training a pup to become a "salty dog"

[dreamer*65]

This May we hope to be introducing our lab puppy who will be 6 months old at that time to the cruising pleasures and adventures of our R 27. I have raised/trained several wonderfully behaved dogs over the past 50 some years with much success. My last dog was a terrific boat/fishing buddy for 10 years aboard my 16 foot boat.

However, this will be our first experience with teaching a 6 month old lab how to become a great dog on a BIG boat. So, if anyone has any advice, suggestions or Tugnuts' posting references on how to help our pup "Rohan" become one of the so many well-behaved dogs we have seen gracing the decks of Ranger Tugs please let us know.

Last summer we spent 82 days straight circumnavigating Lake Superior so we are getting the boat thing down, but would like to add another passenger for future adventurers (e.g. the Great Loop)

 

[baz]

A trained dog is one thing..... but do not forget/ignore exercising the dog. Even small dogs such as my Wire Hair Fox Terrier (Jake) require decent period periods jumping, running, sniffing for critters and the like that cannot be done onboard.

As much as I've tried I cannot get Jake to stay quiet for long when left onboard while I visit a dock-side restaurant.

No barking at night time when docked at a Marina is a must as well.

Good luck with the training.... A lab should be a piece of cake compared to a lively Terrier.

 

[dreamer*65]

Barry, I hear you, especially about the "no barking in the marina rule." Yes, my other "boat" dog always demanded that she get a healthy dose of lake swim time and tearing around on shore investigating everything! Thanks.

 

[Bigsky]

Hey Dreamer,
Skip is our 12yr old border collie and has gone everywhere with us. He wants to please and is (usually) well behaved. We were nervous last year about the dog thing and a new to us tug and new passion. He had been on a lot of river trips with us so we felt sure he wouldn't jump from the boat. What concerned us was the dock to boat and back thing. I got a folding dog ramp at Ace, of all places. Wasn't cheap $80 but sturdy plastic and light. Works like a charm even if the boat is rolling at the dock. Mainly didn't want him in the drink between boat and dock. Yes, he wears a CFD. We were consistent with not allowing Skip to load/unload without ramp in place. Will probably require more patience with a young dog. Well worth the effort.
Cheers, Bill

 

[baz]

If your dog has a tendency to jump and finds itself wanting to get overboard at the slightest movement in the waters or some seagulls flying by too closely etc, then a good cockpit enclosure will provide some security for keeping the dog onboard. This works for me and gives me some peace of mind when underway.

My Fox Terrier (who can easily jump over 6 feet) will leap at the slightest thing that comes close by with complete abandonment as to its ramifications and I've had to quickly retrieve him from the water.... and this is not restricted to him being on the boat as he's done this when on the dockside as well. Leaping at a seagull sitting on a dockside breakwater and with the seagull simply flying off leaves my Jake hurtling through the air over the breakwater and into the drink.... horrors for me, especially if the distance from top of breakwater to the sea level is 6 feet or more. I've had a fellow boater hold me while I'm fully stretched over a breakwater wall retrieving my errant Jake. :roll:

 

[JamesTXSD]

Patience. No dogs for us, but we have had wonderful boat cats. We make it a point to introduce them to the boat when it isn't under way. Spend a night or three on the boat on the trailer or while tied to a dock. Give them the same routine on the boat that they have at home: same meal times, exercise time, and have their favorite toys and personal items. Make the first trips short and easy... no rough weather or fast cruising. If you will be using a dinghy, give them the opportunity to practice getting in and out.

Cats are easy, because you don't have to do the 3 to 4 trips to shore each day. But, your pooch will need potty breaks, and if you can train him to an astroturf pad in the cockpit, it will make your life (and his) way easier. Some dogs will hold it 'till they explode rather than potty onboard... again, patience and training. "Dock training" so he will be a good neighbor and not bark or lunge at folks passing by.

Our trips have been better with the furry family member along...

 

[Red Raven]

Hey Jim, Your cat photo needs to be in the January photo contest! I love it!

Curt

 

[TexasEye]

Labs take time to mature, like 3 years! Labs eat anything that is expensive or necessary for Archimedes's principle, they Yelp...and Yelp and Yelp..., and, they are escape artist. Good Luck...I love Labs...

 

[S. Todd]

We boated with Labs for years and found them to be great boaters. We have a labradoodle now and she is even better because she does not like to swim or get more than her paws wet so no wet dog to deal with. She likes to hang out and nap in the dingy when we are in a calm anchorage. She loves riding on the paddleboard but I have to kneel to keep from her dunking us both. We use a simple rope "gate" in the cockpit to remind her no leaving the boat to roam the docks when not invited. A leash is attached to the table base for the docking and leaving events when she needs to be away from the gunnels and stay put no matter what (although we seldom use it for her- but needed it for our shelty mix that recently passed). Lots of exercise first thing in the morning has always worked for us. A tired dog is a good dog. We eat out exclusively at restaurants with outside seating that allow the dog(s) be with us. We walk or run and walk and walk some more when we are in a marina. Early in the morning, late at night and in between. The dogs always seem to sleep on the day or two day drive home from the lake. Dramamine works but not usually needed for Labradors. They all disliked the waves when they get to be 3 to 5(s) but that is not much different than the other crew members. We tried the astro turf arrangement but Christy does not drink much and does not need to pee often so the training did not work and we just wait until we can dingy ashore or get to a marina. A six hour cruise does not bother her a bit. The turbo charger has a high pitched whine that they dislike so there is often an attempt to get into the v-birth when we speed up. Christy's favorite place (because we keep her out of the V-berth during the day) is right at my feet by the helm when the turbo is whining.

 

[Captain Steve]

when we had a dog, we used a plastic tub with a piece of sod in it end of boat trip we just dumped it over. I stopped by Lowes or Home Depot and picked up one strip of sod. When I told them what it was for I usually got one for free...the dried out one on the top of the pile!

 

[MichaelStrotz2]

I know of a small dog that fell off a boat at anchor and drowned. The owner did not see it happen. Terrible! Any dog on a boat - even a lab, could be a drowning victim. I boat with my dog. Here is what I do as a precaution against losing him at sea.

I purchased a Crew Watcher man overboard beacon which was developed to alert a boat's captain if a crew member falls overboard. I hang the 2" orange-color beacon on my dog's collar when on the boat. The Crew Watcher app on my iphone links to it and if the connection is broken, which would occur if my dog fell into the water or gets 50 or 100 feet away from my boat, my iphone alarm goes off and shouts "McQueen overboard". The app also gives me precise coordinates of his location so I can turn around for him and know precisely where he was when he fell in. It works on kids, too!

Crew Watcher is made by/for Weems & Plath who make nautical instruments for safe and enjoyable boating. They sell single-device and two-device systems. You can see it at http://www.weems-plath.com/Products/Saf ... tcher.html

I have used it for a year and can swear by it. Several times I have received a false alarm alert that my dog fell overboard while he is in the boat with me. Getting a false alarm is a good thing because it shows that the system is working. The signal connection for some unknown reason was interrupted and my iphone alerted me to the break in the connection.

I can leave my dog on the boat at a waterfront restaurant if my boat is tied up very close to (in range of) where I will be. It will alert me if he falls in or even if he somehow got off the boat and wanders out of range of me.

 

[newt]

I don't have a huge amount to add. But I do train working/competition dogs and I take them aboard with me. One of the best things you can do in training any dog(sea dog or not) is train them to go on command. My dogs are trained to go on command with the command "last pee." They immediately go in an appropriate place. That combined with some turf in my boat's cockpit solves a lot of the problem. And I've got two pretty large dogs (female German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois). It's also one of the easiest to train. Just use your command every time they go. They'll associate it pretty quick. Then re-enforce it with praise/treats.

I also use a couple of key commands that I train in like "aboard" for get on the boat. "Place" for lie down and settle. Etc.

The biggest problem for me is the damn fur. My wife calls the German a German Shedder.

Newt
(First post, long time lurker. Just bought an R23! Thanks all for the great resource. it helped me get there).

 

[NorthernFocus]

I don't have a huge amount to add. But I do train working/competition dogs and I take them aboard with me. One of the best things you can do in training any dog(sea dog or not) is train them to go on command. My dogs are trained to go on command with the command "last pee." They immediately go in an appropriate place. That combined with some turf in my boat's cockpit solves a lot of the problem. And I've got two pretty large dogs (female German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois). It's also one of the easiest to train. Just use your command every time they go. They'll associate it pretty quick. Then re-enforce it with praise/treats.

I also use a couple of key commands that I train in like "aboard" for get on the boat. "Place" for lie down and settle. Etc.

The biggest problem for me is the damn fur. My wife calls the German a German Shedder.

All good advice above. We've been taking our dogs(all German shorthair pointers) aboard for over 20 years on both sail and power boats. A well trained dog is a well trained dog regardless of where it is. If it has a good foundation of discipline training it's not going to forget it just because it's aboard a boat. If they've been taught boundaries at home they'll quickly learn any boundaries you choose to establish on the boat(like not allowed on the swim step). It's a good idea to establish a safe place on the boat where you can send the dog with a single command when you need it to quickly get out from under foot for whatever reason. "Bed" sends ours into the cave when we're in the cabin and "house" sends her into the cabin when we're doing something in the cockpit.

That said, dogs are like small kids with no regard for personal safety and poor impulse control. No matter how well trained they are, given the right stimuli they can do goofy things. So just as if you have a child aboard, always be aware of where they are/what they're doing. Where we boat there is always a chance that some sort marine mammal will pop up alongside whether at anchor or running. Which isn't a problem when we're with the dog. But no telling what a goofy dog would do on its own. So we don't leave ours alone in the cockpit. She's only allowed out there when we're out there.

The only thing we would do differently if we had a do-over would be to train her to do her business on a patch of artificial turf as described above so she could go without a trip to shore. As is we have to plan our cruises around potty breaks.