Dog on the boat.

[Daytomann]

This has been a strict no-no for our boat for the past 10 years. Things have changed....we now have a 4 year old and a new puppy that the 4 year old loves. Obviously this dog is going to be in our life for the long haul. Obviously we spend a lot of time on the boat as a family, which the dog is now part of, and more so as our daughter gets older and now we've got to figure out how to accommodate the dog as well.
Its a Boston Terrier, so shes not going to be a huge dog. I should be able to get her trained to be a pretty obedient dog, its my current goal in life. LOL I cant stand un-obedient dogs.

So....(shutters) who lets their dog on the boat and what kind of tips can you give me from your experiences?

Thanks!


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[axeman]

I've got a 3-4 lb Chihuahua/Maltese mix that always comes out with us on the lake. She is a pretty good dog so we never have any accidents if that's what you are worried about. I would just keep your dogs nails trimmed to ensure they don't get caught in anything.

[Daytomann]

I'm thinking about making her a place of her own to sit most of the time. Definitely keeping the nails trimmed. Goodness, as anal as I am with my boat, this could turn into a major stress inducer. LOL


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[SkiTower]

my 70lb lab goes with us every time as a family. I don't take her when we have non-family on board because that gets very crowded and complicated. She sheds, but really I vacuum once a season. Not a problem and like you said, that's family time.


2007 SV211 SE

[UofM21]

If we are doing overnight trips we take our dogs with us. We have a chocolate lab and a golden retriever. Both are impeccably well trained and do awesome. You hardly even notice them except for when they dive in the water when we anchor out.

[Double D]

I take my dog whenever I can and it makes sense. It requires patience and finding a place on shore every so often that they can take a potty break. Talk about shedding, we have a Siberian Husky and at certain times of the year she is a shedding machine. While underway she loves to stand facing backwards in the pass through to the open bow. The wind just blows hair everywhere but I think it keeps her cool.

Advice: have a good sweeper.







Funny story yesterday: the water is high at our lake so I went to our normal dog running spot, which is a small island, to let her go. 90% of the surface of the island is underwater but I started to swim her over to let her pee. We get 10' from shore and I see about a 24" long snake coiled up on a floating log about 8' away. Needless to say, we found an alternate location to pee that day.

[jjsaustin]

Just started taking our dog and she stays on a towel. She doesn't really go in the water, but keeps tabs on everyone when they are swimming

[Connor]

The wife and I have had our dog on the boat since it was about 8 weeks old. He is now 2 and loves the boat/lake and acts great while out with us. If your dog is anything like ours, good luck making it a place to sit as ours tends to roam around and find random places to hangout.

Tip: Get the pup out there as early and as much as possible and as it gets older it will act normal on the water. I have a friend who took a 3 yr old dog out with us once who had never been on a boat and the dog was really skiddish/nervous the whole time (on land it is a great/normal dog). Also, get a small collapsible doggy water bowl (something like this- http://www.amazon.com/Jardin-Collaps.../dp/B0050NDNXS ) and keep it in the boat somewhere for when it gets thirsty.

These pics were a few yrs ago when he was a pup...

[Connor]

Also, forgot to mention... Get the pup a life jacket. Mine has a pretty sweet CWB that has help up well with regular use

[Daytomann]

Thanks everyone!!


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[lucky7t]

We take our terrier out every so often and he loves it. Got his life jacket at pets mart

[DLafont]

Our close to one year-old Retriever-Australian Shepherd mix joined our boating family and gets to tag along most of the time. She kind of gets bored/fed up afet a while so we sometimes leave her at the cottage. Mind you, her 75lbs help with the wake more than the kids!! Anywho, so far so good, and plus 1 on the PFD for the pup!! Also, I go a Nautique leash with a wake/ski handle and it goes great on the pylon...

[raygunclan]

Rufus (2yr, italian spinone, pictured) and Daisy (11yrs - Golden Retriever) are part of our family and go out in our boat all the time. The dogs get just as excited as the kids when they see the boat in the driveway and me getting the gear ready to go out on the lake.

[Ponger]

We just traded the Larson for a 230. Im very nervous about the dog as well. He likes boating and we have a lot of fun. I recommend a couple thick beach towels to put on the interior to prevent damage from dog claws.

[Brichter14]

This is Bruiser in the bow of our super sport. Hes a lab/shep mix. Loves the boat