puppies on board?? advice please

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freeman

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The wife has a new puppy [ 2 months] and wants to bring it aboard.
I have severe reservations as we cruise the West country and the wind does not alway blow from behind.
Any advice will be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
 
as good an age as any to get them started. on the other hand puppies have some nasty habits that could upset a boat-proud owner.

i trust it won't be as bad as our irish wolfhound whose puddles were lakes, whose heaps were steaming mountains and who chewed a dining table, stool and piano till they were fit only for the bonfire!

i regularly row our current old bitch ashore at the dandy hole for morning and evening 'walks'. fortunately she is short haired so a splash with a bucket of water gets round the problem of mud.
 
Teach him to drive!

henry_036.sized.jpg
 
Glad you asked this one...our beloved 13yr old springer/bearded collie has just been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

Couldn't take her sailing, having discovered the joys too late for her, but we'd like to get a puppy when we have to say goodbye to her, and we'd like a good "sailing dog". Any ideas, forumites?

I hate to think of this whilst our lovely girl is still with us, but it is going to have to be considered some time soon.

Sue
 
well did put somthing similar on live aboard link - so sorry if its a repeat. Have had 3 westies, latest one is the pic that hlb has used "teach them to drive".

I find the earlier you get them boating the better, yes there can be accidents, but have found the puppy training pads (like flat nappies you put on the floor) good for training. All loved boating, just put them in a dog life jacket or a harness so you can pull them out easily, if necessary with a boat hook.

You will need to tie a dog up at first when you are moving, again a harness is good on a rocking boat. They then seem to get used to which areas they are allowed in and those like the side decks they aren't.

Henry in the picture in his life jacket, fell in to the sea off the pontoon mmediately we arrived, all dogs can swim but having a life jacket on buys you some time as small dogs can't get out.

hope this helps
 
Used to have a black labrador that loved the sea. So much so that he kept jumping off the back of the boat! A retriever that sat in the dinghy on the davits if ever there was a row or it got rough. Three perenean mountain dogs that did not go well with boats! Bigger ones can jump on and off themselves, smaller ones seem to need more looking after, though there easier to lift. Hope this helps!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
... all dogs can swim but having a life jacket on buys you some time as small dogs can't get out.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can also get a boathook through the lifting handle to pull them out!

Having had a number of breeds of varying sizes, I have found terriers the most practical on a boat. They enjoy but are indifferent to water which gives you some control over when they get wet (unlike Labs & Springers); they are extremely portable when climbing over rafted boats (act like a shopping bag with the lifejacket handle); "accidents" are of a manageable size.
 
no, wolfie etc predated the boat. only a small well-behaved boxer nowadays. and no, it's not a prout - we have much more space than that!
 
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