Tugmuts Archive New boat... my dog is struggling

[Jeff58]

We have a 5 yr old Shepherd/Amer Bulldog mix rescue... 85 lbs. This is our first season with a 28 Cutwater. We want to cruise the lakes. Been taking her out on day trips... she trembles and pants the whole time. We made the lower berth into her "dog house" by blocking off the leg area. Anything above about 5 kts, she stays down there. She seems to be getting better. First time out she wouldn't come out of the berth at all. Now, at low speeds, she will even go out in the cockpit and look out. We are planning a long trip to the rendezvous coming up and she is going! Any suggestions for what we can do to help her acclimate more quickly? When we stay on the boat at night, at first she didn't sleep. Now, she will settle. Do we just go for it and figure that by day 4 or so she'll adjust? She does not seem to be in pain.... Thanks! JoAnne

 

[Navigator's Son]

I think each dog has to learn to be comfortable at their own pace, and the only way your dog is going to get better is repetition. How far out is your rendezvous? Start packing in as many trips as you can now, gradually extending your cruising time and monitor your dogs behavior.

I have 2 Shih-Tzu's that go everywhere with me (camping and boating). The instant the engine is turned on (truck or boat) they immediately settle in their favorite spot and don't move at all.

In the R25, one curls up on their bed in the cave, the other will take to the v-berth. Occasionally, one of the two likes to sit on the deck if I leave the door open, so eventually when they get comfortable with the boat and the movement, they will start to move around more freely.

 

[S@LTD]

We had what sounds like the exact same issues with our Black Lab when we got her. She wouldn't even walk on the dock if it moved at all let alone get on the boat. Underway she would curl up and not even move or stand. Just stay with it and work in small dosages. Took us about 4-5 months before she completely stopped paying any mind to it. While we usually put our boat on a trailer we made a point to get a slip with a relatively stable dock and practiced with lots of praise. She now cruises like a champ with us everywhere, paddleboards etc. even if anchoring out for a week or two.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Depends on what you mean by "acclimate".

Based on my observations over the years IMO there are three potential causes of stress for dogs on boats; 1) environmental, 2) motion, and 3) noise.

1) Environment: good news is that this is probably the easiest issue to overcome. Just spend as much time aboard with the mut as possible. Simply bring the pooch aboard at every opportunity. On the trailer, at the dock, it doesn't matter. Just so it gets the idea that it's home. If you bought it a new special bed for the boat lose it and try bringing the bed it sleeps on in the house. That's familiar and comforting.

2) Motion: this has multiple aspects. The motion may simply make the dog insecure/vulnerable. The problem is even worse due to hard surfaces on the boat. Using rugs/carpet/rubber runners can mitigate this somewhat. And eventually Fido will get his sea legs. Then again some dogs get motion sickness. They may get over it or maybe not. We boated with one that experienced motion sickness for 14 years. She never threw up. Just panted, drooled, and with big brown eyes begged the captain to slow down at anything above idle. Even stopped or at trolling speed she was not a happy girl when it was rough. We altered our cruising plans accordingly to avoid bumpy conditions as much as possible.

3) Noise: unfortunately this one is tough. If the dog is exposed at an early age it will adapt most of the time. But there may simply be some frequency that is really annoying. Some have suggested that the turbochargers on our diesel engines may be problematic. Our current canine crew member grew up on an outboard boat and transitioned to the turbo diesel with no problem. Of course the relative opulence of the Ranger was tough but she adjusted.

If it were me and the dog is acting badly stressed I would not go on an extended cruise with it. Everyone will be happier with Lassie at the kennels for a few days.

 

[baz]

We had two Wire Hair Fox Terriers - Teddy and Chloé on our R-25. We only have one today 🙁 ). After Teddy we took on Jake at 8 weeks old. Both Chloé and Jake adapted quickly to the boat. At first they were very suspicious of the boat, the vibration and the noises it made. Over time they adapted well and typically resigned to hang out in some place on the boat. The places they lay down at varied; under dinette table, V-berth and even at my feet at the helm. We now only have Jake who's 6 yrs old. He's extremely attached to me and does not ever like losing sight of me. I suspect he will be very happy to sit alongside me on the double wide helm seat in our new 2018 R-27.

I'm sure how a dog adapts depends on breed, temperament, age, size, weight, etc. Some will adapt while others never will and be difficult. Starting early on with a youngish dog will likely be successful.

My concern with Terriers such as we have is their intensive curiosity with every thing around them, and of course the instinctive need to bark at things. Jake was being walked at a local marina, saw a seagull perched on the marina wall separating it from the sea outside, and made a run at it. The leash spun out to a max length of around 30 feet very quickly and caught me by surprise. Before the 30 feet was exhausted Jake took a running leap at the seagull, the seagull simply took off but Jake kept going and disappeared on the far side of the wall and straight into the sea. He had a harness on but stretching down over the wall was to much for me as leaning much further would have meant I would join Jake in the sea. Thank goodness another Tugnut person saw my plight and came over quickly to help me.

You just don't know what a dog is apt to do in new situations. For me, having Jake be in the cockpit I have no choice but to attach a line to his harness with enough slack for him to wander about but not enough for him to fly over the side.

Take time to allow your dog to adapt to the boat and I suspect so long as you're in sight that should be comforting to him/her.

 

[WA6BTK]

JoAnne,
Take a look at a "Thunder Coat" -- we use one and it works very well. Go to http://www.thundershirt.com/thundercoat

One of our dogs exhibited the symptoms you mention, but is calmed dramatically by wearing one. The idea was first developed for Autistic children.

Stu

 

[sheral]

Hi guys. Haven’t been on here for ages but here’s our take on it... not sure about your boat, but does it have a turbo? The ones that do, often produce a sound that doesn’t bother us but drives our pooches absolutely insane. Keep that in mind, should it help...