Dogs on boats - need some re-assurance

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Tarka1

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Eventually given in to pressure from the kids and am going to have a look at a cocker spaniel pup tomorrow (must admit I didn't take too much persuading...)
Any advice on taking pups on the boat and toilet training etc would be welcome. Hoping that taking him on board from the beginning will make it easier for him (and us) to get used to things!
Can't be any harder than taking the kids sailing - can it???
 
I would recommend a doggy lifejacket with a big handle on the back as without one it is very difficult to lift the dog from the dinghy on to the boat when on a swinging mooring. Our Jack Russell has been on the boat a few times and adapted very well. I don't think dogs are welcome at all marinas so worth checking.
 
Chrissie on these forums takes her cocker spaniel sailing. She's always armed with small plastic bags for those shore side walks. She's been known to clean up after other owners dogs in case her dog gets blamed. Unfortunately some owners aren't very responsible in the marina. The sailing trips tend to be planned around the dog.
 
Hi,

Most dogs seem to enjoy the experience and I hope that yours does.

We know an owner locally though whose dog suffers seasickness just like some humans. They recently retired from a regatta where the lady of the family was nursing the sick dog down below until she also got sick. It wasn't a pleasant outcome allround and has caused some re-thinking in their camp.

Maybe going on as a puppy may help, I don't know!?

Good luck, Rob
 
always taken our dogs sailing weekends and holidays.
some observations:-
1 the size of dog is critical getting the dog off into tender/harbours/pontoons -anything bigger than a terrier or spaniel is starting to get unmanagable/dangerous
2 Remember that if rafted up you need to carry dog across other peoples boats
3 Although it is possible to train a dog to pee on say the foredeck (assuming you are happy to wash off - not acceptable to everyone) not all will do this and you have to think in terms of getting ashore twice a day with the dog. this can be hard work and at times dangerous on a windy anchorage say at night.
4 None of our dogs have ever been sick
5 Many beaches are dog free - we have had problems trying to land on dog free beaches
6 your boat will get very dirty, dog hairs etc
7 the rest of the family who want the dog on board are not the ones to row ashore on a dark stormy night
8 much as I have loved all our dogs there have been many times I wished we had not got them abord
9 harbour ladders can be difficult with a dog - as an ex climber I have good capability in this but many people cannot carry a 12kg dog (small dog) up a 20ft ladder and although you can use pulley systems these are an additional problem
10 we have not normally had problems with dogs jumping off the boat but all 3 dogs at times have jumped off for a variety of reasons, fortunately fielded dogs without any loss

not wanting to put you off but it will constrain your sailing - where you go, where you moor, length of trip etc

Hope this is helpful if you get a dog get a lifejacket!
 
Agree with all above comments, a big dog is a tie & you do need too get them to shore, not just to pee but also to give them some exercise.......

A Dog life jacket is an absolute must, especially in a Marina there is no where for a dog to get out of the water, Ben went in at Mountbatten Marina & had to swim over to the beach to get out, try lifting a wet 30 Kg dog out of the water.
Ben%20in%20cockpit.JPG
 
I took our pair, a Manchester terrier and a yorkie down to Portugugal last year. I can thoroughly recommend the pets passport scheme. We found a Vet in Sees france on the way back to do the jabs that you need to return to England and to whom I will return this on this years trip because the fees for booster vaccinations were less than half price compared with England.

The terrier gromit is getting on for 16 yrs now so its essential to have a lifejacket with a carrying handle.

Grot even jumped of the boat, and took herself off for a walk (she's getting senile) and sat quietly by the pontoon entrance waiting to be let back in.

At anchor simply pass them into the dinghy and take for a walk on the beach.

Also in this day of piracy don't forget the deterrent value of having a couple of rabid baskervilles aboard!
 
Excellent resume, I fully agree with.
We had two successive dogs, wich came sailing.
It's an awfull constraint, so much so that I refused even to consider replacing the second one.
Add to the above, that certain countries refuse the access to the dogs (e.g.: Gib, channel Islands at least at the time I still had the dog. Don't know the present situation).
What then?

Never again.

Paul
 
We have sailed with two Yorkies for years, even replacing one of them in that time.

It is no more difficult than any other inclusive family activity. If you take the dog on holiday, days out, in the car etc., the boat will be no different. Usual conditions of food, water, attention and toilet breaks (although ours will now pee on deck at a push which reduces trips ashore).

I have no doubt ours actually enjoy it and all dogs enjoy being with their owners rather than being home alone. I would say dogs on board are easier than kids and they are certainly more willing to just laze around in the cockpit with the adults, nor do they ever say "I'm bored" or "Are we there yet?". /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I,ve had dogs on board for years, great company, don,t get too worried they soon learn THE RULES after the first ducking.

But it is important to watch, in order to rescue when that inevitably happens!!!

The present one with me for 5yrs, she adopted me in Portugal, when very young, soon got the message nothing on pontoons, but the longest she has done aboard is 36hrs.

A Spanial owner friend, swears by a bit of seaweed in the cockpit to coax his pups (he has had dogs on boats for many years), is the TRICK!
Never tried it, but if J King reccomends it, 'WE' would bet it works!!! Bill and Skye
 
Hello L, nice to see you on here, if I can offer you any help with regards keeping a dog on board give us a shout (literally).

My biggest advice is not to lift the dog on the jacket strap except in emergency, they put the weight in the wrong places. But a proper harness, the types for strapping the dog into a car are good, for they have a wide band right down the dogs chest. Especially in our area where lifting the dog up and down walls you need to keep him comfortable. Also good if you wish to tie the dog to the boat, tying to the collar has resulted in dogs hanging themselves.

My other advice, get a bitch, they squat rather than cock, so easier to train to use a particular area of the deck, or astro turf. Luckily my dog squats, but I kept him from birth and his mum trained him, so he goes like a big girl!

As for dirt and mud on board, especially if you dry out, we always keep a bucket of water on deck so he gets a wash before being allowed back in, if he has been on the beach.
 
No Portugugal is next to Spapain and I think you mean Micrososoft anyway. Didn't your Mothother teach you ananything?
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
We sail with a Cairn and a Westie, they are the right size and don't shed hair. It is great having them aboard but not so good rowing ashore on a dark stormy night! They have sailed since they were a few weeks old but, will not "Go" on board!
 
Our westie comes along too and quite happily stays in the cockpit. The only advice I can add is make sure they're in a safe place when the boat's heeled as claws don't grip well on GRP as she's made the fast trip from one side to the other a few times !! Also recommend marina's for mooring as rowing ashore just before you retire for the night is a right PITA.
HTH
Chris
 
Our two Retrievers come everywhere with us, the trick to sucessfully introduce them to sailing is to get them on board as puppies and establish routines - house training is the same as boat training when and where the 2 p's can be done needs to be learnt whilst they are still pups and perserverance will in the end pay off.
Lifejackets are a must on board and we also have harnessess fitted to them both for recovery off pontoons etc. 40kilos dry dog is very much heavier when wet!
Non spill water bowl is a must as is constant supply of nappy bags; dependant on breed a hand held vacuum cleaner / dustbuster for managing moulting seasons is helpful also.
An absolute must for any dog, sailing or otherwise is a responsible owner ! Regretably the 'bad press' generated from the minority of irresponsible dog owners sadly reflects on the majority who do take care and pride in their dogs welfare, environment and manage impact on others.
My two muts love sailing they park themselves in the cockpit and watch the world go by, they get very excited at the end of passage when they recognise places where they have been before and like the walks.!
Best of all they don't answer back, get stroppy or get sea sick.

Hope the folks here have given you reassurance... best of luck.
 
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