Best adapted pet

Wonderful animals.

Longcours62: Not to hijack the thread here, but can you say something about your boat. From the angle of the avitar, it looks like a Wellington. Nice.

I have a new boat pet. Great pet. I don't have to feed it. It is around all the time. I do have to clean up after it once in a while.
SD

skipperdude said:

I have a new boat pet. Great pet. I don't have to feed it. It is around all the time. I do have to clean up after it once in a while.
SD

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You sure dat's not a Newfie Gall?

We looked at Schipperke's for years... always had German Shepard's and Labs. When the last lab really started to slow we got a Schipperke and have not regretted it a bit... their a natural boat dog... absolute watch dog.. spends all day lurking under the tender when it's on the davits or on the highest location on the boat so she can keep track of the anchorage... and she doubles as a great autopilot.
HOLLYWOOD

I believe in low maintenance (as well as flying pigs).



Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

we have 2 cavalier king charles...very easily adapted to boat life
friendly to all, and 18 pounds max...so easy to take off/on the boat or dinghy
but yes they shed!
can travel in cabin on a flight - which is important to us...

Of course the weight

sissi said:

we have 2 cavalier king charles...very easily adapted to boat life
friendly to all, and 18 pounds max...so easy to take off/on the boat or dinghy
but yes they shed!
can travel in cabin on a flight - which is important to us...

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Is a big problem, our female weight around 136 pounds...
And we don(t take airplane any more .it 's close a lot of doors to us.
We make the design of our transom ...for give the dog a good access to the tender but for example on a life raft with 'claw' of 3 cm long....
Or in case of evacuation by helicopter or alongside a merchand ship it could be a problem (we already prepare a big net for her but)
For lift her from the water it is also not easy.
As a guard a small one could be (a lot ) more noizy like a yorkshire.
And just the sound of a big one on tape in case of intruder
We like our she is calm on day, and at night she became a very different dog
The principal, i think it is an adequation betwen the dog size and the boat size it is good if the dog could run around the boat.
I saw newfouland on 33 feet boat (nauticat 33)with no space at all on the deck it is not a god choice.

Longcours62, What breed is your magnificent dog? She looks big enough to pull a barge, and appears to be walking along a canal towpath. BruceK

She is

BruceK said:

Longcours62, What breed is your magnificent dog? She looks big enough to pull a barge, and appears to be walking along a canal towpath. BruceK

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a "Leonberg" generaly very friendly dog, calm, good swimmer ('hands' like newfouland' but hair less watertight)
She is a standart size for a female 62 kgs and 75 cm on the back , but if you have big boat the male is more impressive is father : 82 kgs and 84 cm and a 'boy friend' 87 cm with head lot bigger.And also frequendly more dark
My wife said : 'it is normal girls are alway more elegant '
Photo of head of the friend and our puppy with is dad
You are right , unfortunatly for familial reason ,since 2010 we stay on canals

healhustler you can find all the details of our boat at:
"Passagemaker" cherchez l'erreur ! - Le blog de long-cours

Desi Dog

Desi is a 40 lb Beagle Bluetick mix. Hes been on board for two years and I still havent been successful training him to go on the boat. I even peed in the scupper and showed it was OK. The next try will be a piece of green outdoor cartpet with a piece of PCV pipe as a target. We like to moor out. The twice daily trips for doggy duty can get old. Desi loves the boat and dinghy rides. He a great dog for the boat and one hansome devil.
Dave

Here's what we've finally convinced ours to use. Had to use the same approach and give it a little "scent" and show that it was OK to "go" there. Still haven't had any of them do #2 on it yet though.

Eagle Eye Potty Patch - Green (17x27") : Target

What I don't hear in all these posts about how to get your dog to do it on board so it doesn't have to be taken ashore two or three times a day is a dog's need for exercise (not to mention the owner's needs for exercise).

This is "Holly", 12years old, looks a full German Shepherd but we think she is crossbred with a kelpie (Australian working farm dog), weighs about 29kg. I`ve had 5 pure Shepherds over the years, one huge male was 55kg.We got her age 4 from a pound,she was 7 when we got back to boating and has not been onboard which I regret, but too late now.She is a loyal companion and has her own bedroom upstairs. The house resembles a large dog kennel. BruceK

More of a cat person....Ginny is going on first cruise this weekend.

The boating world has gone to the dogs. 3 pages of posts - wow, or should I say bow wow.

sunchaser said:

The boating world has gone to the dogs. 3 pages of posts - wow, or should I say bow wow.

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Or maybe, bow wow meow!
One of my Club members took her cat "Rupert"on a one week cruise. People were catching fish for him.The "ship`s cat" is not new, originally there for rodent control. I suspect people have been putting to sea with domestic pets forever.
In Australia, National Parks provide moorings (with mooring line) in pristine areas but forbid pets going ashore for a comfort stop because it upsets native animals, though I doubt much worries 1-2 meter goannas (large fierce lizards) seen in Parks. I`d like a buck for every dog I`ve seen posing as a bow(wow) figurehead on a dinghy, legs crossed,going ashore. BruceK

I have a Schipperke, as well as the two cats. None of them has been aboard, as I haven't had the boat in the water since the year of my dad's dying. My mom is 94, so I don't feel I can be far from her, which kind of limits my sailing time, to say the least! However, I'm in the process of trying to sell my house and current boat to buy my new liveaboard.

Alsatian lab cross, bit of a log to lift on and off at 40 kg. Loves the water and loves fishing but its a bit of a nuisance when she combines the two.
Toilet training involved plucking a weed that she piddled on before and putting it on fake grass on the back deck, it took her a couple of days and me showing how its done but eventually she couldn't hold it any longer. Interestingly as soon as she gets on the pontoon when we get home she lets rip, it's amazing how the pontoon timber along side the boat is different to the wooden deck of the boat.

We have been living aboard for almost 3 years. We have two Yorkies that have been raised aboard. Never have to go ashore for them. We have a potty patch that works great for them.

dwhatty said:

What I don't hear in all these posts is a dog's need for exercise (not to mention the owner's needs for exercise).

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I'm not advocating keeping a large dog cooped up on a 30' boat 24/7 in a marina and never letting it ashore. The issue I believe here is the inconvenience (or impossibility) of taking the dog ashore at its regular times when you are on a trip. Just because I've dropped anchor for the night doesn't mean I want to load up in the dinghy in a downpour and buzz around in no telling what water conditions I may have to cross to find a bit of real land where the dog can do its business, esp. when I'm definitely not going to take them for a constitutional in inclement weather ( but then I live in the sunshine state, if I lived in the PNW things might be different)!

Why do people their pet boating?
You have a boat. You have a dog. You don`t have instant overnight dog care available. Not all dogs tolerate kennels (we had an escape, plus 2 expensive life threatening illnesses in kennels). You want to be able to overnight onboard when you want. So, you take the dog with you. To make it work, you do some training and preparation.
Result? You are never kept off the boat on a prime weekend for want of a dog-sitter. It`s not perfect, few things are,it`s a balance thing,though quite a few dog owners would take the dog along even if they had care options, and a lot of dogs would support that too.
Our dear girl, a 30kg Shepherd/Kelpie,remarkably active nearing 13 years, her health under a real cloud,came to us age 4. We never introduced her to the boat, which came later anyway, and the first one lacked walk around decks which are a plus for a dog. When we lose her,any newcomer will go onboard as a pup, and despite a lifetime of German Shepherds, we may seek a smaller more "portable" breed,eg. a miniature Doberman Pinscher.
But it`s equally likely we`ll spot an orphan big enough to double as a bear,and take that onboard. BruceK

Since I take several ten-to-twenty-day trips from home each year (via trains, planes, ships, ferries, etcetera), have decided having pets would be abusive to them, let alone the problem of carrying pets on public conveyances. So, I've none.

dwhatty said:

What I don't hear in all these posts about how to get your dog to do it on board so it doesn't have to be taken ashore two or three times a day is a dog's need for exercise (not to mention the owner's needs for exercise).

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Morgan has been with us for over 5 years, full time on Hobo. He's gone from Alaska to Trinidad. Other than passages, Morgan gets to shore at least twice per day. I take him to shore in the mornings and Lena (sometimes with me) in the afternoons. Last year we spent 300 plus days at anchor and he (we) never missed a walk. It's great for both of us on what we see, the exersise and who we meet. There are enough other cruisers that have dogs that we trade off when we want to do land travel. He's the best crew member we ever had.

Originally Posted by dwhatty
What I don't hear in all these posts about how to get your dog to do it on board so it doesn't have to be taken ashore two or three times a day is a dog's need for exercise (not to mention the owner's needs for exercise).

Our dogs are trained to go on a potty patch on the stern of the boat. So if we can't reasonably get to shore, they are ok. That doesn't mean that they never get to go ashore. Just like us, they need exercise and if at anchor we get off the boat with the dogs whenever we can. When we decided to liveaboard and cruise we didn't want our destinations/anchorages dictated by the need to go ashore for the dogs. We've watched our friends trying to plan trips based on their dogs needs. We got our dogs as pups so training them on a potty patch was just part of their housebreaking training. I do know of several boaters who have been able to train their adult dogs. Guess it just takes a lot of patience and perseverance .

Cats love water.They just haven't realized it yet. :lol:

Omar the Persian cat, has been aboard for all of his fifteen years and is a true "sea cat." Never gets sick out on the briny and dutifully uses his kitty box.

Greetings,
Rescued a new boat dog three weeks ago. Redbone coonhound. Previous rescue hound (Rufus) went to the big doghouse in the sky-traumatic, to say the least. Rufus would never "go" on board but the new hound (Cruiser) thinks nothing of using the foredeck for his relief. Major bonus IMHO. Quick scoop up and a hose down and that's it. Remarkable dog. Watches me fish and "retrieves" my catch out of the bucket for his own inspection. Not bothered by thunderstorms or loud noises. Drinks beer and eats cigarettes (only once-don't want him picking up bad habits). Melodious bawl. A true southern boy.

Rufus and Cruiser----great names. Congratulations on your new boat dog.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
... Drinks beer and eats cigarettes (only once-don't want him picking up bad habits). Melodious bawl. A true southern boy.

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Sounds like your kind of dog, RT. Pets are great if one can accommodate them. While having none, I enjoy the pets of relatives, friends, and acquaintences whenever I can, as well as my weekly sojourns with the birds at a local wildlife museum.