do dogs fall off boats often?

[magna 6882]

We have two dogs. A miniature golden retriever and a shepoo. The little golden loves the water but is not interested in jumping off docks or water that she cant tell the depth.The shepoo dosnt care for water at all.
My question is. Do you guys find dogs are sure footed enough to not fall overboard? We obviously grab a railing but dog obviously cant do that.
Thoughts?

 

[Codger2]

Do you guys find dogs are sure footed enough to not fall overboard?

I had 2 dogs that used to cruise with us. 1 black Lab mix & 1 Laso Apsa/ Terrier mix. The lab fell over the side twice & the small dog never left the salon. He was terrified of the whole thing! We bought life preservers for both and they wore them religiously.

 

[wwestman]

The smart ones only fall off once. Kinda like people.

 

[Lepke]

My labs over the years have never fallen off any boat. Anchored, I have a clamp on ramp on the swim platform that allows the dogs to get aboard on their own.

 

[bshillam]

Never fallen over, however on the dock nearly lost one to the current. Luckily a friend was close and pulled the wet puppy back to the dock. Now a life preserver is worn unless in the salon.

 

[Rid]

I'd love to see a picture.
I have too labs and would like to set something up like that.
Chester fell between the commercial dock and the boat when I first got it. Tore my coller bone loose pulling him up (sorry, this was in reply to Lepke)

 

[magna 6882]

We always had goldens but as we aged we found they got to heavy as they aged and needed help so we went with a genetically built golden that weights 30lbs but other then weight is all golden. Also we did get PFDs for them.

 

[tiltrider1]

This is one of those questions were there is always the exception. Most dogs fallen in once and it’s usually at the dock. Some are dumb and fall in day one. Some are brave, sure footed aNd takes some strange event before they fall off the boat sitting at the dock. Dogs are much less likely to fall off once the boat is moving but still it happens on occasion. Some dogs never fall off. So there is your answer.

 

[AusCan]

We have an Australian Kelpie that is very sure footed. She had no problem running along the narrow, unprotected side deck to get to the bow.

We bought her a bigger, thicker PDF a couple years ago. She went to scoot along the side deck but the thicker PDF caught the edge of the wheelhouse and bumped her overboard. Now she goes forward via the centre window.

 

[Comodave]

We have a Lab that is fearless on the boat. He jumps on and off like it is nothing. If the boat is within 5 or 6’ from the dock he will jump without a thought so we have to keep the side gates closed. He runs up to the edge and stops with half his feet hanging over the edge but has not gone in yet. He absolutely loves going up on the bow. We have an enclosure that he has learned how to unsnap so he can go under it to the bow. So we put a large fender in the walkway to keep him on the sundeck. If we hang it with the bottom of the fender forward he will slide under it and get to the bow. So we learned to hang it with the bottom pointing aft and he can’t get under it to go on the bow. Amazing how they learn to do stuff.

 

[psneeld]

As a USCG guy...I can tell you they fall off with regularity that enough owners ask the USCG to look for them. One lady offered a $10,000 reward over 20 years ago. That was up on Delaware Bay..

How many fall off and either are recovered or self rescue? I cant say but my guess is it is more than a rarity.

Years ago, Soundings ran an article discussing the subject...they seemed to have plenty of examples too.

Dogs aboard my boat have even tried to cut the corner of a floating dock, stuffed with weeds and branches, so thick it appeared as dry land.

 

[angus99]

How about cats falling over? Ours seems to have an affinity for water.

 

[psneeld]

Cats too...most cats on the north side FT Pierce City Marina this past winter seem to have wound up in the water at least once.

One old salt has a rug hff hanging over the side so they can climb back on.

 

[Capitaine R]

Our American Pit has only fallen in once getting off the boat and on to the skinny dock at Chincoteague city docks. It was very early in the morning and the docks were wet and slippery. My wife was trying to take Rosie for a walk, so there was no life jacket. Rosie jumped off the boat on to the docks and just slid right off. I was still sleeping when I heard the splashing and my wife calling for me. I ran out and layed down on the dock and with my wife pulling the pooch out by the collar and me at her back legs we managed to get her up and out. After it was over I found myself hoping that the city doesn't have any cameras on their docks since I was still in my underwear and luckily we were the only ones at the docks that morning.

 

[ScottC]

How about cats falling over? Ours seems to have an affinity for water.

During 10 years of boating, our cat hasn't fallen overboard yet! Visiting neighbors' boats without permission is another matter, however ;-)
Have you put your cat's affinity for water to good use, Angus99?

 

[rslifkin]

Growing up, the only times our golden ended up in the water were due to a failed jump on/off the boat at the dock. Our current poodle isn't the most surefooted on the fiberglass decks, so he wears sneakers on the boat. And he's not allowed out onto the side decks or anywhere with a danger of falling unattended.

 

[Moby Nick]

Our 55lb Boxer/Sharpei/+? mix can swim fine, and wades the shallows

when ashore, but is not an habitual swimmer like a Lab. She wears a PFD when anywhere near the water. She once ran down a ramp to a pier lower than shore, skidded on the moss and dew-covered wooden planking when reaching the bottom, and slid right off into the water 18" lower than the pier. The handle on the back of her PFD provided the only realistic way to retrieve her quickly.

Gelcoat does not provide much for a dog's paws to grip, even on molded non-skid.

 

[Moby Nick]

There is no downside to a PFD for the dog

Once we put it on her a few times she now eagerly puts her head through the hole for her neck at the front of the PFD herself and patiently lets me secure the pair of straps.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I can't answer your question with authority because I don't cruise with dogs. But I can offer an anecdote:

A neighbor boat had two little "lap dogs", the owner drank way more than was healthy. I was walking past and one dog was yapping at me fiercely. I heard his claws scratching on the deck then a splash. I was inclined to let him swim for it but decided to do a rescue. I turned around and looked into the water, the dog was sinking! No attempt to swim, just heading for the bottom. I grabed it and called for the owner. End of story.

Point being, I never realized that some dogs sink! Better put your in life jackets.

pete

 

[angus99]

During 10 years of boating, our cat hasn't fallen overboard yet! Visiting neighbors' boats without permission is another matter, however ;-)
Have you put your cat's affinity for water to good use, Angus99?

Ha! I think Chloe just likes to be mesmerized. Not interested in self-improvement.

 

[Ken E.]

When we were anchored, our border collie liked to play with dog toys, tennis balls and frizbees, on the swim step and fell in several times. Undeterred, I think she liked it to cool off in the water.

 

[ScottC]

Many years ago, I rowed into a small algae-choked harbor in my dinghy with my springer spaniel. The dog, apparently thinking we were in the middle of a beautifully manicured lawn, jumped out of the dinghy. I was amused...and, needless to say, the dog was very surprised.

 

[jleonard]

We rescued a lab at Napatree (Watch Hill, RI) several years ago. It fell out of a center console on a very windy choppy cool day. It was so tired out that when we got it into our friend's boat it just collapsed.
I think it was very close to drowning.

We found his owner shortly after that thankfully.

Our Shitzu fell in once, but momma was holding him when it happened. So I had 2 to rescue.

Then there are the ones that walk off the end of the dock at the marina.
I won't go into details.

 

[rgano]

I once babysat a boat neighbor's mostly sheep dog mix for a week or two sleeping and feeding her on her own boat. I was headed out for a rendezvous one day so took her along. She saw people swimming off the Grand Bank's swim platform and decided to join in. We all watched in amazement as time after time she went to the vertical generic three-step stainless steel (no wooden steps) and climbed back aboard ready for the next frisbee toss.

 

[klee wyck]

This one loves the water, birds, and boats. She has bailed out of the kayaks after birds, but never bailed or fallen off the big boats despite mostly adorning the bow peak when underway. ( she just took off like a bullet after an otter moments ago at the beach house- the otter was amused and not the slightest bit challenged by the swimming prowess of a canine)

 

[rsn48]

Two stories. A chap had a dog on his boat, the owner felt the dog was well acclimated to the sea. While out on a bit of a white capped chop, his engine backfired and scared the dog that jumped over board out of fear. The dog was never recovered. Second story, where I used to live a number of homes had private jetties out into the water. A pup loved to go out and sunbath and nap. It fell off the jetty, couldn't get back onto the jetty or land, the pup drowned.

 

[ctjstr]

we've had dogs on boats for 30 years or more. More than once when we were pulling up to a dock and two wanted to get off, if they bumped in to each other, one or both would end up in the drink. One of our blue healers years ago went to jump up onto the dash of the flybridge and overshot, landing in the water. WE were going up to through the locks some time ago and we had a friend's Boston Terrier on board. He decided to jump in and go for a swim. He was a pain to get out of the water. Couple years ago, as PSNEED mentioned, one of ours tried a short cut and stepped onto the mung that sits in a slip. Took two of us to get her up.

so yeah, they fall in and it can be a pain, but they love going and we love having them, so we put up with it. In fact we just invested in a pet ladder. Pricier than I'd want, but if it allows them to climb up by themselves, its good added insurance

https://www.petloader.com/product/pet-loader-h2o/

 

[angus99]

We had a Ridgeback that HATED the water. (The picture is Angus trying to figure out how not to get his feet wet.) When I tried to lift him onto our sundeck from the dock—all 115lbs of him—he struggled and I tore a rotator cuff. I could have thrown him in that day.

 

[Tolly Roger]

We have a Portuguese Water Dog. Twice he's fallen between our boat and our friends boat while anchored and "rafted". He gets too comfortable crossing between the gunnels and slips on the side decks. It's actually scary as he gets disorientated and needs to be encouraged to swim aft to the swim grid so I can grab him.
This of course happens when he's NOT wearing his PFD!
Other than that he's really good on the boat and on the docks and he LOVES dinghy rides!

 

[markpierce]

That should be expected from a "water" dog.