Help! My dog won't do her duty while on board. Need suggestions please.

Apr 21, 2014
184
Hunter 356 Middle River, MD
Just got a Jack Russel puppy and wanted him to be a boat dog and faced the same issue. As he was being house broken he was very reluctant to go on a piece of artificial turf I had cut for the very bow of our boat.
On the 2nd week we had him we were going out for 3 days so I walked him up to the bow a lot and even visited land a few times by dinghy in the mean time
Skipper On The Boat2.jpg
, but he could only hold it so long and once he finally pee'd he was set after praising and a treat. Another day and he did his #2 to praise. Now he knows he is OK and has gone multiple times.
Skipper will work out as a great boat dog.
 
Jun 27, 2014
117
Jeanneau Moorings International 50 Everett
I try to get my dog ashore at least twice a day. When she was younger, she could go about 2 days before she just had to pee on the side deck, and another day until she pooped. Now that she is elderly, I'm just happy if there are not pee spots on the salon rugs in the mornings from incontinence, or piles of liquid poop from diarrhea. And on the rugs is much better than between them.
 
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Mar 1, 2012
2,182
1961 Rhodes Meridian 25 Texas coast
LOL makes me remember- in the marina in Bimini, another cruiser was having the same problem. She woke one morning to find her small dog had laid a reminder, directly under her nose in the bed :)
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
When I was 14, my family invited a friend to join us on a sail to Nova Scotia from Rockland. He brought his dog, a twenty pound something or other. The dog wouldn't relieve himself and his owner got very worried. My mother recruited me to "walk" him and "show him what to do".
I called him forward and standing side by side, I peed on the deck.
Nothing.
I had no more pee to demonstrate with and eventually went about my own day. The dog kept pacing and a couple hours later, my mother finally reported that he did stop on the foredeck and pee. All was good after that.