Trawler dog pee and poop ?

[Jaysr]

Wife and I have a too well trained Porgie, want to take him with us for short trips where we would be at anchor. Our dog, Anchor, 4 years old, will not do any business on boat. Have 350/390 Mainship. Escorted him to platform but he would not go. Put a green "grass" color indoor/outdoor carpet down and added the sent of his poop. Escorted him around deck, No go. need help, ideas, Knowledge. Jay

 

[mattkab]

We never did get our dog to regularly go on board. I don't think carpet would work though -- dogs are told all the time not to go on carpet.

If we were to try again, I'd go with artificial turf:

Add a grommet or something to a corner, and tie a line to it to rinse it overboard.

 

[MurrayM]

We have the luxury of going ashore, but there's nooks and crannies everywhere here.

 

[DavidM]

At four years old, it won't be easy.


Get some potty pads from your pet store. They don't have the carpet connotation. Then let him/her stew for at least a half day and take him outside on a leash and keep him on the potty pad. Helps if you already have the verbal "go potty' or something similar in place.


If you can ever get him to go on the potty pad at home, then try it on the boat.


Much, much better is to train them from puppyhood.


David

 

[Jaysr]

Murry, we will be spending some time in Bahamas, there are times where good land is not avaliable. Thanks for the reply. Jay

 

[Jaysr]

Thanks David. Jay

 

[Dougcole]

We travel the Bahamas with our dog, an 85 lb, 6 YO lab. She won't go onboard, no matter what, but I haven't had an issue finding a spot for her. Dogs, unlike humans, can hold it a really long time when needed. Many suburban dogs go 10 hours or more when left at home alone while their owners are at work.

It's not ideal to make them wait that long, but it's better than leaving them at the vet.

There are a few anchorages in the Bahamas without some sort of beach/shoreline, but they can be avoided. We look for spots we can get her to shore when we pick an anchorage.

I like taking her ashore most nights, it's good alone time, just me, my dog and the mosquitoes.

 

[MurrayM]

Artificial turf sounds good...I'd suggest giving it a good rub on a prominent telephone pole or fire hydrant that lots of dogs use. My guess is your dog would rather have it smell like himself rather than letting all those other dogs "claim" his territory.

 

[bligh]

buy one of these and put it on your foredeck?
https://www.amazon.com/Hydrant-Gard...8&qid=1468349109&sr=8-2&keywords=fire+hydrant

 

[jleonard]

We could never gets ours (Pirate) to pee or poop on the boat either.
But he was good in that he only needed shore 2 times a day so that never stopped us from cruising which is mostly anchoring (95%).
Since it was the first mate's dog, she got very good at being a dinghy taxi driver.

 

[Comodave]

Get some astro turf and have other dogs go on it first. Generally, dogs want to cover up other dogs smells. I took our lab outside on the astro turf at home before going onto the boat. It took about 5 minutes to get hime to go on the turf. We put a pee pad under the turf to absorb the pee.

 

[caltexflanc]

Our solution was easy, we left the dog at home and then gave the dog to one of the kids when we went cruising and living aboard full time. We loved that little guy but didn't want to be full time crew for him, living and cruising by his agenda rather than ours.

 

[tadhana]

Its very hard to train an older dog. Their instinct is to go outside. WE have known may boat dogs that could never learn to do it ont he deck. Our beagle was a weekend cruiser and always had shore access twice a day. When we moved aboard she was 7. Never could train her, try as we might. So she and I had some lovely walks on the beach to feed the mosquitos. When we lost her we tried going w/o a dog. That lasted about 6 weeks. We got a beagle puppy and she has lived aboard from day one. It only took a week to pad train the puppy. That isn't a solution for those with older dogs, I know. But it does give hope to those who want to get a dog and have it live aboard. We still take her ashore twice a day, but when you are anchored in the marshes of Georgia, some times there is just no option. It is nice that she has the option. She does use her pad every day. Often when we come in from a walk, she goes straight to her pad to pee in her own spot.

 

[bgillroy]

What about if u have 2 cats?

 

[Gabe n Em]

Or dog was about 3 when we moved aboard. A friend of mine and I, ahem, "seasoned" the pad, and then our dog was put on deck during the day. Eventually, nature called, and she used what seemed the most appropriate place. A little praise and she took to it like a duck to water

 

[Lepke]

I've been on or near the water all my life. For balky dogs I bought a piece of sod at the home store. You only need it initially.
One pup was having trouble at anchor, so we took her for a beach walk. Had a bear encounter and solved it for everybody.

 

[Jaysr]

Thanks to all, looks like we all love boats and dogs bet there is some cat lovers too. This has been a great help hearing from you all. Jay

 

[dhays]

Our solution was easy, we left the dog at home and then gave the dog to one of the kids when we went cruising and living aboard full time. We loved that little guy but didn't want to be full time crew for him, living and cruising by his agenda rather than ours.

 

[Jeffrey S]

Every dog can be taught. Actually, it's the owners that need to be taught. We've done it with puppies and with older dogs. We just switched boats. One dog absolutely refused to go in the new area we designated on the new boat. So we backed up, realized the issue, and worked slowly, consistently, and with lots of praise for about a week. Now she happily runs to the new area on the new boat and does her businesses. We're now able to leave doors on the boat open again (you'll understand once you read the technique).

We wrote about the technique 8 years ago. Hundreds of dogs and people have gone through it with fabulous results. The time it doesn't work is when the people give up and stop working the technique.

When we adopted a 9 year old dog, she wouldn't consider going on the boat. It took running through the technique over a couple of weeks. Yes, weeks (that doesn't mean making them hold it - never do that but they can be uncomfortable for a day at a time). Finally, she did it. She died in our pilothouse at 15 loving every minute of the cruising she did over the 6 years (and pee'ing and poop'ing on the boat every day).

Even today at a dock, before the dogs go for a walk off the boat, they go to their spot on the boat to do their businesses. We'll often take them for a walk right after and they surely prefer to go off the boat but they'd rather be comfortable too. It's all about knowing where it's OK to go.

I can't imagine a situation where I'd have to lower a dinghy in bad weather to take a dog to shore. Or how about overnight passages? Or Superstorm Sandy where the dogs didn't get off the boat for 4 days?

Every dog can be taught to do it. You just can't give up. Again, it's not the dog's fault when the owners throw up their hands. It's the people's fault it doesn't work.

The technique:
https://activecaptain.com/articles/dogs/canineCrew.php

 

[AusCan]

Every dog can be taught. Actually, it's the owners that need to be taught.

Exactly.
Any dog will eventually do their business on the boat.

Although, my friend's shepherd swims to shore when they are anchored. The dog even climbs the swim ladder when he returns. But he will go on the catamaran's trampoline during long cruises.

 

[markpierce]

I like dogs and cats, but can't put up with the p&p, and they're an especially difficult burden to travel with.

 

[Jeffrey S]

...and they're an especially difficult burden to travel with.

I guess I just love the burden things like my dogs, wife, dinghy, bilge pumps, and other cruisers put into my life. It seems much more sad to me to avoid the small hassles to live a sterile life without complication.

 

[markpierce]

I guess I just love the burden things like my dogs, wife, dinghy, bilge pumps, and other cruisers put into my life. It seems much more sad to me to avoid the small hassles to live a sterile life without complication.

Still, I'm able to enjoy the company of other boaters' pets when the opportunities arise.

 

[psneeld]

Another feel good, maybe will work, didn't for me no matter whose system I tried, I love but don't need another dog...can't live without them thread.

For those having issues with pets aboard, there are great suggestions and techniques here that if you have a dog aboard you might try.

But for reasons some understand and some dont, there are people who elect to not have kids, let alone pets.

No one can try or walk in another's shoes for some decisions...it is only a personal decision that probably has been thought through greater than by someone that says "oh, but of course you can"...."or its better with"..."or its better without".....

 

[kelbylinn]

I guess we were lucky but our 3x5 artificial grass yard on the bow was an instant hit with our lab and dachshund. Both are yard trained at home (maybe not so much on the little one) so not sure why the easy transfer. Dogs will eventually have to go and it may take a day or two to get some good results. Be consistent with the yard placement - that seems like a must do.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
"What about if u have 2 cats?" Stir fry with ginger and lemon grass....

 

[Dougcole]

Every dog can be taught. Actually, it's the owners that need to be taught. We've done it with puppies and with older dogs. We just switched boats. One dog absolutely refused to go in the new area we designated on the new boat. So we backed up, realized the issue, and worked slowly, consistently, and with lots of praise for about a week. Now she happily runs to the new area on the new boat and does her businesses. We're now able to leave doors on the boat open again (you'll understand once you read the technique).

We wrote about the technique 8 years ago. Hundreds of dogs and people have gone through it with fabulous results. The time it doesn't work is when the people give up and stop working the technique.

When we adopted a 9 year old dog, she wouldn't consider going on the boat. It took running through the technique over a couple of weeks. Yes, weeks (that doesn't mean making them hold it - never do that but they can be uncomfortable for a day at a time). Finally, she did it. She died in our pilothouse at 15 loving every minute of the cruising she did over the 6 years (and pee'ing and poop'ing on the boat every day).

Even today at a dock, before the dogs go for a walk off the boat, they go to their spot on the boat to do their businesses. We'll often take them for a walk right after and they surely prefer to go off the boat but they'd rather be comfortable too. It's all about knowing where it's OK to go.

I can't imagine a situation where I'd have to lower a dinghy in bad weather to take a dog to shore. Or how about overnight passages? Or Superstorm Sandy where the dogs didn't get off the boat for 4 days?

Every dog can be taught to do it. You just can't give up. Again, it's not the dog's fault when the owners throw up their hands. It's the people's fault it doesn't work.

The technique:
https://activecaptain.com/articles/dogs/canineCrew.php

Jeff, you have big, shedding dogs like our lab. My question isn't so much about dealing with the poop and pee, but dealing with the dog hair.

Our lab is mixed with a little something else (pit bull, we think) and has much shorter fur than most pure breds. Still though, on a cruise it is a constant battle. Hair gets everywhere, clogs scuppers, covers the decks, sticks to the overheads, heck it even gets on the outside of the hull. We love her and won't stop bringing her, but man....

I give the boat a constant wash down, salt water at anchor, fresh at the dock, at least twice a day. And we vacuum pretty much every day but it still builds up. Much worse than when we are at home.

Any tips?

 

[Jeffrey S]

Live life and enjoy the things around you. My wife leaves a lot of crap around the boat too. It's really not a big deal seeing some dog hair. It's called FURniture for a reason.

 

[hmason]

FWIW, our dear departed Norma Jean (Toy Poodle) became a live aboard at 13 years old. She learned to use a pee pad in about 2-days. She enjoyed cruising for 3 more years until she crossed the rainbow bridge.

We now have another Toy Poodle and a Chihuahua. Both are trained to do their business on board. I think they laugh when they see other dogs being brought ashore in a dinghy during miserable weather.

 

[Aft Deck Capt]

We've had good results (using the scent) with the artificial grass unit that is suspended over a shallow reservoir. We place it by the port stern scupper for easy rinsing. Their food and water dishes are intentionally placed on the bow as far away from the pad as possible.

In our case the 10 year old Shepard mix took right to it the first time out while the 2 year old Terrier mix required a handful of outings before she decided to use the pad instead of the deck. Both are very reluctant to "loaf" on board and have only done a couple of times, as we normally put ashore at least once a day.