Dog Friendly Boating

[l008com]

The season is almost here and we want to bring my gf's dog on out boat with us this season. He's kind of a big dog and is kind of high anxiety. Meanwhile my boat has no carpeted surfaces, and no dog-friendly seats. Also its very small with a big motor so there's a lot of G forces.

So what I'm thinking is I need some kind of gripping water resistant mat I can put down on the bow step, somewhere he can hang out and have a sure footing, and not go flying when i hit the gas, or get off the gas.

 

[Ned L]

Treat the dog just as if it were your girlfriend that is real tentative around boats. (Real easy on the throttle and maneuvering.) you will have a much better time of things.
You might try some inexpensive rubber shower mats for him to stand on.

 

[redneck joe]

If the dog is high anxiety to start with i would leave the dog home. If not, what Ned replied.

 

[meder24]

I let my dog sniff around and get familiar with my boat on land before I ever took him out on the water. While a bit anxious at first, he is now able to get comfortable as he has his place on the boat he feels safe.
Ultimately though, if the dog is not comfortable with it, don't put it through the stress of going on the boat. A person would not want to be subjected to something they do not want to do, neither should a dog.

 

[drrpm]

Does the dog like water? A big anxious dog on a small boat could make for an unpleasant trip. I took my small dogs out once and they hid under the console most of the trip. Since then we just leave them at home.

 

[shrew]

There is not much fun about a dog on a boat. There is rarely sufficient space. Depending on the setup, boarding can be an issue. Allowing the dog(s) to relieve themselves becomes chore. And of course......wet dog on the boat. I love dogs and I love boating, however they are mutually exclusive IMHO.

 

[oldjeep]

Need to leash the dog for starters if it is not used to being on a boat. Dogs don't think anything of jumping out of the boat in a no wake zone Worst part is coming up with a bathroom plan and supplies in case it fails, as some dogs see the boat as being "outside"

 

[bruceb58]

Life jacket for the dog!
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/05/0...ter-spending-several-hours-adrift-at-sea.html

 

[oldjeep]

Life jacket for the dog!
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/05/0...ter-spending-several-hours-adrift-at-sea.html

We have one of those for our Beagle, but she typically only wears it when we are moored or she is riding on the paddleboard. She gets pretty warm in just her fur and the jacket makes her too hot unless she gets to dip in the water.

 

[bruceb58]

My 2 jacks

 

[further]

I've got a 100lb ridgeback that is a bit apprehensive at first; doesn't like getting in the boat from the dock.... Once she's in, its all good. She definitely does much better with the snap in carpet for some grip; otherwise she just finds a spot and hangs out while we cruise but she's one of those dogs that is pretty much happy as long as she's with us.

 

[Ned L]

Some dogs love boats, some don't, .... Just like people.
Years ago we had a golden retriever that loved boats. The boat was at a pier with a ladder and you had to climb down to get to the boat. I would leave the dog on the pier, take the boat out of the slip and run to a float at the end of the pier. The dog would follow the boat the whole way and when I had back in transom to the float she would jump aboard on command. When we returned we would reverse everything. she would jump off at the float and wait for me at the slip.

 

[milehighjc]

Our pup LOVES the boat. She gets excited every time I park the boat in the driveway to prep it, and cant wait to jump in the truck to go to the lake. She leads us out of South Bay no wake zone EVERY time:



We have a life jacket for her, but she has become very confident swimming now, so she only wears it if we are out on a paddle board, or somewhere she could not swim to shore easily.



We keep a leash on her whenever we are under way. Usually, she just parks herself near one of her people until we get to a cove. Once there, she loves to run the beach, and chase sticks or frisbees into the water. A few of things we DO do...

• Always bring lots of fresh clean water and a bowl for her. The sun definitely cooks her as much as it does us.
• Bring food/treats for her
• Bring bags to clean up the messes... and plan to get her on shore with some frequency so that there is not a mess in the boat (that only had to happen ONCE).
• Keep her shaded when we can... white dogs can get sunburned
• Keep her claws trimmed. So far we have no holes/marks in the seats. We also keep a very large towel on the sunpad (where she hangs out much of the time)
• Keep extra towels to dry her off with. As soon as she comes in the boat from the water, we drape her in towels, otherwise she will shake water everywhere, including the electronics.

We really enjoy having her out with us. Our older black lab does not like the boat, but this one LOVES it.

 

[thumpar]

I have 2 dogs. One loves to go on the boat and the other one tweeks out so she doesn't go anymore. I do take the one out with a life jacket and she loves it. A thing to remember is to keep them cool in the summer sun. Bring water and food.

 

[roffey]

I have a big dog who does not like the water. My thoughts are why bring the dog to anxiety or me and the dog. If he were to rip the seats I would be a little miffed, to say the least. When I was a kid I had a wooden boat and a dog who went every where with me. He would lean into the corners and knew to lean back or forward depending oh where the throttle was. Two completely different dogs.

Having said all that you never know how your girlfriend's dog is going to behave. Snap in carpets are always nice and easy to clean doggy presents off of, LOL.

 

[redneck joe]

This a really good thread. Dogs, like people, are very different. To the OP read all the posts, be very , very, very mindfull that the first few trips are about the dog getting aclimated not you having your regular fun and speed, and it may work out. Good luck.