What dog breed if any???

[captmikem]

I had a Jack Russel Terrier who sailed around the world with me. He was no more hassle than a child would be, less so. He enhanced my days, my night watches, and made friends around the world. He made a wonderful trip even better.
Only Australia, Malta and New Zeeland were unfriendly to him as he had to stay below in a cabin when in port.

M

[Cadence]

Any Breed that has hair not fur. The don't want a dog that sheds onboard a boat.
Get an Akita 130# of shedding. :-)

[AlanR]

[QUOTE=hezi973;3528863]Hello,


Is that a good idea or too much troubles than it worth? That means we have another family member we need to care for and check him/her into new countries etc.

Is it a good idea for full time sailors?
If yes, which dog?

I'd love to hear your opinion and thank you in advance![/QUOTE

Depending on which country you visit, a dog could be a major liability, due to rabies regulations. Check the UK regulations for an example. Think three months in expensive quarantine kennels, before you can get your dog back, reinforced by huge fines if you are caught cheating. Even having the dog on deck when anchored offshore is forbidden.

Where rabies is endemic, there is usually no problem, but check all countries you wish to visit. Even if the dog has a rabies vacination, there will be big problems.

Have you ever tried getting a large dog into a small dinghy, to row it ashore? If it is small enough to manhandle, it will not be a guardian 'angle' (angel) for anybody, just a noise.

And I like dogs.

[sailingharry]

We spent 110 days on our boat this summer cruising from Annapolis to Canada and back. While our Australian Shepherd required two trips ashore every single day, our other pet was fairly low key. The photo shows him rigged for sea. And probably not much issue with customs and immigration.

[NorthCoastJoe]

My livestock guardian dog is small 130 pounds, her brother who died young was 170 pounds. Good luck coming onto the property with her on duty. She is not a water dog, can not climb below deck much less turn around on a most boats. But her bark will get everyone's attention from near and far.

Get a recording of a Great Pyrenees and a loud speaker.

Personality: The Great Pyrenees is a calm, well-mannered, serious dog known for his great devotion to family, including well-behaved children. These dogs are generally trustworthy, affectionate and gentle, but if the need arises, they will not hesitate to try to protect their family and their territory.

[JPA Cate]

Can you imagine dealing with a Great Pyrenees' hair on a 36 ft. monohull?? OMG! Beaut dogs, but very difficult for them on small monos.

Ann

[Dave_S]

I don't know how much trouble visiting countries with a dog is but you might be able to skip the difficult ones..... Not sure ???

But dogs are awesome. If you are worried about security they are very effective, as a deterrent and an audible alarm especially if you get the right breed but bare in mind the more security focussed the less sociable they are when they meet another dog on the beach and that can be a PITA.

Very few will actually attack a person (I'm not sure you want one that will) but they have a lot of bluff and make a lot of noise about it.

[Tom and Maje]

Yes, having a dog on board is a great experience. Anyone who tells you otherwise has never had on onboard. You don't have to take them in to go potty. Ours had a place on the trampoline. She managed just fine, even crossing the Atlantic. People on monohulls use pieces of carpet, etc.. There was a spate of robberies in an anchorage we were in one time and no one came near our boat because she would alert. Alicianna, unfortunately, passed away. She was a Portuguese Water Dog. We now have a Great Dane onboard. If you want more answers, there is a FB group Dogs Who Sail that will happily answer your questions.

Maje

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

I don't know how much trouble visiting countries with a dog is but you might be able to skip the difficult ones..... Not sure ???

But dogs are awesome. If you are worried about security they are very effective, as a deterrent and an audible alarm especially if you get the right breed but bare in mind the more security focussed the less sociable they are when they meet another dog on the beach and that can be a PITA.

Very few will actually attack a person (I'm not sure you want one that will) but they have a lot of bluff and make a lot of noise about it.

It really depends on the area you are cruising. If you are long distance cruising then this advice to skip the difficult ones is pretty tough to implement. There are already so many country limitations on cruising boats out there, that dropping even more entry ports off your list is just impractical.

[Dubbinchris]

Dogs are individuals like people. Just because you get a dog of a particular breed doesn’t mean they will be good on a boat as much as deciding people with a particular eye color will automatically be good on a boat.

[jbrasseul]

A Portuguese Water Dog (aka Cão de agua), great dogs for water, obviously.
They were trained to get back everything falling in the sea. Love swimming.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Water_Dog
https://jbrasseul.wordpress.com/2009.../chien-a-bord/

[Susanjc]

We sailed for three years with our Portuguese water dog, Elmo, in the late 90s. We got him as a companion for our daughter, seven at the time. Elmo added immeasurably to the voyage. We taught him to use an indoor-outdoor mat at the bow. They are a great breed for cruising--smart, good swimmers, also hypoallergenic, non-shedding. We went to the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. At the time, it was a bit of a pain but very doable, requiring permission and health records. He sure made the trip a lot more fun and was a great watch companion. We got him a few months before we left so we'd all have time to get used to each other. I recently had a book published about the voyage and he's in it! http://amzn.to/2ZZaXuR

[ausnp84]

Lordy, it’s clear some of you don’t own dogs and are working purely on hearsay.

30ft catamaran, two dogs (15kg mix, 35kg lab), two of us. I’d say we walk into each other more than step on the dogs, they have a bed area that they go to when the weather gets perky / fireworks outside, and paperwork? Two vet visits this season and that’ll cover us for the whole Med and Tunisia / Turkey / Montenegro.

Going further afield, much of the Carib is dog friendly, the US certainly is, and the UK’s fine as long as you keep your paperwork in order.

Is it all smooth sailing? No - dinghying to shore in the rain sucks when they need a loo break. But then it also sucks when it’s raining and the gas / beer runs out and I need to do exactly the same thing.

This is the second boat for the lab and first for the smaller rescue, and them being aboard has definitely enhanced our cruising, and kept me more active throughout all these lockdowns.

N

[Hardhead]

Boston Terriers would be a good boat dog I think. Small, and they don't have the high exercise needs of a larger dog. Good companions, fair watchdogs.

[dbraymer]

Ran a sailing club. Rented a man a sailboat. He was going to Catalina (for a weekend) with his mother-in-law, his wife and his daughter. And a dog.

He returned before the end of day one.

I congratulated him upon making it that far.

I am sure that everyone on this forum would be delighted to hear how your dream turns out. After all, there was once a guy who volunteered to absorb all the pain of the world...

I am all about learning from other superior men.