What dog breed if any???

[thataway41]

Looks like a bunch of dog haters here.... We cruised with a full sized lab, from Calif to the Med and Baltic. No major issues. She was easy to get in and out of the inflatable--just put a hand behind her head, and occasionally an assist with her life jacket harness. We could not go to Malta, Sweden and England.

We then cruised another 4 years with two labs, AK and down thru the Panama Canal to Florida. There was a red tick infection with Weil's disease, so the dogs did not go ashore thru much of Central America. No problem. They swam for exercise. Trained to do their business on Astroturf. Gromets on the corners and dip in the water to clean.

Dogs do not like to do their business in your living space, like a cockpit--train them to a foredeck,

We had safety harnesses which clipped to jacklines for the dogs. They went, even in the face of 40+ foot seas and winds in excess of 70 knots on an Atlantic Crossing. We just found a "calm between big waves".

As we have aged, we have gone to miniature Poodles (about 15" high at shoulder and 15 to 18# weight. They are ideal boat dogs. Adapt easily, do not shed. They are easily trained. Also the poodle is an excellent swimmer (but we still have a safety harness / life jacket.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I'd love to know more about this. Ours has figured out how ladders work to get out of the water from watching us do it, but he can't actually climb without me lifting him. He'll happily put himself on the ladder and wait for help though.

I don't know about teaching it. I had, as a kid, a rat terrier that could climb a round wrung ladder on the hard. Coming down was a controlled crash. It's just in the dog or not.
That dog would follow us to hell.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I'd love to know more about this. Ours has figured out how ladders work to get out of the water from watching us do it, but he can't actually climb without me lifting him. He'll happily put himself on the ladder and wait for help though.

I had a 15 pound mutt that would love to go swimming, pool or lake. The dog was part poodle so I think that why the dog liked swimming so much. The dog would jump in a pool, go swimming to cool off, swim a lap or two and then climb out of the pool at the steps or the ladder. Dog figured it all out by itself.

Later,
Dan

[rippledmind]

HI, people with dogs love dogs... dogs are for life... my two are with me 24 hours a day.
More loyal than some people (!).
They bring so much joy. They provide unconditional love and security, and happiness etc etc..
we just don't go to places we can't take them.
We eat outside in cafes, we ask shops if we can take them. Staff bring them water.

Dog people know exactly what I am saying.
We have boats and caravans because we have dogs...
otherwise I would just fly everywhere and not make passage anywhere.

Dog people work around every possible obstacle, see above - replace "wet lab" with "wet wife" or "wet husband"... it is what it is...

a boat without wet dog hair is just a boat...
m

[swdreams88]

Our swim deck ladder off the stern has 4 steps with teak wood on top of each step. We lifted the angle a bit to provide a better angle, maybe 10 degrees. In the beginning we assisted her front paws to hold onto the top step. This allowed her to rest and get used to swimming up to it. She would push off swimming a circle and back to the ladder and latch on. He rear paws naturally found the lower steps.

One of us up on the swim deck would put our hand behind her head and she would press back allowing stability to climb. This is the same manner by which she would get back in the dinghy without the benefit of a ladder. The dinghy had a sun cover so no worries about claw damage.

In a short amount of time she could climb up herself and be ready for another jump in to fetch her toy.

Bella is about 50 lb and has reasonable leg length.

[thinwater]

If you have a dog, that's the breed. If you don't, seek counseling before getting one to take on a boat cruising.


I've been on too many dog-pooped beaches. And do you really want to sit where someone picked it up? That's why beaches have no-dog rules.


My daughter has a dog and two cats. We've had a variety of pets and currently have a cat. A dog on the boat? Nope.

[JC Reefer]

When I ran yachts I had several seasons with owners who had dogs. We only did US to Bahamas for those seasons and the dog thing was not a big issue with clearing customs. Those days the dog just needed a good bill of health.

Frequent beach/poop trips was a thing but I didn’t mind it.

One dog never went potty onboard. This limited island hopping distances.

All that being said, I have a dog now. 20 lb pup is a good size.

[psaltydogs]

Dogs and boats don't mix. It's not fair to them for more than just the potty situation. Put yourself in the dog's place: Would you put up with not being able to visit the heads until some lunkhead thought to let you? Dogs also cannot grab onto anything when the boat heaves or heels: Imagine having that problem on a boat? Dogs are closely akin to wolves and coyotes, whose vision is adapted for nocturnal life; that means the sunshine, especially reflecting off the water, must be blinding for dogs, and would certainly promote early formation of cataracts. We would certainly not fail to wear sunglasses, but dogs can't. Remember that animals and kids cannot give consent for an activity that is demanding and hazardous. For all these reasons, the only dogs that might be fit a boat say "meow", or "tweet-tweet".

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by psaltydogs

Dogs and boats don't mix. It's not fair to them for more than just the potty situation. Put yourself in the dog's place: Would you put up with not being able to visit the heads until some lunkhead thought to let you? Dogs also cannot grab onto anything when the boat heaves or heels: Imagine having that problem on a boat? Dogs are closely akin to wolves and coyotes, whose vision is adapted for nocturnal life; that means the sunshine, especially reflecting off the water, must be blinding for dogs, and would certainly promote early formation of cataracts. We would certainly not fail to wear sunglasses, but dogs can't. Remember that animals and kids cannot give consent for an activity that is demanding and hazardous. For all these reasons, the only dogs that might be fit a boat say "meow", or "tweet-tweet".

Considering how happy some dogs seem to be on a boat, I can't imagine they all find it that unpleasant. For our dog, when he's on deck, he wears sneakers. That solves the grip and balance problem completely, to the point where he can walk up / down stairs in conditions where I'd be holding on with both hands and struggling not to fall into something and get hurt.

Not all dogs are so inclined, however. One of our dock neighbors has yet to get his dog on the boat. He brought the dog down once to see if he'd like it, but the dog didn't like being on the dock very much. And the dog was quite sure that he would not be getting on the boat under any circumstances.

On the other hand, sitting at home, if we pick up the dog's shoes, he's immediately excited and ready to go (and can't wait to get in the car) because he knows we're going to the boat.

I do know far more people who have dogs on powerboats than sailboats, however.

[ausnp84]

Originally Posted by psaltydogs

Dogs and boats don't mix. It's not fair to them for more than just the potty situation. Put yourself in the dog's place: Would you put up with not being able to visit the heads until some lunkhead thought to let you? Dogs also cannot grab onto anything when the boat heaves or heels: Imagine having that problem on a boat? Dogs are closely akin to wolves and coyotes, whose vision is adapted for nocturnal life; that means the sunshine, especially reflecting off the water, must be blinding for dogs, and would certainly promote early formation of cataracts. We would certainly not fail to wear sunglasses, but dogs can't. Remember that animals and kids cannot give consent for an activity that is demanding and hazardous. For all these reasons, the only dogs that might be fit a boat say "meow", or "tweet-tweet".

1.) Potty training - millions of house bound dogs worldwide wait for their owners to let them outside. It’s no different on a boat, and less so if you’re on a cat and they can use the cockpit at will while tethered.

2.) Boat movement - plenty of dogs go on car trips or in the back of work utes / pick ups, where they’re also subject to changes in motion. Like a human, a dog will find a corner to wedge into when things get bouncy. If anything it’s easier on them due to a lower CoG and four legs.

3.) Sun damage - working dogs globally - be it in the Australian outback or sled dogs in Alaska - work in harsh sun conditions quite happily day in and out.

4.) Plenty of dogs have lived a long and happy life aboard, visiting numerous countries along the way.

N

[LalaSierra]

The benefits of a pet are always much higher to me than the hassle, but not everyone is the same and I think it is a wonderful thing you are asking so you can weight your options yourself. I would also say that if inexperienced with a dog, I would recommend a cat since they truly are much easier (don't have to take him out to poo and they are much more independent which means that you usually don't trip with them as much as with a dog always shadowing you... and cats are still just as lovable and caring, no matter what some may say!).

And the best breed is RESCUED .
In any case, I wish you the best of lucks with your pet if you decided on them.