menzies
Guru
where do the dogs go to the bathroom when on the water and do they want to jump overboard? I may need flotation devices for them?
You can train them to go on astro turf with a fifty-fifty chance you will be successful. The dog has been trained not to go in the house, now you are telling her it is ok. Be aware that this training will be just as hard on you as the dog as you will need to leave her until she can no longer wait and has to go on the fake grass - we as humans know how uncomfortable this can be, but dogs handle it differently. Otherwise it is in the dink morning, afternoon and evening!
Re jumping overboard. Our first rescue, German shepherd-yellow lab mix, tried to jump overboard the first few times we took her out. After that she stayed home with the help of good neighbors.
Our next rescue, black lab - pit mix loved the boat and had no issues moving around and staying on board.
We just got our third rescue. So far she had only been on the runabout but no issues. We have started the astro turf training.