dogs on board?

[Lydia]

Hey all you dog lovers out there, I am new to this forum and hoping for positive tips on traveling with my best friend. He is 4.5 years old, 57lb aussie/mutt mix. Been sailing with us quite a bit. Wondering about cruising and boat breaking a dog off shore. I have read "Dogs on Board' and other books. Just looking for new ideas. We won't even talk about the scratches in the teak....like a fine patina on silver!LOL.
Thanks,
Lydia

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Lydia

aussie/mutt mix.

Are you Australian? Be careful when you leave as them might not let him back in. Check. And I think New Zealand is even more strict with something like you are not even allowed to tie up. You stand to the customs bouy and then leave.

Just check.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Lydia,
Welcome aboard!! I don't have any answers for you but hope you enjoy this forum just as well.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Lydia]

Thanks Guys, No Mark I'm not Australian, but I have heard about the strick laws regarding animals in foriegn ports. For now I am just worried about having pooped decks, parden the pun.

[Ex-Calif]

Someone posted a wile back a link to a utube video about toilet training a dog on board. Quite cute. Took like 5 days before the little guy would go.

Also a smart idea was a tennis ball on a tether hooked to the collar - no losing the ball.

Many countries will allow the dog to stay on board and avoid quarantine but you should know before you go. Also you really have to decide if keeping the dog on board while you go ashore is gonna be ok with you and the dog.

[Sailabel]

Lydia- we're cruising with a Black Lab, and like you, have checked out several books on 'shore-breaking' the dog. The best we've found is "You can teach your dog to Eliminate on Command" by Dr. M.L. Smith. We picked up a copy on Amazon. So far, so good.

Good luck.

[Lydia]

Thank you for the info, I will look for that book.

[S/V Antares]

lydia, We are currently cruising the Bahamas with our Aussie mix "Lucy" who has yet to go on the deck. This is ok so far as the longest runs are only 24 -36 hours before we get her to shore. The Bahamas is generally dog friendly and you will need some papers filled out before you come over and $30 but overall a good experience.

Great beaches for long runs and lots of cruising dog friends.

Will, Muffin, Lucy the dog

[cooper]

I havnt read anything on the subject but, Cooper will go on command. This came about, because i would have short land breaks (while day sailing) He learnt that if he didnt go then he would have to wait for the next stop. I found that he didnt like being watched and that the best thing was to give the command "go do a poo !" And then ignore him. He will go on board up forwards if the boat is not bouncing around ,but he dosnt like it. I dont like seeing him go cross eyed, and if he hangs on too long it tends to just fall out. Feeding your dog quality dried food and fresh water only keeps them healthy and helps with "consistency' of the poo. He is getting on in years now so I will keep him day sailing only because I dont want him to bust his boiler. PS...as an Ozzie living in the land of OZ...what on earth is an Aussie dog ??

[ssullivan]

"bust his boiler" HA HA HAHA HAHAHA! I don't know if that's a common expression in OZ, but that's one that makes an American laugh to hear it for the first time. Hillarious.

[Sandero]

We cruise with a pair of westies and walk them ashore 2x a day... but when we come in late and they need to go we let them use the foredeck and just clean it up.

They like Newport because when we anchor there they meet all sorts of new boat dogs.

There are tons of them aboard. In fact in Dering Harbor where our summer mooring is there are 3 sailboats with 2 westies on them! hahaha

[Lydia]

How did you train them to go on the foredeck???

[scallywag]

Lydia,

We had a black lab that refused to go on the s/v. The dog would go in the house. You figure! Best of luck training. Do not have any tips.

John

[Sandero]

Lydia,

We didn't train them. They prefer to do their biz on land but when they gotta go they go and they know to not do it close.. so they go to the fore deck. And it's pretty obvious that they went forward.

I don't think they feel terribly bad about going when they can't hold it.

On the other hand the female will often "poop" on demand when I walk her to the command make coco. It's a hoot. The male is a male. He does what he does when he feels like it.

[Duckwheat]

We have a dachsund that is box trained. There are some pads you can buy at Petsmart. Put in a low box. We use in the pantry during the day when we are at work. He used it more when he was young. Now he usually waits until he is outdoors.

DW