Stubborn Dog won't go Potty on Board

[sartorst]

Felt lower than dirt once when my dog kept whining and I told him to sit and be quite soon after a stream of pee started running from under him as he sat quitly

[JPA Cate]

DianaCat,

I understand you may not need this now, but I have it now, so here it is: <tina@sithappens.us> You could e-mail her.

Other than that, if you and the dog aren't yet in a contest of wills over the issue, the "Nature's Miracle" product does sound as if it might work.

Ann

[roverhi]

Our dog wouldn't go on the boat. Tried astro turf but it didn't work. Went on a mini cruise for a week. Sailed for a couple of days then anchored well offshore. She finally gave in and did the deed on the deck. Never a problem after that including a sail to SoPac. She'd go forward and do it there. Easy to clean up with a scoop, bucket, and salt water.

[ssanzone]

patience!

when he pees, praise and reward then take him to a different part of the boat and pay a lot of attention.

rinse later repeat. he will soon learn that peeing inst a bad thing and the 36 hours will drop.

dont fret. if he is well trained enough to hold it he will learn quickly enough and animals are instinctual. he wont 'hurt' himself trying to hold it but hold it as long as he can.

and whomever previously suggested you leave him in a kennel should be duct taped to the mainsail in 40knt winds.

-s

[F51]

Worked with our 14-year old female mix for about 6mos before we left. Every time we walked her we said "Pee" each time she did her business. Then started taking her forward on the deck to her pad and said "Pee" before we took her ashore. After we cast off the lines, it was 2 days without a trip to shore and suddenly the pad started looking ok to her when we said "Pee." Never had a problem in the next 4 years until she passed away a couple of weeks ago. Sure do miss our "Tasha."

[Celestialsailor]

I might suggest taking the dog to shore to pee on some grass, then rub the astro turf in it and take it back to the boat and see if that works.

[SVNeko]

We had the hardest time getting Lucy to pee and poop on the boat. She didn't know what to make of the astroturf - to us it looks like grass but to them it just smells like plastic. We put some sod over it and put it on the dock. She continued to ignore it. So we captured some of her pee and put that on it. That finally got her to take notice. Then lots of praise when she did it got the reinforcement going, but it wasn't instantaneous. Now she uses it regularly (what a blessing not to have to take her off the boat first thing in the morning) but only occasionally uses it for #2 and sometimes she misses the mat by a bit. But we will take that.

[sheppy]

I always walk my dog first then off for a 5 hour sail .standing in the cockpit my dog stood next to me ,next thing my shoes started feeling warm , Yes he cocked his leg over my legs ,half min later he looked rather sad I gave him a lot of fuss ,with a little treet ,luckily he has used the mast since.

[senormechanico]

Dog won't go? Maybe you need to set a stern hook in the N/S orientation.

Study: Dogs Relieve Themselves In-Line With Earth’s Magnetic Field « CBS DC

[jeanathon]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Dog won't go? Maybe you need to set a stern hook in the N/S orientation.

Study: Dogs Relieve Themselves In-Line With Earth’s Magnetic Field « CBS DC

My dog goes east to west. Does that mean he is a rebel without a poo?

[Ocean Girl]

Here is what helped us.

Designate a spot. Let another dog pee on it or get another dogs scent on it. My hubby finally pee'd on the mat himself, scupper followed suit . Praise lavishly. You can make a phrase to connect him with the act- I tell scupper "go potty" as soon as he hits the grass or pee mat, as soon as he pees I say " good boy, go potty, good boy".

Scupper The Boat Dog | Rain Dog

[Teeto]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

I might suggest taking the dog to shore to pee on some grass, then rub the astro turf in it and take it back to the boat and see if that works.

We have had a fairly lengthy process with our pup to achieve "going" onboard.
First, we created a small yard from 6 one metre panels of light steel mesh - the lightest that will support itself - linked with fencing rings or ties. This folds up flat. Connect into a hexagon with a clip or two. We placed a piece of fake grass that filled the yard. Put this in the shore or on a grassy area where she is usually happy to go. Place a few pieces of sod on the fake grass.
Give command - wait. If nothing after 10 minutes, back to the boat. Try again. They will eventually go on the grass because it will be the better option. Provide a small pole if you have a male. Provide her scent too.
When you have success be ready with a good chunk of roast chicken, lots of fuss and then a game or walk. When you have repeated success reduce the yard size by one panel (now a pentagon shape). Continue until you have only 4 panels, a one metre square piece of grass and success without the sod - just the fake grass.
Then move that square of grass to your boat with the fence if you have room. This all took several weeks.
We found that our pup has a routine she likes now. We take her to the grass on her lead, walk her over from the same side every time, then back around in a circle and she will go on the second pass if she needs to. Throwing a bucket of seawater on the grass has prompted her to go a couple of times. She will now take herself to the grass which has been a huge relief for all concerned.
Be patient, reward heaps and offer no other options but these two. It is worth it. Good luck.

[luvmypooch]

Originally Posted by DianaCat

My husband and I and our dog have been living aboard for 4 months now. We are still having trouble getting our dog to consistently go potty aboard the boat. We have an astro turf pad that has been well seasoned but he still will hold it upwards of 36 hours before we get ashore! Recently we've also created a lawn for him out of sod on the boat but still no luck. We are planning to do the ARC Caribbean 1500 in a few weeks and don't want to put our dog in a position where he'll get sick by not going to the bathroom.

Does anyone have any additional tips on getting a dog to go potty on board?

If people have dogs that resisted going on board:
- do they eventually go? and is it consistent after they figure it out?
- will they make themselves sick or cause illness by not going?

Any advice is appreciated.

We have a maltese that we adopted from a shelter with the same problem. She will not go out in the rain or on wet grass. She began developing UTI's as a result of her stubbornness. We since have started her on pee pads but still she would miss her aim or have an occasional accident on my throw rug! We purchased a Pack N' Piddle online about 3 weeks ago and it's really helped! It's a portable dog potty that the pee pad sits inside. It took her about 2 weeks to figure it out but the best part is, it's collapsible so we can take it on our boat! We've taken it with us to hotels too! If you're training your dog to use pee pads, you may want to consider checking it out on Pack N' Piddle

[ceedee1108]

Hi DianaCat,
We have a large black lab and we had similar problems in the beginning. We use astro turf well seasoned but no luck. He would regularly hold on for 36 hours. We solved the problem simply. I started using it and within a couple of days problem solved.

[youngson]

i have the same problem with my pup, he hates to leave a mess on deck, so he has kind of adapted to crapping off the side of the boat LOL good for me