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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Having a Dog Aboard

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Sea Wolf
1st Mate

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27 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/17/2006 : 03:00:15

What's it like?

I suppose if you're in a slip it's not much different than having a dog in a hotel room.

How about on a mooring? Or on long crossings?

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2006 : 06:55:10

Friends of mine used to have a washdown hose permanently rigged up at the dock with the on off valve in the cockpit. Dog went to the bow and took care of the issues at hand and they hosed it right off.

On long crossings I would guess they'd have to be paper trained.

Edited by - on

raulpou
Navigator

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144 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2006 : 08:52:24

My dog loves being onboard! I do find "areas" for her to go. Whether it is a beach or we dock at a marina and I find some green area for her to do her business. Other than that she is not a bother to me at all.

Edited by - on

kevinmac
Admiral

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USA
732 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2006 : 10:34:12

My dog lives with me on my boat during the week, in a marina. You're right, it's just like a hotel room. For sailing, I have not had him on a long passage, we usually dock or moor someshere before his bladded capacity is exceeded.

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stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2006 : 13:13:16

Our dog loves our boat. We've tried to train her to 'go' on the foredeck but she won't. And that's why we bought a good inflatable tender. Getting a dog that needs to pee from a C25 to the shore should be done with the dog's internal realities in mind.
One time in bad weather we were out for a long time and she got a bladder infection from what we believe was her holding it in.

We tried dog training pads but she won't go near them.

Our dog was already trained when we got this boat, so if I was to get a puppy, I'd train the puppy right away that its okay to piddle on the foredeck.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2006 : 14:11:16

Why would people train a dog to do anything on the foredeck????? It is down hill to the rest of the boat from there! Teach'm to pee at the transom where the scuppers (even better on a 250) are and toss a bucket of water on it.

Edited by - on

SailCO26
Captain

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USA
457 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2006 : 15:55:46

Teach 'em to use the lee rail (like any good sailor), then git their bu++'s back on the high side and HIKE!
;)

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PamC
Navigator

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171 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2006 : 18:00:43

We take our dogs out with us every weekend, but are on a mountain lake so the shore is never too far away. We get them ashore 3 to 4 times a day via the dink. It gets me rowing and out walking through the woods, which is almost as pleasant as sailing

I was feeling guilty that I was holding them captive on a boat on the weekends until I paid attention to how they spend their time when I was at home with them and found they spend lots of time sleeping or looking out the window. They can do that on the boat! They now love it because it means they get lots of walks. I have to agree with Frank, I would rather train the dogs to the scupper area and flush with a bucket. The bow isn't always a safe place for them to be either.

Edited by - on

kevinmac
Admiral

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USA
732 Posts

Response Posted - 10/18/2006 : 10:34:59

Speaking of hiking, my dog does something that I think is hysterical while we are beating upwind in our C250. He sits on the low side (bad crew form, I know) at the very front of the cockpit on the seat. When we tack, he does not move his body hardly at all, and slides on the seat across the companionway from what has become the high to the low side again. He does it with great style points, looking completely unruffled. He does this repeatedly as we tack each way. I gotta get video...

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stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 10/18/2006 : 13:32:49

Ahhhh, now I understand why my dog won't pee on the foredeck. She's not supposed to.
Its been said before that this dog is a lot smarter than I am.
And here I thought she was just being wimpy about going forward when we were heeled over at 25 degrees.

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 10/18/2006 : 15:19:51

Our sheltie has cruised with us several times. The first two cruises, she took easily to a piece of green astro turf placed in the cockpit sole.

The last cruise, she went the whole cruise without using the carpet including the first leg, a 100 mile crossing of Lake Huron taking twenty hours. Because she had resisted the carpet, I then opted to get her ashore every few hours.

One of those visits was a heroic effort. In 25-30 winds, we'd anchored in the lee of a rocky island that shallowed a good way from shore but large rocks kept us well off in about 8 feet of water. Rowing the inflatable into that wind was impossible and left the only alternative to angle to the corner of the island.

If I missed... my wife would have to come and get us as we blew into a mile deep bay and she was not at all happy with the prospect.

The anchor rode was prepared with a fender to float it and the bitter end untied from its eye... so all she had to do was get the motor running and release the rode from the cleat and of course catch us.

Fortunately, I made it to three feet of water still a good way from shore and worn out from rowing, walked the dink in. We took a 2-3 hour hike and chased up a fawn sunning in the middle of the island. The dinghy had to be walked amongst the slippery rocks back upwind of the boat and being careful not to overshoot, went for the anchor rode where it entered the water and handed our way to the boat and a line from the wife.

Edited by - Arlyn Stewart on 10/21/2006 09:26:36

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 10/18/2006 : 15:33:18

Do the dogs leave any scratch marks?

The plastic inner door panels of my minivan are so scratched up from my dog's claws (he likes to poke his head out the window) that I resisted having him on the boat in fear of what he might do to the gelcoat.

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 10/18/2006 : 17:55:35

In the two years we've owned this boat, our dog has not left any marks.
Our 31LB Terrier will jump from the cockpit seats to the top of the cabin and back, she scrambles around the foredeck. She jumps from the tender to the cockpit. If any dog was going to do any damage, this one would. And she hasn't
She has however, left marks in our hardwood floors at home and on my leather seats in my car. She still has the run of the house and gets to sit whereever she wants in the car.
We're dog people who sail.

Edited by - on

PamC
Navigator

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171 Posts

Response Posted - 10/18/2006 : 18:32:43

Suzie
and
Simon

haven't left any marks on the boat either. And they are all over it. They've done the same thing you describe to the window frames in my car, so it's not like they're well manicured or anything. I do keep a glove called a Mud Magnet in the cockpit cubby. When we come back from shore I give them a paw-ssage to get their paws fairly clean & dry before I put them on the mothership. It's basically a microfiber towell made into a long glove. It pulls little burrs off too. Dave & I have left more marks than the dogs for sure.

Edited by - on

Sea Wolf
1st Mate

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27 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2006 : 01:26:18

Thank you for all the replies. My wife and I are without a dog for the first time in many many years. Finally a boat is in the cards, and we/I am trying to understand how a dog may or may not fit in. This discussion has been very informative. Doggles! hehheh.

Edited by - Sea Wolf on 10/20/2006 04:46:54

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2006 : 11:19:19

get a cat

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2006 : 12:45:53

A Sea Wolf with a kitty cat on board.
A Cat-alina with a dog's name.

This is gett'n complicated Pa, my heads a hurt'n.

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Sea Wolf
1st Mate

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27 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2006 : 17:13:11

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
 get a cat
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

That's what I suggested. But the suggestion wasn't well received. doh

For now, the dog will wait. From what I've read here, having a dog aboard seems conceivable, but as common sense would indicate, not entirely convenient. I may be doing quite a bit of soloing.

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