Keeping boat clean with dogs on board

[Sunnyside]

Main thing is not the breed but does the dog love to sail and is easy going. We have 2 retrievers so vacuuming the rugs is a 2-3 times weekly job (3 if guests are coming aboard).

One who loves to sail and can take the waves.

Our sailing-loving dog just started getting arthritis this week in an prior injuried leg and the other who sheds the most counts the seconds until we pull up to port. We love our morning wake up with wagging tails on the mast.

[Inquisitive]

My dog could care less whether we are sailing, in the car, at the beach, on land or sea. He just wants to be by me and a nice comfy place to sleep.

[sabray]

Smear the dogs hair with peanut butter. Dog licks peanut butter easts its own hair. No dog hair on boat. Your welcome. I'm surrounded by brilliance . It's so bright sometimes I'm speechless
It's been a long week forgive me.

[Teeto]

Originally Posted by Seadog54

As a couple actively planning to sell-up and sail, where my wife would appreciate a dog for companionship and the security factor it would bring to her.
I always said I wouldn't have a dog as it would be cruel to take a dog on a boat, when dogs need regular exercise, eat a shed-load of grub and can be noisy and hairy.
Could anyone suggest a breed of dog which appears to have good security image and doesn't shed loads of hair. I would also appreciate candid comments on dealing with toilet arrangements, exercise of dogs or lack of when voyaging afar, and any stories which would help 'sell' the idea to me? Or should I just get a plastic dog and a sound recording of barking?

We are a retired couple of cruisers with the same requirements as you. We have found a female Portuguese Water Dog fits the bill nicely. She is now 7 months old and loves the boat, does not shed, alarm barks at intruders and is a real sweetie. We spent a lot of time training her to "go" on a square of fake grass, which she does, but actually prefers to relieve herself on the trampoline up forward. I think it was a pure instinct reaction when she walked on it the first time.
These dogs are medium sized and bred for boats. They respond very well to positive training methods and are extremely smart. They do like to be with you a lot however so crate training is a great way to deal with any separation anxiety.
They traditionally were fed on fish so that helps with the food issue. Tug games plus raw meaty bones (such as chicken carcass ) to chew provide exercise and keep her amused.
They have a strong work instinct and love a job. We keep her fur short (needs clipping every few months which we do ourselves).
We are very much looking forward to a long sail over next summer/ autumn with her. If you are interested in the breed find a good breeder as the parents must be gene tested for a few genetic faults to make sure they are healthy.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by ardoin

I have small dogs that "don't" shed.... yeh, all dogs shed hair.
My dogs have life vests with handles, so before we get into the dink they get their legs dipped in the water. They don't like it, but it cuts down on the amount of sand and muck they carry onboard. If they still have "MPs" (muddy paws) then they stay on the deck until it dries up and I can wash then down with the deck water pump.
The next thing it to keep their hair cut short and have a powerful vacuum to suck up the fine hair they shed.

There is a dog that comes from Mexico called a Xholsequintle(sp?) pronounced=show lows ee quently,they dont shed hair because they dont have any! They were breed for the upper class in the old days for food,they do however have a natural smell( stink) that is hard to get past...I have also been on boats that had a dog and a bad smell,this sounds crazy but if your house or boat smells like a dog you can stop the smell by squeezing the " glands " on the dogs butt! wear rubber gloves and eye glasses and place your fingers under the dogs spencter(yea right)and push in and up and watch out for the foul smelling nasty stuff that comes out when pressure is applied, if someones place smells of dog this will get rid of it(smell) if done correct..If you cant take doing this yourself I think a vet will squeeze your dogs butt for you for $50.00...

[zeehag]

i knew there was a reason i liked cats better than goggies....

[JPA Cate]

To minimize the sand and dirt tracked aboard, a dishpan of water that first you then the dog walk through before stepping on the deck works wonders, then dump over and refill. Tie it to the stanchions, so it stays aboard. Humans, dogs, then refresh. Keeps the sand off your varnished cabin sole. Well worth the effort. Sponge the sand out of the dinghy bottom.

[The Garbone]

Our Jack Russell is a good boat dog in that he gets around real well. We have a small 12v vac to get the hair up.

For exercise we play catch on the boat until he gets exhausted. I will be in the cockpit and throw/bounce his ball into the vberth. He jumps down to the settee then the sole then up into the vbirth and brings it back. Lots of jumping and a tired dog.