Good small boat dog

[jimisbell]

My cat was 4 weeks old when we found her dying of starvation in the ditch, covered with every type of vermin you could imagine. She is now a member of the family and I doubt that she would agree with you that you should never have animals. Without us she would be dead now.

[Nicholson58]

How ‘bout a goat?

[a64pilot]

First cat my wife and and I had we found in the middle of the road making a strange sound, this was just after we got married and before I went into the Army, she was tiny, smaller than your opened hand and she was so young her eyes weren’t opened yet. For whatever reason she had been abandoned.
We started feeding her with an eye dropper with some kind of milk we got from the Vet, then Pablum. Named her trouble, cause she was in trouble when we found her.
She did not act like a cat, always came when she was called and when I would come home she knew the sound of my truck and would come running through the other yards to get to me before I went into the house.

[Bentwings]

Along the way herevsomeone mentioned vermin exterminating pets. My Australian Shepherd is vermin removal machine. However I’d rather not have 60 pounds of explosive dog chasing them on the boat.

Are rodents a problem climbing up the mooring lines?

The Navy has big cones on the mooring lines on their ships so is there something like this for pleasure boats? There really are river rats on the Miss.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

How ‘bout a goat?

Is this the same fella?

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ate-31305.html

[jimisbell]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

How ‘bout a goat?

Dont know if you can urine train them, but the solid waste will roll off the deck into the sea without any help.

[artchie]

Im trying to respond to the first post to people that gave up the dog for cruising plans.very selfish without regard for the animal.Dogs love you unconditionally.
Can you imagine the stress sadness of this dog,typical human betrayal.
They treat animal like is just the toy not living feeling creature.
What a sad story only humans can do that.

[Attikos]

Originally Posted by artchie

Im trying to respond to the first post to people that gave up the dog for cruising plans.very selfish without regard for the animal.Dogs love you unconditionally.
Can you imagine the stress sadness of this dog,typical human betrayal.
They treat animal like is just the toy not living feeling creature.
What a sad story only humans can do that.

I've seen that happen. It's not how dogs think.

Their attitude is, "So, these are my people now? All right!"

They can change pack membership easily. Canines do it all the time in the wild, and domesticated don't have much trouble with it either. I suppose that's why it's not instinctive with us to understand it.

That doesn't mean they'll forget you, or lose their affection for you, only that they're more flexible in that than we two-legged ones. Guard against anthropomorphization. It'll lead you astray every time.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by artchie

Im trying to respond to the first post to people that gave up the dog for cruising plans.very selfish without regard for the animal.Dogs love you unconditionally.
Can you imagine the stress sadness of this dog,typical human betrayal.
They treat animal like is just the toy not living feeling creature.
What a sad story only humans can do that.

We had to give up our 13 year old poodle. She loved to be with us but was uncomfortable on the boat. She stays now with friends whom she has known forever. (Part of her pack). We retrieve her for part of the hurricane season back in the US. She is ecstatic to see us. A puppy would be the best so it can grow accustomed to the life.

[BobHorn]

How about a stiffed one? Doesn't have to be walked or fed.

[jimisbell]

Originally Posted by artchie

Im trying to respond to the first post to people that gave up the dog for cruising plans.very selfish without regard for the animal.Dogs love you unconditionally.
Can you imagine the stress sadness of this dog,typical human betrayal.
They treat animal like is just the toy not living feeling creature.
What a sad story only humans can do that.

OK, I agree with you now. When you said "you" I was interpreting it to mean all humans. If you were just talking about the one person, I agree with you. Some people should not have animal family members, other than gold fish, that they will just abandon on a whim to go sailing.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Bentwings

Along the way herevsomeone mentioned vermin exterminating pets. My Australian Shepherd is vermin removal machine. However I’d rather not have 60 pounds of explosive dog chasing them on the boat.

Are rodents a problem climbing up the mooring lines?

The Navy has big cones on the mooring lines on their ships so is there something like this for pleasure boats? There really are river rats on the Miss.

I had and Aussie probably the smartest dog I have owned. Maybe the short haired Fox Terrier was a match.

[CarlF]

Do consider a Havanese. CaptCorn previously listed some of their good points and I’ll add a few

13-15lbs so can travel by air. Easy to train to go on a pad. Extremely affectionate amd friendly. Smart. Trains easily (in the breed’s native Cuba they were circus dogs). Not a barker. Hair not fur - little shedding. “Sturdy” - no particular health issues with the breed. Doesn’t need much exercise but always ready for adventure.

We have recently gotten a Havanese puppy on several recommendations for a good boat dog. We cruise about 1/3rd time. He’s only 5 months but took to the boat immediately. Loves to sit in the cockpit watching the other boats and generally patrol from bow to stern. Jumping in the dinghy for a trip ashore is grand. We’ve had Golden’s and Brits before cruising and were worried about a small dog being yappy and frenetic. Even as a puppy, Toby is more like a big dog - quite “chill”

[hayesdvm]

Originally Posted by artchie

Im trying to respond to the first post to people that gave up the dog for cruising plans.very selfish without regard for the animal.Dogs love you unconditionally.
Can you imagine the stress sadness of this dog,typical human betrayal.
They treat animal like is just the toy not living feeling creature.
What a sad story only humans can do that.

As a veterinarian, I see people often humanize pets to this degree. Is is sad when families have to find a new home for a beloved pet? Yes, it is. Do the dogs feel betrayal and die of a broken heart? Not if the home is chosen well and time is given for the dog to get to know their new family. We see families have to rehome dogs for a variety of circumstances, and the dogs adapt well if the process is handled correctly.

Now, to answer the OP's question, even though the thread is 5 months old I would suggest considering a Cavachon or another Bichon mix. They do not shed, are about 20 lbs and are very loving and bright. They would bark at strangers, so would be a decent guard dog. Most people walk away from a barking dog...they attract too much attention.

I also love Boston Terriers....short coat, little shedding, and wonderful disposition.

A question for those who cruise long distances.....where do you train your dogs to use the bathroom? Have you tried artificial turf or do you use a box? What works best?

Mark

[fatherchronica]

Our dogs were an 80 lb. English Lab and a 15 lb. Feist Terrier. We used a piece of Astroturf cut to fit the bow and sprinkled, so to speak, with some other dogs smells. But they wouldn't use it until a combination of me having annointed it with my smell ( my Lab, Jimi, always made sure to add to my markings with his own when we were hiking) and we had to put on their leashes and take them on a walk around and around while singing the pee pee poo poo song. Later when it was second nature to them we would still have to go through the walks on leashes while hove to in rough weather. The 20 year old cat adapted easier having a custom all enclosed cat box under the companionway stairs/ ladder.