Having a dog on board questions.

[rslifkin]

As much as we love having our dog with us on the boat, he does drive some of our decisions. He won't go on the deck or anything (he's fussy), so if we want to spend a night at anchor, we have to be somewhere with suitable shore access. In some areas, that can be limiting, but in many, it's not a problem with just a little prior planning.

When we first bought our dinghy, we let Xander (the dog) try it out in the garage at home. His reaction can pretty much be summed up as "thanks humans, you got me my own boat!" And honestly, that's not far from the truth. We got it as much for him as for us.

 

[Porgy]

Our dog hated the inflatable dinghy and would cower under the thwart. He would get in it only because it meant play time. Then we got the Fatty Knees and he loves it. Can’t wait to get in and would actually have his paws on the gunnel leading the way. Beached, he jumps in and out of it as he’s running up and down the shoreline. He is definitely pleased we bought him his own boat.

 

[newt]

I have two trained working dogs, although one is old, doesn't do much anymore, and a little decrepit in the back legs. A German Shepherd and a Belgian Malinois. Heck I make boat buying decisions based on Dog entry(well partially). Currently I have a beneteau swift, and the side door matters. The Helmsman I have on order is the Sedan so that the dogs can enter through the side doors. I mean it's not the only reason, but well, it factored in there. haha.

Dogs ARE tough. I rarely have people on my boat. A trained Belgian is not for most people. But I have a mobile security system that's hard to beat. We're loners though, so it works for us. It's certainly not for everyone.

 

[Bmarler]

i don't have dogs, it's just not for me. i can't stand it when they inevitably pass on, it tears me up.
the previous owner of my current boat had a german shepherd. i've been vacuuming up dog hair since i got the boat. it's virtually everywhere. every crack and cranny, the laz hatch drains were full of it, it's all over the engine room, don't see how it gets under the carpet and floor boards but it does. even under the battery box covers.
on the plus side, everything is getting a good cleaning and wipe down, but i don't know if i'll ever get it all.
not trying to discourage from having a pet onboard, just mentioning the extra effort it could take to keep the limber holes clear.

 

[newt]

i don't have dogs, it's just not for me. i can't stand it when they inevitably pass on, it tears me up.
the previous owner of my current boat had a german shepherd. i've been vacuuming up dog hair since i got the boat. it's virtually everywhere. every crack and cranny, the laz hatch drains were full of it, it's all over the engine room, don't see how it gets under the carpet and floor boards but it does. even under the battery box covers.
on the plus side, everything is getting a good cleaning and wipe down, but i don't know if i'll ever get it all.
not trying to discourage from having a pet onboard, just mentioning the extra effort it could take to keep the limber holes clear.

Haha. It's true! I have to be very careful about the fur. I have to clean drains more often, change air filters, etc. My wife calls ours the "German Shedder."

 

[Bmarler]

Haha. It's true! I have to be very careful about the fur. I have to clean drains more often, change air filters, etc. My wife calls ours the "German Shedder."

lol, german shedder is the perfect description!

 

[koliver]

Wow, seems like your anti quadraped?. Not sure I agree about your statement That dog decisions are rarely made rationally....

LOL
Seems I started an anchor style thread.
And our dog is now 14. Most who have met Pan Pan like him.

 

[rsn48]

Moral of the story, don't get a large dog. Why I posted the video of the Nova Scotia Duck Toller, they are around 30 - 35 pounds, the perfect size for dogs and boats. If you start them off as pup, what you present them with is "normal." Present an older dog with boat life and he/she may or may not take to it.

At the marina in Horseshoe Bay where I had my sailboat, there was a section along the dock that was a metal see through grid, my dog did not like that grid because it was a challenge to him at age 5, not as a pup.

 

[rslifkin]

Moral of the story, don't get a large dog.

I dunno. Our large dog is harder to pick up (but manageable, he's only 58 lbs, so fairly light for his size). And he does take up as much space as another person. But he doesn't need to get off the boat all that often (2 - 3 times per day). It probably helps that he's a total couch potato.

 

[AlanT]

Another perspective: We have two rescue goldendoodles that we got as adult dogs and are now both 13 or 14. They do not like the boat, although they will put up with it. They do not shed which is a major plus. They hate to swim (we live on a beach so they get ample opportunity and never do more than paddle). When on the boat we need to take them ashore very early in the morning like 0600-0630. Even if in a marina its often a long walk at that hour to a patch of grass. Then mid day, then before bed time. Now one is blind, so that's an additional worry.

We love them dearly, but they definitely limit our cruising. On our last 2 week trip we boarded them. Worked great but at $1,100 its not solution we will try again in a hurry.

~A

 

[angus99]

The ultimate boat dog.

 

[bowball]

All these comments are sobering. Maybe having a dog on board with me isn’t the best idea. Sigh.

 

[Comodave]

No way I or my wife would leave our Black Lab, Radar, home when we go boating. Sure it is more trouble than not having him aboard but he is a member of our family. And it isn’t really that much trouble, just teach them what you expect and that takes care of it. Their unconditional love is well worth having aboard.

 

[SteveK]

No way I or my wife would leave our Black Lab, Radar, home when we go boating. Sure it is more trouble than not having him aboard but he is a member of our family. And it isn’t really that much trouble, just teach them what you expect and that takes care of it. Their unconditional love is well worth having aboard.

Those that have a well cared for dog which is a member of the family understand.

 

[kthoennes]

Yep, I can understand not wanting to go to the trouble of hosting a dog on your boat, but for us we'd never leave Pearl at home. Yes, she's some trouble, and she was very annoying when she was a little younger and would bark way too often at slip neighbors. But now she's mellowed out. Bought a very good shop vac to keep up with the hair. Nothing like a warm ball of dog curled up behind your knees in the master berth on a cold fall morning.

 

[Comodave]

This is Radar on his favorite place.

 

[Bradenvlp]

OP - my 4 cents(inflation): in our cruising area, a dog on board just means you need to get to shore a few times a day to stretch legs and enjoy the beach. It’s good for everyone. If you are a dog lover you will love having a dog onboard. If your not then having a dog would be ridiculous on board or at home.

 

[bowball]

My concern is much of the shoreline in British Columbia is tough to access…not beaches.
I still am seriously considering one though!

 

[SteveK]

My concern is much of the shoreline in British Columbia is tough to access…not beaches.
I still am seriously considering one though!

Hmm, oddly anywhere you can drop an anchor in less than 60 feet there is a beach. If you plan on anchoring deeper I can see your point, don't get a dog.

 

[Simi 60]

Cats are so much easier
No need to take them ashore, crap in a tray and ours eats rubbish fish, she's on them as they land on the deck so cheap to keep

 

[catalinajack]

Hmm, oddly anywhere you can drop an anchor in less than 60 feet there is a beach. If you plan on anchoring deeper I can see your point, don't get a dog.

Anywhere? Nope. Perhaps where you boat, perhaps in most places, but not everywhere.

 

[ctjstr]

All I can say is, be careful.


https://www.union-bulletin.com/news...cle_013aa4a9-4ad9-5247-be3d-7d2fce0442e3.html

 

[rsn48]

Folks here are talking about a dog being more work on a boat than not having one, they are absolutely right. But having a dog at your land locked home is also more work. You clean up pee, barf and poo. You have to feed them twice a day. You are responsible for their happiness and health, vet bills particularly in their last years mount. You need to take them out twice a day or more. You take them out in all manners of crappy weather, heavy rains and winds, sticky yucky hot humid days. With my dogs there has been grooming and grooming costs, English Springers Spaniels need to be groomed 3 or 4 times a year; the ones that aren't are ugly. Oh, and you have to pick up poo wherever you go.

But life without a dog, I can't image after 50 years of owning them and living with the pain when their finals days are near. I genuinely feel sorry for people without dogs, through all the work their is much joy. When we lost one of our dogs my wife said to me - I don't know if I can do this anymore the pain is too great. I told her the depth of her pain measure the heights of joy our dog offered her.

So will a dog be more work than a boat without one, absolutely, but will there be more love and joy with a boat that has one, absolutely.

 

[catalinajack]

Folks here are talking about a dog being more work on a boat than not having one, they are absolutely right. But having a dog at your land locked home is also more work. You clean up pee, barf and poo. You have to feed them twice a day. You are responsible for their happiness and health, vet bills particularly in their last years mount. You need to take them out twice a day or more. You take them out in all manners of crappy weather, heavy rains and winds, sticky yucky hot humid days. With my dogs there has been grooming and grooming costs, English Springers Spaniels need to be groomed 3 or 4 times a year; the ones that aren't are ugly. Oh, and you have to pick up poo wherever you go.

But life without a dog, I can't image after 50 years of owning them and living with the pain when their finals days are near. I genuinely feel sorry for people without dogs, through all the work their is much joy. When we lost one of our dogs my wife said to me - I don't know if I can do this anymore the pain is too great. I told her the depth of her pain measure the heights of joy our dog offered her.

So will a dog be more work than a boat without one, absolutely, but will there be more love and joy with a boat that has one, absolutely.

Please, don't feel sorry for me for not owning a dog. You have laid out the case, quite completely, for not owning one, land and, especially, water.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

Having a cat on board questions.

Having a kid on board questions.

Having a spouse on board questions.

Working remotely on board questions.

Having a nanny on board questions.

Singlehanding questions.

Using a cane and boating.

Using a wheelchair and boating.

Being unusually tall and boating.

Being unusually heavy and boating.


Either change your life to fit the boat or buy the boat to fit your life. Some things you can change to fit the boat, others not, so...change the boat choice or make modifications accordingly. That said, people who are "dog people" for their whole lives aren't going to go sans dog. So don't purchase a boat with ladders everywhere and with difficult dock and tender access.

 

[ABfish]

My thoughts:

Get a small dog of no more than 25 lbs. Much easier to physically handle.

Use a harness or PFD with a handle on the back. I can tote our goldendoodle like a briefcase or lift her out of the water onto the dock.

Crate train at an early age.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

My thoughts:

Get a small dog of no more than 25 lbs. Much easier to physically handle.

Use a harness or PFD with a handle on the back. I can tote our goldendoodle like a briefcase or lift her out of the water onto the dock.

Crate train at an early age.

Curious what size your goldendoodle turned out to be?

I love golden doodles but the ones I’ve met turned out to grow fairly large.

 

[kthoennes]

Yes, they're trouble, but you'll have no greater friend in life. It'll be a rare human who will be as good a friend as your dog. I wish I could be as devoted a Christian as my dog is devoted to us. Like President Truman said...

 

[ABfish]

Curious what size your goldendoodle turned out to be?

I love golden doodles but the ones I’ve met turned out to grow fairly large.

The breeder said she would be around 23 lbs but it appears she’ll top out around 20. She’s a miniature Australian labradoodle. I misspoke when I said golden.

We chose a mini doodle for her size and lack of shedding.

 

[Bel]

Has anyone tried a treadmill onboard for their dogs to get exercise?
I'm looking at a small, folding one which the dogs (and I) can use when we are away from shore for a few days at a time.

Husband thinks I'm bonkers but I know some trainers recommend the for dogs with excess energy.
We have a Poodle x, elderly Springer Spaniel and a young NZ cattle dog.