I have a Hunter 420 with the standard 5 step ladder leading from the cockpit to the salon. I have 50 lb. mixed lab that does fine with all boating activities except going up and down the ladder. I need some ideas for ramp or other gizmo to let the dog go up and down the ladder - I'm getting too old to carry him every time he needs to go up or down.
Dog Ladders
- Thread starter Dutch6793
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Dutch, are you sure he's not faking it.
My Wheaton Terrier loves the attention of getting a hind end boost up the ladder. Ignore her long enough and she bounds right up.
My Wheaton Terrier loves the attention of getting a hind end boost up the ladder. Ignore her long enough and she bounds right up.
neighbor's dog
our neighbor across the fairway from our boat has a big lab. he does fine climbing the ladder. i don't know how he taught him to do it but in an hour or so he will jump off 10 or more times just to come up and shake the owner down. often he swims over to our pier just to say hi. you may need to find a way to extend the support legs that lay against the stern so the angle of the ladder is not so steep. also, changing out the steps to a wider footprint will help. don't forget about non-skid tape. just joking about this of course, but you might try putting bacon grease on the top step...or a prok chop. i bet with a dog type life presever and a leash, you can entice him to climb.
our neighbor across the fairway from our boat has a big lab. he does fine climbing the ladder. i don't know how he taught him to do it but in an hour or so he will jump off 10 or more times just to come up and shake the owner down. often he swims over to our pier just to say hi. you may need to find a way to extend the support legs that lay against the stern so the angle of the ladder is not so steep. also, changing out the steps to a wider footprint will help. don't forget about non-skid tape. just joking about this of course, but you might try putting bacon grease on the top step...or a prok chop. i bet with a dog type life presever and a leash, you can entice him to climb.
Wasn't there a posting here about a year ago describing a company in California that makes dog ladders for power and keel boats? I remember looking it up at the time, and it was a great idea. They make quite a number of set-ups for dogs (or even kids) getting back on board after a little swim. Cheers,
Ramp
We carry our dog down below, but she is small. We had a neighbor with a large dog that had a wooden plank covered with carpet that fit from the companionway to the sink area down below. The dog had no problem using the ramp to go in and out. The board was stored down below. Good luck.
We carry our dog down below, but she is small. We had a neighbor with a large dog that had a wooden plank covered with carpet that fit from the companionway to the sink area down below. The dog had no problem using the ramp to go in and out. The board was stored down below. Good luck.
Gotta' train!
I know this is easy to say, not to do, but you've got to convince your dog to do it himself. Otherwise you will forever be having to carry and handle long boards and such for his convenience, or, as you say, carry him, which is a pain. We also have a 50 lb. dog and she did not want to do it af first, but she now does it regularly, although I wouldn't say happily. And she is not the brightest of dogs. We have an H37.5 with steps about 4" wide, I assume your steps are similar width. What worked for us: 1) Going up is easier for a dog than going down. So start with that. Wait till he is "desperate" and I don't know for what in your case, but in our case, it was to go out for a pee. Perhaps just having someone he adores stand at the top of the companionway would do it. Use treats. Now, as the dog begins to scrabble up the steps to reach his goal, just firmly guide his body/paws and help lift him. Repeat many times! Like all dog training, he will eventually get the hang of it. 2) Once he's mastered going up the companionway, he'll be more inclined to try the difficult descent. And training for that obviously is similar. In the end, we still often just guide our dog on the way down, "spotting" her in effect, like a gymnast, in case of mishap, but it still beats carrying all her weight each time. Occasionally, she'll attempt it without our knowing but we usually hear about it because of the minor crashing noise at the bottom. Good luck!
I know this is easy to say, not to do, but you've got to convince your dog to do it himself. Otherwise you will forever be having to carry and handle long boards and such for his convenience, or, as you say, carry him, which is a pain. We also have a 50 lb. dog and she did not want to do it af first, but she now does it regularly, although I wouldn't say happily. And she is not the brightest of dogs. We have an H37.5 with steps about 4" wide, I assume your steps are similar width. What worked for us: 1) Going up is easier for a dog than going down. So start with that. Wait till he is "desperate" and I don't know for what in your case, but in our case, it was to go out for a pee. Perhaps just having someone he adores stand at the top of the companionway would do it. Use treats. Now, as the dog begins to scrabble up the steps to reach his goal, just firmly guide his body/paws and help lift him. Repeat many times! Like all dog training, he will eventually get the hang of it. 2) Once he's mastered going up the companionway, he'll be more inclined to try the difficult descent. And training for that obviously is similar. In the end, we still often just guide our dog on the way down, "spotting" her in effect, like a gymnast, in case of mishap, but it still beats carrying all her weight each time. Occasionally, she'll attempt it without our knowing but we usually hear about it because of the minor crashing noise at the bottom. Good luck!
Dog Ramp
My wife found an incredible dog ramp for our 85 pound golden retriever Murphy. He is almost 11 years old and getting to the "Slower" time in his life (aren't we all). It is called PET STEP, and is available all over the net. It folds in half and fits perfectly against the wall in the forward cabin of our Hunter 380. I will take a few pictures for you on the weekend. Drop me a line at scottb@thepostshop.com and I will forward them to You. Scott "III Short" Toronto
My wife found an incredible dog ramp for our 85 pound golden retriever Murphy. He is almost 11 years old and getting to the "Slower" time in his life (aren't we all). It is called PET STEP, and is available all over the net. It folds in half and fits perfectly against the wall in the forward cabin of our Hunter 380. I will take a few pictures for you on the weekend. Drop me a line at scottb@thepostshop.com and I will forward them to You. Scott "III Short" Toronto
Solution
Thanks for all the responses - all good suggestions. I am going to follow Scott's advice and get a pet step product. (Will still require training though)
Thanks for all the responses - all good suggestions. I am going to follow Scott's advice and get a pet step product. (Will still require training though)
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