Dogs and Companionways

[Thomas1985]

I own a Great Dane that I want to take with us on a few trips…

Others with bigger dogs, how does your pup deal with the ships ladder in to the cabin?

[rslifkin]

We have a large Standard Poodle, but the entry to our cabin has stairs. He does just fine up and down the stairs. Can't climb a ladder without help (although he can climb pretty steep stairs), but depending on how much height we're talking, there's a good chance he'd just skip the ladder and jump up and down.

How easily a dog can get up and down will depend both on the boat and the dog in question. If your dog is a good jumper he'll be more likely to manage on his own I think.

[Thomas1985]

Unfortunately for the pups ours is very deep and steep.

Probably 5-6 rungs ships ladder.

[Cheechako]

Being a Great Dane he may be able to deal with your steep stairs. Make sure they have a grippy surface near the edge of the steps and also non slip surface at the stair base on the floor. Small carpets without rubber backing are very slippery on the floor.
He may have an easier time getting up than going down...

[Thomas1985]

That pic is exactly what she’d be up against.

She is very athletic and I can pick her up, but at 130 lbs she’s heavy lol

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

That pic is exactly what she’d be up against.

She is very athletic and I can pick her up, but at 130 lbs she’s heavy lol

Well, note the slipping precautions and take her down to the boat at the dock and help her through it, see how she does.
I've always thought a hatch in the cockpit side wall into a quarter berth would be a great thing with a dog......... but not a Great Dane!

[rslifkin]

To add to what I mentioned before, our dog wears rubber soled sneakers when he's on the boat (unless he's going to be in the cabin for a while). The extra grip on the decks makes a huge difference in his ability to safely move around the boat, jump on and off from docks with a significant height difference, etc.

[Thomas1985]

She’s the best dog ever, but big lol

You know… maybe she’d do better going down the hatch above the V berth.

[Jebtrois]

So, when I had that problem, I took a 1x10 and cut it to exact length from lip above top step to the lip at the forward edge of the sink. It kind of wedged right in there. Then my dog could jump up from the couch onto the ramp and out the companionway. As he aged I had to lift his hind up from couch to ramp. Also note: I had to hold the board to prevent any wobble which made him nervous and also, coming in at night I needed to provide ample lighting on the ramp or he would balk for some reason. It took a some coaxing at first, but once he figured it out we had to remove the board to keep him from just going in and out non stop.