Live aboard boat / Dog

[RedneckRedcoat]

Here is some experience we have seen with our friends who have a dog.

They have a 2007 45 Ds and a 50lb mutt. If you sail you will only be sailing for 8-12hrs a day. Their dog refuses to go on the boat. so they get up at sun up to take him to shore and sunset. He can’t get up the companion way stairs so someone has to Lift him up and down.

We are currently in the keys, everywhere we have gone with them has either had a no dogs allowed or they must remain on a leash at all times. If your at anchor and a storm comes in you can be confined to the boat for a few days. Could your dog cope with that ? Most of the keys is a wildlife refuge and dogs are banned from most islands. You’ll get a very angry cop in dry tortegaz for that one. Having the dog is seriously going to limit you in what you can do and can’t.

We had an older cat and the poor thing was terrified of being on the boat that’s constant moving , healing and every time it got scared it would wet the surrounding area. After we tried for 6 months we found a home and he is very happy .

I’m not anti dog , I have trained gun dogs and had dogs most of my life (turning 55) but having seen what boat life is like and what you can and can’t do. You’ll have to really think about it rather than be upset by the majority of advise people are giving you. I kind of feel your more upset by the fact that peoples answers are not justifying what you have already decided to do. Most people are concerned about the welfare of a large dog (which should be commended) and as one other person suggested about your boat if you get into trouble and someone has to help you.

My suggestion is buy a small boat for $5k learn to sail it now and take your dog with you to get him used to it and you can see the reality of having a dog on board. When your ready to get the so called blue water boat then you can probably sell the practice boat for what you paid for it. Your going to need to train your dog to not bark at people when they come near your boat or try and help you if something was to happen to you on the boat.

My own plans for a dog are not to have one until we go back to land. Then I’ll go back to my gun dogs and enjoy the fact they can run about when and if they desire to

[Muaddib1116]

As with most things, a larger budget makes things easier and a small budget makes things harder. Your budget is going to restrict the size of your boat, the dog-friendly features you can find on a boat, the size of dinghy you can afford/handle, and the amount of time you can spend at marinas.

I have a dog, and have cruised with her and plan to continue cruising with her. Aside from that, my situation is very different than yours. My dog is an agile dog weighing 35lbs and I have a large boat with a sugar scoop transom and companionway steps that my dog can navigate on her own. These were purposeful requirements of mine. My boat is also big enough to carry a decently sized, stable dinghy that is relatively easy to get in and out of. Until I am able to train her to use an artificial grass pad, I have to take her ashore three times a day. The swim platform is critical to making this a bearable task. Also, until she is is trained, I have limited myself to day passages. The longest being the jump from Provincetown to Portland, ~14hrs.

I am relatively young and strong. Handling my dog in and out of the dinghy and up and down from the swim platform is quite easy. It is difficult to imagine dealing with a large dog (>60lbs) with no swim platform, and with a companionway ladder that the dog can't navigate on its own. The Pearson 37-2 does have an opening transom, but it isn't really a platform. It is certainly better than having to step down from the full height of the freeboard into a moving dinghy, but it isn't ideal. The bigger concern is the very ladder-like companionway steps. This could actually be dangerous for you or the dog trying to get the dog up or down in a seaway.

[Shaneesprit]

Originally Posted by Ivanvet

Hi,
Liveaboard here with a 70# Golden Retriever on a 47' monohull. It gets a little crowded. In 'normal' conditions it is doable, but dogs get sick (don't ask how I know) and things get tricky.

A couple of examples: Our dog developed lameness and I had to carry him up and down the companionway, and on/off the transom during 2 weeks. I did it, and it was ok, but my wife, despite being pretty strong, would have had trouble if I hadn't been around. Another time, he had tummy issues and I had to carry him pretty much every 3-4 hours outside because with inside of the boat would have been a mess (it still was a mess).

My advice is to ask yourself if you are able to carry her on/off the boat (and up/down the companionway) for a few days. If the answer is yes, that's probably the worst case scenario. For us, I can't (don't want to!) imagine going cruising with him (and the cat). But the downsides are there, and for the sake of the pet, these downsides cannot be overlooked.

Good luck!

S/V Balu

Can you not just put the dog in a harness and haul it from the dingy using the boom?
I have have seen disabled humans loaded in the same way, if I end up with a dog you can be sure that would be my plan.

[Kropdad]

We have 2 red cattle dogs on a 35 foot mono. If I had my druthers I wouldn't have them aboard but they came before the boat so they are staying. A few issues:
Hair shedding, you have to stay on top of this
High free board makes boarding an issue as we have about a metre so the dogs have to be good jumpers.
Tender needs a hard floor or the dogs nails will kill the floor.
Safety underway, we use the thick plastic garden style mesh from a hardware store as it is the same height as the safety rail and better than the cloth mesh as piss doesn't stain plastic, and your dog will piss on the deck.
Dog restricted places, plenty of places don't allow dogs, even on the beaches so your travel plans need to accommodate this.
We bought a square metre of green astro turf and placed up the bow to train them where to go. Should have placed at the stern as we now have to wash the whole deck, not just the rear.
A vet gave us pills they give dogs on air flights to settle them in rough seas. Only used once as they got their sea legs pretty quickly.
Food, they need variety and not just tin food as it gives them runny poos, which you don't want. We bought a 40lt freezer and fill with offal and mince etc plus kibble. We have cans as back up.
Deck day beds for them are a must.
They need plenty of shady spaces to relax.
Dogs love fish, just bone them well.
Great gaurd dogs when we leave them aboard. Very important in some sketchy places.
Dogs can get smelley in winter but not in summer as they swim everyday so have a stock of well perfumed shampoo.
Great companions and they make you get up off ya butt and take them for walks, a win win.

Take your dog a d enjoy your time with them. They do limit some thi gs you can do bit the pluses far outweigh the cons.

[Ivanvet]

Originally Posted by Shaneesprit

Can you not just put the dog in a harness and haul it from the dingy using the boom?
I have have seen disabled humans loaded in the same way, if I end up with a dog you can be sure that would be my plan.

Yes, I guess if my wife had to do it she could arrange it that way, but for me, it was way easier to carry him.

[BobHorn]

Been following these dog threads for a while. I cannot imagine why anybody who claims to love dogs would consider confining a dog to living on a boat.

[Kropdad]

Many dogs never leave their backyard. My two get at least 3 walks a day or just spend their time swimming and playing. I don't think I'd cross an ocean with a dog but coastal cruising is fine.

[Muaddib1116]

Originally Posted by BobHorn

Been following these dog threads for a while. I cannot imagine why anybody who claims to love dogs would consider confining a dog to living on a boat.

As long as you're taking your dog out for exercise on a reasonable schedule, then I don't see what the difference is.

[PirateFoxy]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

As long as you're taking your dog out for exercise on a reasonable schedule, then I don't see what the difference is.

This. I think it depends a huge amount on the dog, too. I’ve had dogs who would hate it. My current dog would probably enjoy it. We have a backyard now and he pretty much ignores it except to pee - he *must* go on a walk every day. So if his pee spot was on a boat deck and he got a long walk at a new location every couple of days, I think he’d be delighted. He certainly enjoys the RV which is a similar sort of thing except instead of peeing on the deck he’s peeing in a parking lot. 🤷*♀️ Just for coastal, though, I think he’d be plenty unhappy if he had to skip more than about a day’s walk due to being on passage.

(He’s also all up in your business alllll the time, so he wouldn’t care about less living space since he’s gonna be sitting on your feet even if you’re sitting in a football field. The only problem he might have is he HATES getting rained on so his deck potty area might require some arranging so he felt like it met his standards.)

When I was a kid we had a family dog who we ended up giving to family friends who lived in the country and had a HUGE yard because even with a yard in the city and daily walks, he just wanted to have space to run around ALL THE TIME. He would have been utterly miserable on a boat.

[TheLastPirate]

I lived on a cape Dory 28 with my 95 lb female rottweiler at the marina. It was plenty of room for us with walks a few times a day.
I'd say the biggest thing about cruising with a big dog is having a sugar scoop. I built a set of stairs that were half the width of the companionway, stairs that were comfortable for her to go up and down. If just go next to them. I did this on the Cape Dory and a alberg 35. The problem I had was trying to get her from the boat to a dinghy and or back on the boat if she fell in. I went with the smaller boat because the freeboard was lower. And I had a better chance of grabbing her. But I think the real deal is get a beneteau with a sugar scoop and càll it a day.
My dog goes from my bed, to the couch , to the other side of the couch, to the back porch, to right next to the back porch in the dirt....not much different on a boat.
So I'd say 32 to 37 is a good range. I thought about adding a sugar scoop, or a set of stairs on the side, like boarding stairs. But the weight even on a tayana would be too much and just too much to move around and stow.
A flat transom I thought about a swim platform and a couple steps, but I really think the sugar scoop is the way to go.
Oh one more thing. If you decide to build stairs for the dog next to the companionway. Make sure you have a straight run , so measure the height from the inside deck to the lip, and figure out how far your steps will go inside. Sometimes there's a counter there. You can make a few steps that curve or are l shaped , just something to think about.

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by Noisykate

Sorry, not intending to sound so negative, but:

Expect to train your dog

A) not to piss or sh*t on the pontoons in marinas, especially not the fresh water hoses;

B) not to bark at passing dinghies when at anchor.

C) not to be territorial about pontoons around your boat. That's my space, too.

D) you might one day need help. I'm not going to risk being bitten to try and stop your boat getting scraped or bumped.

And please remember: Not all boaters are huge fans of dogs, even those on other people's boats. Especially big 'bitey' ones.

What a miserable, hateful comment. Shame on you.

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by BobHorn

Been following these dog threads for a while. I cannot imagine why anybody who claims to love dogs would consider confining a dog to living on a boat.

After 22 years of living on my boat with 3 different dogs, I can't imagine why anyone who loves dogs would condemn a dog to living in a house or a yard.

[valhalla360]

You might look at some of the older small catamarans. This addresses a lot of the stair issues, particularly if you can get one with stairs down to the water.

[Carl-T705]

Aw heck just bring the backyard with you, heck , someone needs to write a recipe book for the new cruiser who needs it all. All in a 30 footer . In a survival situation, having fresh meat on board could be a real life saver. You know when there is no cell phone service available.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Noisykate
Sorry, not intending to sound so negative, but:

Expect to train your dog

A) not to piss or sh*t on the pontoons in marinas, especially not the fresh water hoses;

B) not to bark at passing dinghies when at anchor.

C) not to be territorial about pontoons around your boat. That's my space, too.

D) you might one day need help. I'm not going to risk being bitten to try and stop your boat getting scraped or bumped.

And please remember: Not all boaters are huge fans of dogs, even those on other people's boats. Especially big 'bitey' ones.

Originally Posted by Sailing55

What a miserable, hateful comment. Shame on you.

I didn't see anything hateful or miserable in that comment. Maybe point (D) was unnecessary, but mostly the advice given was honest, sincere, and appropriate.

Why is it that people with dogs on boats get their feelings hurt when someone points out the obvious?