Dogs on board

[john6206]

Hey all,

The season is quickly winding down here in the Great Lakes, and I’m already thinking about next year.

When I see a golden retriever standing proudly on the deck of a sailboat, I usually dub him “The Admiral.” I’ve taken to calling my two 10 lb poodles, “the crew.”

We got the crew on board 3 times this year. First time we stayed at the dock. The test was can we onboard and off board them, can we get them into the cabin, will they tolerate their life jackets … etc.
Second trip we waited for a super gentle sail. Light winds, calm waves… they seemed a bit freaked out.
Third time we tried for a gentle sail, but the lake clearly didn’t read the same forecast that we did - it wasn’t bad weather, just a little more than we were hoping for. The crew seemed fine on that one - go figure!

I‘m a little concerned because dogs are unpredictable.

Does anyone have lessons learned or a protocol set you’d be willing to share?

First thing I heard was “get them out there when they are puppies - the younger the better!”
I think George and Ringo are 8 - so I missed that one.

 

[dLj]

Poodles tend to be highly adaptable. I had a labradoodle that loved to sail and I didn't start her sailing until she was about 2 I think. The first big one for me was can I get her to go up and down the companionway ladder by herself. It took me a couple times helping her, then she loved climbing up and down. The only thing I could never get her to do was listen to me when docking to stay on the boat. She just loved jumping off onto the dock, then back on the boat when she had explored enough of wherever we had docked.

dj

 

[john6206]

Yeah - there is no way my boys will ever get up the ladder!

I’d be pretty nervous if they decided to jump off too. Maybe in the cabin for docking? They’d probably hate that but it might keep them safe.

 

[Stu Jackson]

You may be aware, nor not, that there is probably a book or two written titled "Dogs on Boats."

Amazon.com

I know you have the dog already, but it's not like there aren't other books about dogs on boats and how to train them.

I've always loved dogs and felt that unless they liked it, being there was cruel and unusual punishment.

 

[shemandr]

Saw the movie “The Art of Racing in the Rain” recently. A real tear jerker. Upon a friend’s advice I borrowed the book on Libby. Worse tear jerker.
What astounded me was while searching on Amazon, is how many dog books there are.
I like OPD’s but don’t want to pick up poop of my own dog. They are like Grandchildren. Nice to have visit but also nice to go home.