dog onboard
- Thread starter smirkin
- Start date
those early morning dinghy rides to the beach can be the best part of the day
morning fog nobody else awake in the anchorage very peaceful
sometimes when I'm walking the dog on shore Robyn starts the coffee
oh boy the smell of early morning coffee brewing on the wallas every thing silent maybe just the splash of a seal or a coon foraging on the shore line.
morning fog nobody else awake in the anchorage very peaceful
sometimes when I'm walking the dog on shore Robyn starts the coffee
oh boy the smell of early morning coffee brewing on the wallas every thing silent maybe just the splash of a seal or a coon foraging on the shore line.
onthewater
New member
Hi Smirkin:
We have two furry friends that "cruise" with us. A Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and a Golden Retriever. They each weigh upwards of 75 pounds, and absolutely love the boat.
We have an 8' inflatable that we carry on the cabin top for shore visits. They get so excited when the dink splashes that they can barely contain themselves.
Since they're both avid swimmers, there have been a couple times when they simply "jumped ship", swam ashore, did their thing, ran around a bit, and swam back to the boat. They do require assistance to be lifted back on the swim step, but it is doable.
The "best" way would be for your four pawed friend to take "take care of business" onboard, and simply clean up afterward. Some dogs get the hang of this process much easier than others. There are techniques to encourage this behavior, like carrying a small piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting "pre-scented" with their waste, and left in the cockpit. The idea that they'll smell it, and take the cue to relieve themselves on the carpet. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
In reality, the easiest way to make shoreside visits, though, is to stay in a transient slip. We love to anchor out, you just have to be committed to potty breaks.
Good luck,
Bob
We have two furry friends that "cruise" with us. A Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and a Golden Retriever. They each weigh upwards of 75 pounds, and absolutely love the boat.
We have an 8' inflatable that we carry on the cabin top for shore visits. They get so excited when the dink splashes that they can barely contain themselves.
Since they're both avid swimmers, there have been a couple times when they simply "jumped ship", swam ashore, did their thing, ran around a bit, and swam back to the boat. They do require assistance to be lifted back on the swim step, but it is doable.
The "best" way would be for your four pawed friend to take "take care of business" onboard, and simply clean up afterward. Some dogs get the hang of this process much easier than others. There are techniques to encourage this behavior, like carrying a small piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting "pre-scented" with their waste, and left in the cockpit. The idea that they'll smell it, and take the cue to relieve themselves on the carpet. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
In reality, the easiest way to make shoreside visits, though, is to stay in a transient slip. We love to anchor out, you just have to be committed to potty breaks.
Good luck,
Bob
A well housebroken dog will have difficulty going in the cockpit, since this is "living area". Using one of the "puppy pads" helps. We have cruised with up to 3 medium sized dogs on a C Dory 22, and took them ashore at least 3 times a day. You can put the C Dory Stern to the beach, and with a "Pet step" get both the dog and you ashore without getting anyone's feet wet...but sand does come back aboard. So we have an insecticide sprayer with water in the well to spray off little feet.
We have also taken dogs ashore in Kayaks, in inflatable dinghies as small as 6 1/2 foot LOA....
We have also crossed the Atlantic Ocean with a Lab--and of course she went on a piece of astro turf on the foredeck (62 foot boat)--and had two labs aboard when going from Mexico to Florida--and they were not off the boat for 6 months, because of a disease problem in Mexico. Exercise was swimming around t he boat almost daily, and duty on the deck.
We have also taken dogs ashore in Kayaks, in inflatable dinghies as small as 6 1/2 foot LOA....
We have also crossed the Atlantic Ocean with a Lab--and of course she went on a piece of astro turf on the foredeck (62 foot boat)--and had two labs aboard when going from Mexico to Florida--and they were not off the boat for 6 months, because of a disease problem in Mexico. Exercise was swimming around t he boat almost daily, and duty on the deck.
starcrafttom
Active member
what everyone else said. Our shadow will not pee in the boat at all. I have tried to stay on hook until he does and he just will not.
We use a dinghy and its really easy to train the dog to get in and out by himself. He really loves the shore time and the walks. It also gets us out of the boat more and walking more then if we did not have him along.
Where will you be boating? different locations have different hazards when it comes to shore walks. Some places have snakes, some gators and some have bears. but the biggest threat is other people and their insistence of expressing their ideas of how a dog should be handled , trained and treated. I have worked very hard to have shadow under control off leash. when he is on leash I use the type of collar I like. I have been yelled at , accosted, etc... because I was not doing it "their way" . I was even involved in a attempted scolding for "enslaving" another being(?) . So get used to having multiple people tell you you are doing it wrong, and then ignore them and enjoy your walks.
We use a dinghy and its really easy to train the dog to get in and out by himself. He really loves the shore time and the walks. It also gets us out of the boat more and walking more then if we did not have him along.
Where will you be boating? different locations have different hazards when it comes to shore walks. Some places have snakes, some gators and some have bears. but the biggest threat is other people and their insistence of expressing their ideas of how a dog should be handled , trained and treated. I have worked very hard to have shadow under control off leash. when he is on leash I use the type of collar I like. I have been yelled at , accosted, etc... because I was not doing it "their way" . I was even involved in a attempted scolding for "enslaving" another being(?) . So get used to having multiple people tell you you are doing it wrong, and then ignore them and enjoy your walks.
We have never had the same experience as Tom with people being critical of our dog or handling. We try and let them off the lead when possible. But especially with our "new" miniature poodle, we have to keep her on the leash most of the time (also a lot of traveling in the RV--similar experience--no interference....
Now when I put Admiral Marie on a leash--or she puts me on one...that is a different story.
Now when I put Admiral Marie on a leash--or she puts me on one...that is a different story.
Our 17lb Border Terrier pees on a faux-grass doormat, which we cut to fit in an up-turned Rubbermaid tub lid roughly 26" x 18". When she's done we dump and rinse overboard - neat! We attached the doormat to the tub lid with a couple of zip ties on one end, so it's not likely to get lost when being rinsed. The Rubbermaid lid is tough, and soft enough material that it stays in place pretty well on the cockpit deck, unlike some cheaper harder plastic lids.
She very reluctantly learned to poop on the cockpit deck, and we pick up and toss overboard if we're at sea, or deposit in the head if not. Since she considers the boat "home", she resists pooping on the deck at the beginning of every trip, but eventually gets into the routine.
She very reluctantly learned to poop on the cockpit deck, and we pick up and toss overboard if we're at sea, or deposit in the head if not. Since she considers the boat "home", she resists pooping on the deck at the beginning of every trip, but eventually gets into the routine.
onthewater
New member
Starcrafttom is spot on about different hazards ashore. Our oldest son moved to Jacksonville, FL a little over one year ago. He keeps asking us to come down and visit him, while incorporating a cruise on the St John's River at the same time.
It's a lovely cruising area, but until we we're more confident about keeping the girls out of harm's way (read Alligators) that trip will have to wait. They love to swim and make lots of racket, (in other words) a beacon to the many residents of the flesh eating reptile community.
It's a lovely cruising area, but until we we're more confident about keeping the girls out of harm's way (read Alligators) that trip will have to wait. They love to swim and make lots of racket, (in other words) a beacon to the many residents of the flesh eating reptile community.
We have travelled with a dog or dogs numerous times and raft up on occasion with other boats with dogs. The dogs tend to visit everyone and go wherever there is food. Also we have noticed that while some dogs will not go in the boat they came on, they will go in the neighbors boat, much like when on land and hitting the neighbor's yard. We have one friends dog that when she gets tired looks for a v-berth, any v-berth.
As far as ashore goes, it gets you off the boat and out hiking. I tend to try to avoid areas with high concentration of black bears such as streams in the fall. Sometimes that is not possible. We've had a couple of encounters, but it is mainly bark a little, bears runs off, dog chases a short way, barks again and gives up. Did have one bear tree immediately, but generally the dog knows to be scared.
As far as ashore goes, it gets you off the boat and out hiking. I tend to try to avoid areas with high concentration of black bears such as streams in the fall. Sometimes that is not possible. We've had a couple of encounters, but it is mainly bark a little, bears runs off, dog chases a short way, barks again and gives up. Did have one bear tree immediately, but generally the dog knows to be scared.
Thanks for the great ideas and suggestions. Sounds like this will be up to the dog. I think when the time comes we’ll try the door mat in a lid idea when we can’t get ashore. As far as the other questions and comments, our dog is a runner so unless we are on an island or sand bar she is on the leash. We currently cruise mostly on the ICW out of St Augustine, with an occasional trip on the St Johns River. And are 100% day trippers, for now.
DaveS":1owm9i02 said:I keep waiting for Jim and the Blonde to jump onto this thread and say something like....."Get A Cat"..... :cat .
Now, Dave, I think everyone should have the choice of furry family member (or none) to travel with. We used to have dogs and understand that their potty situations are certainly different from our cats. We are often asked if we have any pets when we check into a marina or RV park, and I always tell them we are traveling with a cat... and she walks on a leash. When we are told, "Well, you have to clean up after them," I usually laugh and say, "The odds are better that YOU will be peeing outside than our cat. She has her own private potty room and it is INSIDE our boat (or RV)." I don't tell them that the cat is less messy than I a... OK, TMI, huh?
Better to plan for the situation and ask questions here from those who have been there. Cruising friends of ours with dogs come to two solutions: hope they will go on a piece of astroturf or plan to dinghy in three or more times a day. Not any better for the furry ones to try to hold it than it would be for us.
I think it was Pat who said, "You just couldn't stand cruising without a litterbox, could you?" when we adopted little Izzy. No, we tried that once after we lost our sweet Molly... don't care to do that again.
Good luck, pooch parents, with the training process. One other bit of advice if you haven't taken a furry one with you on the boat: give 'em time with the boat at rest before you take off on a trip. Sit at the dock for a couple days, over-nighting and just living aboard with the pooch. Start the motor once in a while. Their food and water, a couple toys or blanket to make them feel at home. Everyone onboard has to be good with the cruising idea in order to keep the peace.
Best wishes,
Jim
Herb, Roger's opinion is part of that "or none" contingent; I don't think he's baiting us. When you think about it, it takes extra planning, effort, and expense to bring a pet along. Some of us feel the furry ones are part of the family - they need our care and we appreciate the warmth and companionship... and (within reason), they go where we go. If one doesn't feel that way, or if the animal can't travel well, it just makes for more complications.
When we're home and just day-tripping, we don't always take little Iz along. But, when we're out for months at a time, or even over night, well, she goes where we go. You know that you look forward to those walks with Jake just as much as he does. Part of the social aspect of, not just cruising, but everyday life. You can't imagine cruising without Jake, and Roger can't see why you'd want that... and, you're both right.
In our travels, we've come across people who ask if they can pet Izzy and tell us about the pet they miss and left home in someone else's care... for months. I can't imagine that. Of course, I have a sweet cat curled up by my feet as I'm writing this. :wink:
Tell Jake we'll see him tomorrow.
Best wishes,
Jim
When we're home and just day-tripping, we don't always take little Iz along. But, when we're out for months at a time, or even over night, well, she goes where we go. You know that you look forward to those walks with Jake just as much as he does. Part of the social aspect of, not just cruising, but everyday life. You can't imagine cruising without Jake, and Roger can't see why you'd want that... and, you're both right.
In our travels, we've come across people who ask if they can pet Izzy and tell us about the pet they miss and left home in someone else's care... for months. I can't imagine that. Of course, I have a sweet cat curled up by my feet as I'm writing this. :wink:
Tell Jake we'll see him tomorrow.
Best wishes,
Jim
Actually the reason I have a Golden Retriever is before Jake, there was Champ. Champ came to live with us because I believed that I needed a retriever for duck hunting the streams and lakes in Northeast Texas. The duck hunting urge faded, but the Goldens lasted. Champ was with us for nearly 16 years and as Jake, became part of the family. My grandfather had beagles for hunting. They were not pets, just a tool as his guns. Anyway all pleasant thoughts, however we view our pets.
We take Lucy a 55 pound ten year old english bulldog as she is a constant companion. While there are situations were she can't not go we have a dog sitter come and feed her twice a day. So for us it's cheaper to take her along and she is very well behaved and not much of a barker you would not even know she is with us. Normally if it is hot we would be in a slip connected to shore power with the air conditioning on so she is quite comfortable locked in the cabin laying on the floor while we head out for dinner. We do have to zip up the canvas that blocks the berth area so she does not get to comfortable. On land we use her life preserver which has a canvas handle similar to a suitcase handle. My wife gets on the ground and cradles her arms and I lower lucy down to her. Back up into the boat same thing wife cradles her and I drag Lucy up over the gunnel and into the cockpit. Same procedure at the marina or in the dink. We have one of those green pee mats but Lucy has not used it yet. In March we are off the Florida for a month to live on the boat and we keep a list of kennels along our route just in case we want to do something which would interfere with the dog getting what she needs and our having fun. Normally for us she is a funny part of our entourage and she helps us slow down and smell the flowers in our travels.
D.D.
D.D.