Dogs on board in hot weather

[Pianocean]

Hi, my first post on here (so hello all) - We have a recently purchased Sealine S24 currently about to be moored in Benalmadena Puerto, Spain to spend several months aboard and also travelling in our VW T5 Campervan around the Costa Del Sol/Portugal at th same time

Obviously, during the summer months here, it's going to be a little bit hot ;-)

We have a Boxer dog who is more than used to both the boat life and also he's experienced hot weather in our campervan in Spain most of his life so he's adjusted to the temperatures I'd say - my big question I guess is, with the campervan we've got awnings, options to park under trees and get the shade etc - we're just wondering how best to keep him cool if we decide to go for a three day cruise for example if anyone has any tips? We have a tender for his morning ablutions just in case anyone wants to comment - and I don't mean we use it as a dog latrine lol

And I guess moored up in the marina is going to be a bigger problem - their shore power seems to be a fixed daily rate so a small air con unit?

He loves to just jump off and go for a swim so there is that option always, but if anyone's got direct experience of something similar, I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Trident]

Sun shades for all the glass makes a huge difference. We've done reflective foil (like for rockstar cars) on the big saloon windows and the heat drop is very noticeable. Portable air con at dockside works well - not enough to cool a whole boat maybe but certainly to keep one cabin really cool

We also string sun shades on deck (easier with a sailing boat ) and keep all the windows and hatches open for ventilation to keep our cats cool aboard. They're very good at finding the coolest spots though - floors, backs of shaded cupboards etc .

All the obvious like plenty of water down for your pup at all times, change it regularly to keep it cool. If you get really hot weather then icepacks wrapped in towels in his bed will be welcome too - we only had to do that when it hit 40 degrees one year in the med

Hope it all goes well

 

[V1701]

I have a wheelhouse with a large window area & use these blinds from Ikea. Easy install, cut to size, they look ok too. They come with crappy plastic clips to hold them up so I use clothes pegs instead. Cheap as chips, surprisingly effective at blocking out the heat but allow lots of light through.

If you go the window film route there's quite a lot of variation in the amount of heat they let through so do a bit of research...

 

[davethedog]

Search on Amazon etc for a dog coolcoat. it is like a shammy leather jacket for the dog and the evaporation process really helps keep the dog cooler. We have one for Franco here in the Caribbean and find it really helps.

 

[ashtead]

We just bought a useful dog water bottle with a ball bearing in top so you can sort of shape water into his mouth-much simply than carrying a bowl etc as it clips on rucksack ,belt etc and no need to find a bowl when out and about. Coo mat plus cheap sunscreen awnings from Lidl in light material to cover cabin top plus car windscreen reflective covers ,some with advertising in Spain like Hypertreebol etc are free . Ice packs for wine bottles serve dual purpose but nothing like a stern shower or small paddling pool in cockpit for cooling paws and feet .

 

[Portofino]

Our boats got air con + geny so below decks are not an issue .

The dog is tiny 3.2 Kg and always wants to be with us , read same space .
So in the cockpit we use a rubber coated foot mat soaked with water .It’s wet and the dog likes to lay on it .
Also you can place ice cubes on it and indeed in the water bowl .
Additionally a good dunk / swim in the sea periodically helps .
For shade we build a tent thingy under the cockpit table so he’s not directly in the sun .
Or place him in a breezy position like on the rear sunpad under the Bimini.
All theses little things added together works .

Rubberised mat is wetted with ice cubes .^ In a shady spot .

 

[Stavros]

That's not a Dog! i have a Hamster that is bigger!

 

[Bajansailor]

Does your cockpit have an enclosure, perhaps similar to the one in the photo below?



(this is a boat I found for sale with Boatshed).
If you can remove / un-zip the windscreen part, then you will get better air circulation.
If it does not have an enclosure,, then a simple 'bimini' type of awning could perhaps be fitted over the cockpit.
Here is a link to a typical example.
Boat Bimini Tops | Outdoor Cover Warehouse

 

[geem]

If you were feeling generous, you could give your dog a mattress cooler. We have on for our bed. It's brilliant in hot weather. Ours is a US product with a 110v power supply but you don't need that, it's 12v.
It's an evaporative cooler. A water filled pad goes under the top sheet with pipes out to the evaporative cooler. We leave ours in the cockpit. It cools the mattress down to wet bulb temperature so very effective. In 30degC temperature, we have it on minium setting. It uses about 8w of power.
With a human body at 37.5degC a mattress at 29degC feels chilly after a while. Great for an afternoon nap
Mattress Cooler USA