SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Bringing the hound along

5K views 36 replies 25 participants last post by  meuritt 
#1 ·
I will soon be searching for a new family dog. Anybody out there with any thoughts on what kind of dog would make a good sailing buddy? We've got a Pearson 303 and sail on the coast of Maine.
 
#2 ·
We just became parents to a Boykin Spaniel. He is great on the boat so far. The adult size will be 30-38lbs, so not so big. We previously had a chesapeake retriever, 80lbs, I think size is a big livability/boatability issue for me. But, almost any dog is more willing than you to go for a boat ride.
 
#9 ·
There are 6 Cavalier King Charles spaniels in my YC that sail and power boat with their people, Out number all other kinds by 2 or 3!





Marty

PS,
Brian, I am NOT going to get a collar with spikes for Mr Winston, you can do that for your bull frog.....er bull dog.....mr winston does not need spikes to be manly!
 
#11 ·
We cruised with our dog (english staffordshire bull terrier, a small pitbull) and he loved the boat. He would jump from the dinghy up on to the sailboat (5ft) and down. At anchor he would jump in the dinghy when he had to go, and he would pee on deck while boating. We have a new bigger boat now and are heading out for a lengthy cruise soon. I'm sure Dexter will be just fine once he figures out he's allowed to **** on the boat deck, and the deck is teak so he can help keep it watered.

Dogs are great for pre-cleaning dishes, no clogged drain pipes.
 
#12 ·
I've had several dogs on my boat. My beloved yellow lab was a natural on the boat. She learned it was perfectly acceptable to pee on the side decks and would go down below when the weather got snotty or when ordered to do so. She was able to jump up on deck from the dink and was always first in to the dink when a trip ashore was promised. Loosing her due to old age was painful. My current dog has half a season under her belt and is learning the ropes. She is a mutt, part black lab and part Flat Coat retriever. Generally Retrievers seem to make good boat dogs. The are generally strong swimmers so if they go over they have a good chance of survival. It helps if they are on the smaller side to drag them back aboard. In general Lots of other breeds make great boat dogs. It really just depends on the individual dog, not so much the breed.
 
#13 · (Edited)
It also has to do with your tolerance for dog fur as a condiment. A boat is a small space and dogs with fur that blow coat like labs can generate a lot of extra hair. Dog lovers don't even notice of course. The food just don't taste right without it.:)
The hair dogs of course don't have that problem but the breed selection is more limited.
Some folks train their dogs to go on a piece of AstroTurf on the foredeck. Then just troll it in the wake of the boat to clean it.

As you can see you have to get a wheel boat if you want your dog to steer for you. Dogs prefer wheel, monkeys prefer tiller, or so I've heard.:)
 
#17 ·
Chester the wonderdog, half English spaniel and half lab. He's 40 pounds. He's a velcro dog. He loves to sail, but absolutely hates to motor, hey I have a YSM8 single so I hate it too :). My boat is a center cockpit with a steep ladder companionway, so navigating dog from below to topsides gets a little tiresome. and yes when things get to popping in the cockpit, he can get in the way (velcro dog ya see).

Still, on a light heel and fair wind, having him up top is a real treat. I think having a dog along changes the way you look at the world. I think, in general, smaller is simpler with dogs and boats. If Chester was 30 or less pounds he'd be no problem at all. But I'dnever trade him in, we are pals for life.
 
#18 ·
If you want to, you can sail with any dog. We spent the summer on Hobie Cats with an Icelandic Sheepdog less than a year old. He was much happier on the slower Getaway, especially after he figured out he could pee on the front trampoline. I knew I wanted him to do his business on a boat eventually so I worked on getting him to pee on command since we got him.

He's less enthusiastic about the Tiger when it really gets moving. It's not really a problem until he tries to climb into my lap while I'm out on the trapeze. He's definitely a velcro dog so only one of us is allowed out on the trapeze at a time now. We tried tethering him but he got the tether wrapped around everything.

He's about 30lbs now which isn't too much to lift and I've seen him jump up & down rocks over 6' tall. It took the whole summer to convince him to like swimming but he's always liked wading or lying in shallow water.

Teaching him "ready about" so he gets out of the way when we're tacking made it so we're not tripping over him at the busy times (he would cross most of the way to the other side, then wait to be told who he could sit with). We're in the process of acquiring a 38' monohull so we'll see how his beach cat experience transfer to larger craft. I think one of the biggest issues is going to be keeping him in the dinghy close to shore now that he likes to swim.
 
#20 ·
We also sail the coast of Maine and have a smaller lab mix. He is about 60lbs. He is a live-aboard dog and loves being out on the water. Especially when we visit islands. We got him through Almost Home pet rescue who brought him to Maine from Arkansas. Here he is on our previous boat enjoying some fast sailing.

 
#21 ·
i love my doberman,and she likes going to the boat,when she was 7 weeks old i took her to liveaboard with me at my marina just so she would become socialized with lots of different people and she has,everyone likes/tolerates her and she them,but there are lots of negitives also, she simply refuses to make a head call on the boat and even short haired dobes shed bunches then theres the safety factor,when out on the water i keep a nylon harness on her in case she fell over board i could use that as something to grab to haul her in but no doubt that wouldn't be easy,during the hottest months i leave her at home,no need both of us suffering,overall i wouldn't advise sailing/cruising with a dog
 
#25 ·
to each his own but most small dogs seem to be too yelpy,high strung and downright vicious also my dog even though very gentle one look at her on my boat and strangers give it a wide berth[go figure] during the night if someone or even a duck walks on my dock,gypsy gives a quiet pff pff but no barking.i posted her pic on my profile.btw i am a big fan of thrown away dogs,loyalty and a willing to please their new caring owner seem to be the norm
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top