a definitive answer on the ROI question. In the event we may opt for the West of Scotland. Watch out for the pilot and charts going on sale.

As a child on a farm and in the country we had several dogs that were family pets. But I am not really a dog person, mostly because of their random toilet arrangements and our need to clear up after them.

In this case my son, the owner, is going abroad at short notice and for an extended period - measured in years. The dog needs a home for 3 months whilst they sort out accommodation and so on. That coincides with my sailing plans but I do not like the idea of the dog being parked in a kennels for 3 months.
Not a nice way to treat a dog that I like and with quite so much spirit and character.

The dog in question is a young, some would say immature, spaniel. Amazing character and relatively well behaved if you discount the youthful exuberance and amazing energy. Should be a great companion, but.

I have said no, but I am wavering....... to be continued.
 
I'd be interested in clarification on the Roi situation we cruise from the west coast of Scotland & have visited northern &southern Ireland & the isle of man with the dog & didn't even give a thought to restrictions on pets it seems we may have fallen foul of the rules?
Our dog loves the boat & is happy in any comfy spot she hates wearing a life jacket so rarely does & although she loves swimming she will not jump off the boat even if encouraged to join the kids for a swim.She has fallen in the odd time in marinas stepping aboard but never at sea,on a mooring or at anchor & always goes ashore for toilets but we never do long passages.
I guess if the op plans his summer cruising around the west of Scotland he could do shorter passages to accommodate the dog & find that he enjoys the benefits of the dogs company more than the downsides of having the dog aboard.
 
The way to train a dog on a boat is the same as a puppy. Make a note of when it goes to the toilet then when it is time take the dog to the cockpit and a piece of astroturf, if it goes give it a treat. It will soon go on it's own to the astroturf because it knows it will get a treat. I say cockpit because if you are sailing the the foredeck is not safe. Also put netting around the boat.

>My advice is GET A CAT. They CAN swim.

All animals can swim except a Camel.
 
Please remember that if you fall in love with your new dog or SWMBO does like so many others and uses it as a child substitute then not everyone will share the love. Barking , snarling , fouling dogs are a nightmare in some marinas.
In Whiby I was alongside a right pair who's babies were called tippy and dippy. The ooo tippy and ooo dippy nearly sent us bonkers.
You could get a new shipmate or like my old boss you could get a dog which is continually sea sick. Unless you can try before you commit I would try really hard to steer clear because you cannot teach an old dog new tricks
 
maby said:
The Irish Republic is the loophole for pet owning sailors. You cannot legally bring your pet back from the continent on a privately owned boat even if it has a pet passport, but we separately have a open border treaty with Eire which, in turn, does not enforce controls on the movement of animals from the rest of Europe on private boats. It's a stupid situation, but under the current rules, you can set sail with your dog from Plymouth to Cherbourg, spend a couple of weeks there, hop up to Dublin, then back to Plymouth and you will not have broken any rules.
Click to expand...

Does the same situation apply to the CI or IOM?
 
birdseye said:
Does the same situation apply to the CI or IOM?
Click to expand...

No

The CI and IOM operate as part of the Uk for pet importation.

There is free movement between the UK mainland and the Ci, no restrictions at all.

It is illegal to land an animal from continental Europe in CI from a private boat, even if you have all your papers in order.

You can bring an animal from France with a microchip, a pet passport and a certificate of worming in last (72 hours, I think) as long as it comes on the ferry either in a car or a pet carrier.

I was surprised to see a jersey boat moored next to us in Carteret last summer with a dog on board, as we had put ours into kennels. Turned out the wife drove round via St Malo with the dog in the car !
 
rivonia said:
A dog will never answer you back. Never hit you, never tell you lies. WILL always love you. Toby loved his life at sea and is in doggy heaven now waiting for us.
Click to expand...

Better tell that to my ex office manager.
His pet dog of may years suddenly mauled his arm for no known reason & as a result he could never play for England again
Or my sister & i when we were kids we used to play with the house alsatian which one day turned on a cyclist & put him in hospital
Or our pet Labrador which used to count & fetch my father's slippers etc etc & then mauled the neighbour & killed a load of chickens at the local farm
Or my carpenter who was bitten at least 12 times on face & arms by a kids " pet" when it got out & jumped him whilst he was kneeling to replacing a neighbours gate
Shall i go on." Oh he's alright he will not hurt you. just wants to play "
 
Daydream believer said:
If you want to know what it is like you could borrow my mother in law for a while ( or longer if i can hide our address)
Be warned she spits & f..rts a bit, Has all the camel traits you would love her, Really gets the hump
Click to expand...


Bit like some of my irregular crew.
Be less paperwork, as long as she is not rabid!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top