Good small boat dog

[Panacea2183]

Originally Posted by MJH

I'm sorry but dogs don't belong on boats. Your need for it's companionship or your desire to save a few dollars is your problem, not his, and you shouldn't keep the animal in such a limited foreign space...I don't care how big your yacht is. Every time I go cruising and see people taking their dog ashore to do its business I cringe. Grow up, Bite-the-bullet, and get a dog sitter while your on your boat.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

How wrong can you be?
Never had a pet that you loved?
Big dogs require lots of maintenance, small dogs much less.
I’ve known cruisers with both.
Just depends on your devotion.
Apparently toy have never experienced the love of mans best friend!

[David M]

A Schipperke...the original boat dog. Originally a Belgium barge dog. They are good guard dogs and are bred to kill rats. Not yappy like some small breeds and are not too big or too small.

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/schipperke/

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by fatherchronica

Our dogs were an 80 lb. English Lab and a 15 lb. Feist Terrier. We used a piece of Astroturf cut to fit the bow and sprinkled, so to speak, with some other dogs smells. But they wouldn't use it until a combination of me having annointed it with my smell ( my Lab, Jimi, always made sure to add to my markings with his own when we were hiking) and we had to put on their leashes and take them on a walk around and around while singing the pee pee poo poo song. Later when it was second nature to them we would still have to go through the walks on leashes while hove to in rough weather. The 20 year old cat adapted easier having a custom all enclosed cat box under the companionway stairs/ ladder.

What I'm thinking is that your life aboard was a lot more about dogs and cats than about sailing. Maybe you should have stayed ashore? (PS. I wonder about how it smells on your boat with three animals. Don't invite me to dinner there.)

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by hayesdvm

As a veterinarian, I see people often humanize pets to this degree. Is is sad when families have to find a new home for a beloved pet? Yes, it is. Do the dogs feel betrayal and die of a broken heart? Not if the home is chosen well and time is given for the dog to get to know their new family. We see families have to rehome dogs for a variety of circumstances, and the dogs adapt well if the process is handled correctly.

Now, to answer the OP's question, even though the thread is 5 months old I would suggest considering a Cavachon or another Bichon mix. They do not shed, are about 20 lbs and are very loving and bright. They would bark at strangers, so would be a decent guard dog. Most people walk away from a barking dog...they attract too much attention.

I also love Boston Terriers....short coat, little shedding, and wonderful disposition.

A question for those who cruise long distances.....where do you train your dogs to use the bathroom? Have you tried artificial turf or do you use a box? What works best?

Mark

Mark, we trained Rosie to an astroturf mat and kiddie wading pool, which she likes to pee in as long as there is an inch of water in it. She's a Lagotto Romagnolo, which is the ancetral blood line for poodles, Portuguese water dogs and retrievers. The breed has been around since Roman times. 25 - 30#, no shedding, no grooming other than trimming the coat, and good teeth, so no perio and stinky dog breath. We had her on the boat this summer from 3 months age to 5 months of age, and no chewing except for her designated toys. Loves the water, and will stick her head under water to get at whatever piece of vile filth catches her eye. Their current work dog job is truffle hunting. Not so common in the U.S., but common in Italy, Spain, Croatia and France. Loves the boat. She's only 6 months old but looks like she'll be the best boat dog we've had.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2a/c8...0a7da33a31.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn-origin-...re-500x749.jpg

[Nicholson58]

How ‘bout this one?

[Hikeeba]

Unless you anticipate feeling crowded, it is not necessary to opt for a smaller breed. I would rule out Newfoundlands. Last Fall, I sat two black Labs aboard a Dutch barge (narrow) boat, which is about the least space one can find on the water. Only at night, with all three of us on the double bed, was crowding truly a problem, but that could have been alleviated by asking the dogs (and their elderly cat) to sleep in the cabin.

Should you feel uncomfortable travelling with the dog(s), hire an experienced sitter to care for them and/or your boat.

Lisa

[Bentwings]

Now that I have my first year live aboard done I have seen many boat dogs. What ever breed you get it imperative that you train the dog in basic obedience. You must have excellent leash control . Most people will say “my dog doesn’t need training. I can’t print what I would say.Letting the dog off leash is just plain rude and unacceptable. Learn to pick up the poop and where to put it. If you can’t do this simple thing , don’t get a dog. I’ve seen two big dogs on 36 foot boats and it’s a crowd. Untrained and a big handful. I have an Australian Shepherd that is highly trained. Don’t get this or a Border Collie they both require a daily work out. Not a few minutes either try hours. I happen to enjoy dog training and don’t mind the time. I don’t enjoy being constantly on guard for loose dogs. I can deal with them and not kindly. “My dog is friendly” doesn’t cut it. I don’t know your dog. I’m real tired of fending off loose or nasty dogs.

[fatherchronica]

We cruised with a 85 lb Yellow Lab, a 12 lb. Feist Terrier and a 20 year old cat. It was fine, I do not remember a problem. I once researched boat dogs for awhile. One dog mentioned a lot was a Skipperke, but I think that was a nostalgic choice, like wearing a Greek fisherman's cap. I read how great they are and also that if you open a door they will run out and keep going. Then we met a lady had 3 in the marina and I often saw the entire family chasing one or all of them. We bought a highly recommended Brittany Spaniel at that time for their love of water. She was like a rabid wolf and pulled at her leash to attack any dog she saw no matter how big until she was around 10. She/we went to several training and behavioral training classes, but she was just a real jerk.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Bentwings

Now that I have my first year live aboard done I have seen many boat dogs. What ever breed you get it imperative that you train the dog in basic obedience. You must have excellent leash control . Most people will say “my dog doesn’t need training. I can’t print what I would say.Letting the dog off leash is just plain rude and unacceptable. Learn to pick up the poop and where to put it. If you can’t do this simple thing , don’t get a dog. I’ve seen two big dogs on 36 foot boats and it’s a crowd. Untrained and a big handful. I have an Australian Shepherd that is highly trained. Don’t get this or a Border Collie they both require a daily work out. Not a few minutes either try hours. I happen to enjoy dog training and don’t mind the time. I don’t enjoy being constantly on guard for loose dogs. I can deal with them and not kindly. “My dog is friendly” doesn’t cut it. I don’t know your dog. I’m real tired of fending off loose or nasty dogs.

They both shed a lot. I loved my Aussie but not sure I'd want the fur aboard.

[Bentwings]

I’ve been training dogs for about thirty years. My first dog was a German Shepherd. A real German import working dog. I knew absolutely nothing about dog training and especially a real working dog. I asked a few questions , joined a local dog club and jumped in. By the time he was about 4 months old
We had graduated from puppy class and were in the advanced class. The dog was amazingly easy to train once I got the basics of dog training myself. I discovered dog competitions and began training for this. We won our first puppy bracket trial and it looked easy to me, until I discovered what working dogs were all about. In Europe this breed has to pass the first level of training called Schutzhund. It envolves tracking,obedience and protection. It was far above me but I was assured I had a good dog, the rest was up to me. From here on we trained something every day. I quickly found that these dogs get big and very strong very fast. The main trainer was former military and training was military style. My way or penalties are paid. Not by the dog but me. Make a mistake and if you got away with a public dressing down, it was your lucky day. He was the most on and off person I ever met. He could yell rant and rave how stupid your mistake was then put his arm around you snd calmly say”look the dog needs you to guid him, show him what you want and reward success. And so the adventure went. The dog was just two years old before I felt ready for our first trial or competition. I’ve competed in sports most of my life.,never the best never the best equipment butthe attitude that I’ll not make a mistake. The other guy is going to have to play better than me. So too with this dog training. My dog could go through the trial procedures very well. And actually was ready for the second level. We did pass the first level pretty easily. 6 more months and we passed our second level and scored high in trial tracking.at three we passed third level . Along with a tracking dog title . By this time I had become part of a police dog training group. We were a demonstration team presenting various training exercise. There were numerous certifications for different dogs. We entered the certification test for patrol dog and passed with top honors.the sad part was I was a civilian and could not even ride along on patrol with him. However he worked very well with other officers. The point Iof this is that it troubles me that people want instant things to happen. Throw dollars at it and anything just happens. It follows not just dog training, but other sports , golf tennis, baseball, football bowling, you name it. The fact that hard and sometimes tedious work is envolved plusthe almighty dollar.we see it in the youth of today. The shop I work part time in can’t get young people, hard to find older people too. Wages are there instruction is there but no desire to do anything but look for a big pay check.i don’t have an answer. The education system is a shambles compared to what many of us grew up with. All of my kids had pointless educations. I used to ask in parent teacher meeting, exactly what are these kids supposed to have learned when they are out of high school? I don’t think I ever received a good answer.

[NewBeginings]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Jack Russell Terriers like the water and they are very smart

I believe mine is a beagle-jack mix. I adopted him at a shelter at 5 or 6 years old. He didn't like the boat at first but has adapted well. Jacks do tend to be hyper...something to consider. A nice calm, older mixed breed dog is also an option. I have steered away from purebred dogs. They always have had breed related health issues. I had one die at a year old and his father went to Westminster, so he was even considered to be from the best of the best.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by NewBeginings

I believe mine is a beagle-jack mix. I adopted him at a shelter at 5 or 6 years old. He didn't like the boat at first but has adapted well. Jacks do tend to be hyper...something to consider. A nice calm, older mixed breed dog is also an option. I have steered away from purebred dogs. They always have had breed related health issues. I had one die at a year old and his father went to Westminster, so he was even considered to be from the best of the best.

I agree! Looks just like the dog I had as a kid. One hell of a boat dog. Not sure about the Jack. We thought she was a short haired Fox Terrier mutt from the ASPCA.

[Greg Mason]

I am with Delfin. I too have a purebred Lagotto and what a fit for the boat. Small enough to fit anywhere, fit enough to handle the ocean, and smart enough to know when to go and where. I have friends that had a Schipperke aboard, that owuld be my second choice. Not sure about the purebred health problem thread by the OP, sounds incidental and not statistical.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by NewBeginings

I believe mine is a beagle-jack mix. I adopted him at a shelter at 5 or 6 years old. He didn't like the boat at first but has adapted well. Jacks do tend to be hyper...something to consider. A nice calm, older mixed breed dog is also an option. I have steered away from purebred dogs. They always have had breed related health issues. I had one die at a year old and his father went to Westminster, so he was even considered to be from the best of the best.

It depends on the breeding. Often to much inbreeding to retain a specific trait for show purposes and in the course of events also breeds a deficiency in the health area. Looking at a pedigree will tell the story.
A terrier mixed mutt would be my choice.

[a64pilot]

Well, we ended up with a Havamalt, which is a “designer” breed, a mix of a Havanese and a Maltese.
We visited a breeder that specializes in these designer types figuring we would get something mixed with a Poodle. The Poodle usually brings in non shedding and intelligence into the mix. Maybe a Yorkiepoo, however we decided we really liked the Havamalt and he doesn’t shed either and is supposedly very intelligent as Havanese are often used as Circus dogs, which of course means easy to train and teach tricks.

Anyway Mikey as he is named has been a very good dog, extremely intelligent and extremely good natured, I have decided not to castrate him as he is a very, very friendly guy with a lot of energy, no mean streak at all.
He is great in the boat, taking awhile to come around to passages though and he will get a little seasick in rough water, but he is improving on that.