Dogs on board

I need some advice from any of you that have or are presently living aboard with dogs. My wife and I will be moving aboard our newly acquired 35-2 in a few weeks. Everything has gone as planed, sold the house and all the other meaningless treasures one aquires over time. However we still have our two dogs a 10 yr old Chihuahua and a 5 year old English bulldog who loves the water but swims like a rock. Im sure they will adapt but how is the wife and I going to do with the potty chores and lifting a 50+lb bulldog up and down the companionway ladder? Any advice or tips on this subject would be great..... We really don't want to have to find homes for them.
Steve

Other threads to sink your fangs into

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=5198&referrerid=28

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=6446&referrerid=28

(this was from a quick site search on "dogs." )

Pets On Board seems to be a recurring (bad pun alert) topic....


LB

ps: there's a thread on cats on board, also....

It's been awhile since I've been on a 35, so I'm having a little trouble remembering your layout, but a good friend of mine used to bring his mid-sized dog on sails, and we had her trained to go from the berth to the nav. station table to the companion way and out. Sometimes we might need to give her a little assistance, but she got good at it, and we didn't have to dead lift her up and out of the companion way. Perhaps you can find a similar route and if needed supplement with a little strategically placed step etc. A lot will get down to the dog's personality, but it's worth a shot.

I've cruised quite a bit with friends who had dogs on board. For getting the dog aboard there are a couple of things that can help. One is to mount a life vest (a good idea by itself) that has a large handle in the middle of the back. To get the dog aboard one couple would have one go aboard first, then the second would stand up in the dinghy holding the dog, and the person on board could reach down and pretty safely (if not easily!) pick up the dog and finish lifting him on deck. For extra safety they would sometimes tie a tether to the handle first, so that even if the dog got loose, they could just haul him aboard.

For a really big dog you could even just use the end of the boom as a hoist. But in that case what seems to work better is to get one of those ramps that are sold to help your dog get into the car. Just tie one end to the gunnel, and lead it down to the dinghy. The dog would much rather scamper up the ramp than be lifted by the harness.

As for potty training the dog, many people never do get the hang of it, and always have to take the dog ashore. But the friends who were successful tended to use a square of astroturf on deck where the dog could be trained to do his business, both 1 and 2. To clean up you just tie a tether to the corner of the square and throw it overboard.

Good luck! (You may need it....)

Thanks for the replies and the helpful tips on keeping dogs on board...
It will certainly be a learning experience for all......

My wife and I live on our 35-2 with our 35 pound dog. It works out just fine. The lack of anywhere for the shedded hair to go is the only annoyance. Otherwise, it is great having him aboard. We are very glad we got him. His name is Willie. If you go to the blog in my signature there are tag words for "Willie" on posts where we talk about him. You can find lots there... maybe not useful info, but lots haha.

Woof-
Justin

Swimming Bulldog???

Thanks again for the latest info and suggestions about dogs on board. I just wanted to update a comment I made about my Bulldog Capt Nemo "swims like a rock"... Well this weekend while we were fishing here on the Kashwitna river Nemo actually fell from a 10 foot bank down into the river??? Don't ask. He actually made a very graceful entry, in fact I'm sure an Olympic diving judge would have given him at least a 9.5 maybe even a 9.7??? Anyhow I took off running down stream trying to get ahead of him since the river is very swift in the area were he went in. And to my surprise I found him swimming very well against the current and managed to find a small piece of bank to stand on. Getting him up the bank was another event in itself.... But I do need to retract my slanderous comment about his swimming abilities. I'm sure it wont be the last time he proves me wrong...? LOL

Playtex Diaper Genie

Morning and evening we lay out a couple of potty training pads on the bow for our two Shelties. Then we put the pads in a Playtex Diaper Genie. If you are unfamiliar with this clever device, check it out. It works great. No mess, no smell, it wraps up the waste and it is easy to empty later.

Getting Dogs Back On Board

While anchored at Valcour Island on Lake Champlain this summer we watched the following process by which a man got his Rottweiler back on board. The dog did not wear a life jacket and got a gentle push from his owner into the water where he swam very nicely. The owner would row ashore with the dog following him. They would return to the boat together in the dinghy. The owner had rigged two fenders on the starboard rear quarter in the usual vertical fashion and a third hung horizontally between the other two. He would tie the dinghy forward and aft next to the vertical fenders and use the horizontal fender as a step for the dog to climb back onto the boat with a push from the owner. Admittedly, a Rottweiler is larger than a bulldog so you might need two steps. It was quite a process and we found out later that he used to cruise with two Rottweilers. Hope this helps.

PFD recommend

I highly recommend the PFD's by Ruffwear. We have one for our Boxer and it works really well and is very well constructed with a large lift handle on the back. She loves to wear it because she loves to get in the water, the boat not so much, but she loves to swim!

Molly and Bunny are each on their second PFD by Ruff Wear. They must like them because they come right over and stand still while I snap them on.

Bunny out grew his first one, Molly said the first one made her butt look big.

I don't own a dog but my friend Eddie, aka Capt. UpChuck often crews with me and brings his Pomeranian "Splash". Here's a shot of Capt. UpChuck with three out of his six Pomeranian's. "Schooner", "Nina" & "Splash" on his MacGregor Venture 22-2 in LA Harbor.

We're cruising with our Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Ringo, and so far he loves it. He's got his own PFD and likes to wear it because he loves any kind of clothes. We've only been at this a little over a week, but so far, no problems with him. Or the two cats, either.

Here's Ringo:

Our brave and wonderful Sea Dog, Ringo, passed away yesterday. We're devastated and will miss him dearly. It's too quiet now when we step onto the boat and don't hear his bark. R.I.P. to my best friend.

We're sorry to hear the news. I know how that leaves a big hole in your heart that takes a while to heal.

Best regards.

I'm sorry for your loss...

So sorry. I cried like a little girl when I lost "Jack". He was not a sailor but "Shamus" is. I miss him as I have been away from home all week.

Ringo will hold a special place in your heart but also leave enough for you to move on in his memory and find a new friend.

My sediments are with you. I lost my German Shepherd a couple years back. Dogs are wonderful members of our families. It's seems a cruel trick that their time with us is so brief.

Sincerest Condolences

It's been over 10 years now since I lost Juneau, who was with me for over 14 years. I still miss her terribly, but I have so many good memories of her and our time together. May your memories of Ringo help you move forward without him.