Dog Boats

[Jane.Joy]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

what a face.

[Jane.Joy]

Originally Posted by JK n Smitty

Reading this thread gave me the push to finish a post to my blog that I had been working on about sailing and cruising with dogs:

And reading your blog post gave me the push to start a new topic on The Monkey's Fist: Dogs on board. Already did cats on board and caught a little flak for excluding Fido. If anyone else has a blog post to contribute, you can do it right here on this thread - or you can check out The Monkey's Fist topic page: Dogs on Board

[Jane.Joy]

Blogs about dogs. Come ON, people! Share! Please!

[islander20]

Wish I could, still waiting to get my own dog. Any tips for training a pup as a watchdog on passages?

[boatsail]

Originally Posted by islander20

Wish I could, still waiting to get my own dog. Any tips for training a pup as a watchdog on passages?

Everything yo do or do not do is a training lesson....one of you is always the trainer...you or your dog...the good news is that you get to choose...the main rule is that consistency and repititon is the key....dog psychology is pretty basic.

[Vino the Dog]

Freddy, great post on dog training. One word commands and positive reinforcement is always the best technique until a dog learns phrases and sentences. Observing lots of dogs that DO respond to longer sentences often confuses the beginning dog trainer. Many dogs can understand sentences, but that comes with lots of beginning level training. Teaching kids also starts with one word at a time. They learn more complex commands by learning what words are in the first place, THEN you can link them into phrases if your dog (or kid) is smart. Most people simply do not put in the time to train a dog well. Kids usually get 5-6 hours training per day for about 12 years. Takes about 5-6 hours per week for two years to train a dog basic obedience (minimum), more for tricks and dog-job skills except for working dogs who grow up in a working environment and learn from other dogs.

One thing you did not mention about barking aggressive behavior is socialization. Just like kids, dogs do not have built in social skills. They have to learn about mean dogs and people, dangerous situations, and when to behave in a certain way in social situations. Keeping dogs tied up, fenced in, or on a leash increases their territorial protective instinct. Dogs who have no other dog friends tend toward "fear aggression", particularly when on a leash. Dogs need other dogs to play with from puppyhood throughout life - they are pack animals, which means social animals.

As for dogs on watch... I mentioned earlier little Lucy, on a boat I crewed with to Mexico. She barked a warning to us in time to avoid a serious mishap when a fast boat appeared on a collision course at a time all crew was below (I know, don't do that - Lucy taught us that).

Aleutia is new to boating, but has already taken up post onboard and lets me know everything going on around the boat.

[ElGatoGordo]

My dogs see the boat as our property, like the car or house. Ain't nobody coming onboard until I say it's ok. My collie has that sixth sense...she could sail the boat if she has thumbs. She loves helping me with the halyards lol

[Hatteras37]

Hello,

I have a female rottweiller 3 years old and while I am on dock based on barells doing repairs I have problem to get her onboard. Did that one time and almost hurt my back. She must weight aprox 35-40 kilos.

Any ideas how to get her onboard s without danger for her or me ?

Thank you

Bill

[Octopussy]

I would also train your dog to not eat food that's not given to him by YOU.

We trained our oldest with a professional trainer. It was our first dog, Chessies are known to be strong-headed, and I had watched too many episodes of the Dog Whisperer to know that I needed to train him while he was 30 pounds, before I was being towed around the neighborhood on my arse by a 100 lb dog!

Anyway, I mention it because our trainer also taught us to "poison-proof" him. He does not eat anything off of the ground, and only eats food we give him-- or when we give a command telling him that he can eat it.

I think dog are great security "alarms" on a boat, but I am sure if someone knew you had a dog, they might feed him a "clorox cheese ball" to put him down for the count, if they were really interested in getting aboard your vessel.

It happens on land-- hence the reason why our trainer helped us "poison-proof" our dog-- so, I am sure it could happen on a sailboat in a foreign port.


Also, Jane, since we have been through this type of training, I will blog about it. I'll send you a link at MoFi when it's posted. I think it would be of use to others.

Cheers,

S/V Octopussy

[Freddy_Vagner]

Hi Everyone,

Re; Captain Force and "Great face", I thought he was a big mean dog till I saw the other photos on your link, well now I know he is small but is still as MEAN as a constipated grizzly bear!!!! Must be a great character to have onboard.

Re: Vino the dog, thanks for your kind comments and yes dogs like other dogs' company especially if they are going to be left alone even for a short time. My yacht was more like a floating shelter for stray dogs!

One thing I left out and think I should mention is that if you go to a foreign port and see a hungry stray dog, perhaps it is best to feed it in such a way that the dog does not think he has found an owner at last and then suffers when you sail away into the sunset. On the other hand, if the dog "belongs" there and is an accepted part of the local community then sure take him for walks and be friendly because he is already used to people coming and going and when you leave he still has a "home".

I also like to get my dogs used to being grabbed and lifted by the scruff of their neck, etc. Try to make it into a game with a little fun rough and tumble because maybe one day you will need to do this without being bitten by a frightened dog in a DOB situation (DOB = Dog OverBoard). I do this on a gradual basis until the dog let's me pick him up and even throw him a few feet, they usually come straight back for more.

Re Hatteras 37 and heavy Rottweilers, yeah if your yacht is on the hard then that is a long way up!! While I was working on my wooden project boat I had to change the transom due to dry rot, so while that was off the dogs had nice and easy access into the yacht via the gaping "backdoor". However that might be a just a little too drastic for you; so how about building a ramp out of wood and if you nail on some small transverse pieces of wood to make it a non-skid surface he will be able to get up and down even a fairly steep gangplank without risk of injury. My old yacht had a swing keel so we would run her up against the banks of a river and the dogs could jump down without any problem and we had a gangplank as described so they could get back onboard again. But like you say if you are on barrels that has got to be a good firm ramp. Dogs can climb up ladders but are not at all happy about going down them. Maybe you could use the boom and mainsheet to hoist him up and down. Well I think the best advice might be to build a dog kennel under the yacht. Wish I could be more helpful..

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Freddy_Vagner

................I also like to get my dogs used to being grabbed and lifted by the scruff of their neck, etc. Try to make it into a game with a little fun rough and tumble because maybe one day you will need to do this without being bitten by a frightened dog in a DOB situation (DOB = Dog OverBoard).......................

This is an important consideration. Zorro has been overboard a few times,- missing for a couple hours once and picked up by another boat; off the stern and rolling in the prop wash once; leaping off the dock to chase the seagulls before he knew he could not fly and more. Over twelve years aboard he's had a lot of experience with the water! Our strategy is the full harness that allows us to pick up the dog from the back strap,- even with a boat hook!

[Jane.Joy]

Originally Posted by Octopussy

Also, Jane, since we have been through this type of training, I will blog about it. I'll send you a link at MoFi when it's posted. I think it would be of use to others.

S/V Octopussy

yes please thank you!!!!

[Tomm0]

One of our dogs ("Ferret") is a 4kg fox terrier-chihuahua cross... easy to get on board. The Beagle weighs a bit more - after swimming, she comes up with the help of the spinnaker halyard.

Neither of them enjoy their PFDs.

[Freddy_Vagner]

Hello Again,


That crunching grinding noise was not the main bearings seizing up, but my brain trying to work out an answer to how Bill (Hatteras37) could get his heavy dog onboard.
How about making a large box with a closing door to act as a lift and then rig up some way of hoisting HER (yeah sorry for calling her "him') up and down. It could be less intimidating if you include some wire mesh windows and allow her to sleep in it for a few days under the yacht. Then close the door so she can't fall out if she gets panicky the first few times. As soon as she has made the trip up or down give some lavish praise and something really special to eat. I use chocolate but I know I'll get some flak for this...

Or a full harness seems like a much better idea as suggested above by Captforce! (Hey Tomm0, Ferret looks really smart in that PFD!!! Good on yer mate, let's go for a Crown!!!).

Another thing I would like to mention is don't be scared of adopting an adult stray dog. Some people say you should only buy a puppy so it will get used to you and you can train it, etc. Well abandoned dogs seem to be so grateful and eager to please when you adopt them and you can see what sort of dog it is immediately. Friendly/aggressive/likes boats/hates boats/likes water/hates water/likes kids/playful/affectionate/etc. And yes you CAN teach on old dog new tricks.

Anybody else out there who has adopted strays please add your 2 cents...

As I guess most people reading this thread are dog lovers and not just here to complain about our pets barking, I'll write an inspirational (I hope) story about two very special strays and their becoming seasoned seadogs. (Not seasoned in the Chinese/Korean sense of seasoning dogs).

I was planning to adopt a small skinny but kinda cute stray and took a roast chicken carcass with me to the local bus station, but he wasn't there that day so I gave it to a scrawny abandoned Rottweiler. Well the Rottweiler was very pleased of course and ran off to a quiet corner away from the other dogs to relish his prize. Well after he had gobbled it down he came up to me, licked my face and then went back to where all the other dogs were hanging out near a snack bar waiting for scraps! Wow I thought, that dog actually said "thank you"!!!!!! That was pretty amazing!!! So needless to say I took him back with me and he immediately made himself at home on a cockpit cushion. The next day I went back and found the little guy I had been looking for and he also took an instant liking to my yacht. He and the Rottweiler were old friends from the bus station. Neither seemed overly concerned about the peeling varnish or questionable seaworthiness of their Captain's vessel. Well with lots of TLC their fur became full and glossy and they gained weight; such that people would even comment on what nice looking dogs they were. Both were very obedient, needed very little training and were great additions to the crew. The Rottweiler was the sleepiest (laziest) dog I have ever had the pleasure of owning, but the little one always had an ear pricked up and if anybody approached the yacht he would start yapping and wake up the big guy who's deep throaty growl would make anybody stop in their tracks. So we could sleep easily without worrying about whether anybody was sizing us up. The only problem with the Rottweiler was that he liked to sneak below decks and sleep on my berth if given half a chance. Well the skinny dog who we christened "Skinny" was the dog I wrote about in an earlier post which I had found a nice home for but chose to swim after the yacht rather than being marooned ashore.

[Panope]

Hood ornament.