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Dogs on the Bu


saidainc

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I know we have been through this but some particulars are missing. Those who have dogs on their boats, what steps do you take for:

hydration

bathroom breaks

excess fur

buoyancy (lifejackets required or recommended)?

LE issues at your location?

any complaints or concerns not previously addressed?

kthx

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Hydration????? Unless it's a horrible water supply where boating, it's not an issue. Could use a collapsible bowl (Cabelas) and bottled water I guess...

Bathroom breaks: my dogs lets me know when he has to go (barks, whines a little, always getting on the platform) and I get him near shore to swim over and he goes up the bank a ways (wildlife area, not a beach area)

Excessive fur: It's a dog, it's part of the game. rigid vac, shop vac, or rotating bristle vacuum takes care of it

Buoyancy: a dog life vest is a must. My lab swims so much, he really wears himself out. don't want him sinking to the bottom. Check out ruffwear life vests. REI and amazon have them. www.ruffwear.com

I've been boating with Labs for more than 10 years. no issues at all. they don't even tear up the interior or seats.

Dogs... like... BOATS

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Edited by DIE2SURF
  • Like 2
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Just started dealing with this this year. (6 month old Beagle)

Hydration - we just set out a little container and fill with water when we want her to drink - she also drinks a lot out of the lake when we are at anchor

Bathroom breaks - I make sure to take her with me in the truck when I park and retrieve the trailer, gives her an extra chance to relieve herself before and after the boat. There are a couple islands that we paddleboard her in to for breaks, haven't had any success getting her to go on the platform. She tells us when she needs to go and actually jumped out of the boat the last time (no wake zone and wife didn't have a tight enough grip on leash). I keep a potty pad under the bow cushions and cleaning supplies to take care of the couple mistakes she had. Bring poop bags and a sealed container (plastic coffee can or other smell proof container) to put the bag in the boat.

Fur - not really a big issue for us, Beagles don't shed a ton so it gets cleaned up as part of normal after use boat cleaning.

Lifejacket - we use one because she is skinny and don't really want to deal with trying to find her in the water if she bails out - jacket is orange. She only wears it when we are towing, on paddleboard and anchored.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081XIKY6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

LE issues?

She is always leashed when the boat is moving, she likes to play hood ornament and doesn't make the best decisions yet.

Main thing for us is to bring along things to keep her busy. Oddly enough her favorite chew toy is empty plastic water bottles.

IMG_4717s.JPG

Edited by oldjeep
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I'm still hesitant of taking my 115lb German Shepherd out. He grew up on a farm and isn't exactly leash trained.

He loves truck rides so maybe on the last ride of the season I'll take him out.

Edited by mountaineerhill
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Dogs are great on the boat! Mine love to come out with us and we don't seem to have any trouble with them jumping off when they aren't supposed to. For your questions:

Hydration: I just set out a bowl for them (the bottom of a decent sized insulated sports drink cooler)

Bathroom breaks: Mine will go on the platform, but only if it is submerged from surf ballast. shore is the easiest.

Life jackets are a must, ditto to the statements above. Mine wear them the whole time we are out.

Excess fur: One of mine is a mini husky, and that fur gets EVERYWHERE. No real problem with the lab. Most of the boat is easy to wipe down, but the carpet is a bear to clean... even with a Dyson animal it takes some work to get it out from being tangled in the fibers

Other concerns: Prepare the passengers - mine like to be up on a seat next to someone when we are underway and it can startle people that aren't ready for a dog to be glued to them. Also, make sure the dogs are already seated if you are doing slalom pulls - when you hammer the throttle, the whole boat will be in an uproar if you have a 80lb lab slipping/falling back from the bow walk thru to the rear seats... ask me how I know :)

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We take our pup out all the time. She will go on the swim step most of the time and seems to be getting better. She definitely has to be leashed while the boat is moving and especially while I am surfing or wake boarding. She love to ride the tube and won't stay out of the water, great fun for the kids too.

Edited by toddrparr
  • Like 2
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Just started dealing with this this year. (6 month old Beagle)

Hydration - we just set out a little container and fill with water when we want her to drink - she also drinks a lot out of the lake when we are at anchor

Bathroom breaks - I make sure to take her with me in the truck when I park and retrieve the trailer, gives her an extra chance to relieve herself before and after the boat. There are a couple islands that we paddleboard her in to for breaks, haven't had any success getting her to go on the platform. She tells us when she needs to go and actually jumped out of the boat the last time (no wake zone and wife didn't have a tight enough grip on leash). I keep a potty pad under the bow cushions and cleaning supplies to take care of the couple mistakes she had. Bring poop bags and a sealed container (plastic coffee can or other smell proof container) to put the bag in the boat.

Fur - not really a big issue for us, Beagles don't shed a ton so it gets cleaned up as part of normal after use boat cleaning.

Lifejacket - we use one because she is skinny and don't really want to deal with trying to find her in the water if she bails out - jacket is orange. She only wears it when we are towing, on paddleboard and anchored.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081XIKY6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

LE issues?

She is always leashed when the boat is moving, she likes to play hood ornament and doesn't make the best decisions yet.

Main thing for us is to bring along things to keep her busy. Oddly enough her favorite chew toy is empty plastic water bottles.

IMG_4717s.JPG

9 year old Beagle here. Just wait the fur shedding will come with age.....its not bad but I would never use the expression that Beagles don't shed much based on the ones we have had.

Ours used to love plastic water bottles as chew toys too...until a vet friend of mine pointed out the little shards of plastic she was consuming as she aggresively chewed are really bad for her digestive system.

She has never set a paw in the Malibu....used to join us in the old boat but since we built the lake house she seams happier in the yard following her nose.

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My Morkie loves to ride in the boat. loves when we park so he can hop on the platform and drink from the lake. He used to pee on the platform but wont anymore now that he drinks back there.

Unlike most dogs, my dog has zero interest in getting wet so we never have him wear a jacket, he knows how to stay in the boat. When wakeboarding hell sit on the wifes lap and when someone falls hell run to the back to see them then to the front when we turn around then back to the back when picking up. After they get up, back to the wifes lap.

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9 year old Beagle here. Just wait the fur shedding will come with age.....its not bad but I would never use the expression that Beagles don't shed much based on the ones we have had.

Ours used to love plastic water bottles as chew toys too...until a vet friend of mine pointed out the little shards of plastic she was consuming as she aggresively chewed are really bad for her digestive system.

She has never set a paw in the Malibu....used to join us in the old boat but since we built the lake house she seams happier in the yard following her nose.

The last beagle we had never shed much either - lived to 14. And it really depends on what your definition is of shedding much, I mean compared to dogs that leave other small dog looking thing laying around ;) As for the water bottles they get taken away if she actually tears anything off of them or gets the cap off, mostly she just crunches on them and makes a lot of noise.

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Small hi-jack/story (but you did ask about LE issues)

We had a friend visiting from out of state this past Spring and he got stopped and ticketed for his dog having his legs/partial torso on the gunwale while under power (10-15 mph, tops)

A) I think he got stopped just so the officer could do a sobriety check and equipment check

B) I think he got the ticket for the dog because the officer was having a long day and didn't find any alcohol or equipment infractions

C) I strongly felt he should challenge the ticket, but he is from out of state and didn't want the hassle

*Wisconsin's law prohibits "passengers" from riding on the gunwales while under power. The officer made it very clear that pets are passengers in his mind*

Edited by RedOwl
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I never thought I would have a dog in my boat. I was wrong. We got a new rescue this year and took him boating all summer. He was great. Only real issue is making sure that when he jumps on the sundeck the kids don't pull him back by the leash because he will dig in his claws to stop. He has been great. Bought him a CWB life jacket in August and it works great. The hair is the only real issue that I have with it. I need to make sure the kids spend more time helping get the hair out of the boat.

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Mine knows when i am going to the lake and gets mad if she gets left at home! We typically just carry a small bowl, and add a little melted ice water from the cooler or a bottle of water.

We take them on a potty break right before launch, then again mid day, and they are ok.

We don't do vests for them because they don't like getting in the water alone.

Mine don't really shed, so non issue.

But she does like to float on surfboard, see my avatar!

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I have a 95 pound doberman that I would love to take out, but I am very hesitant due to her shedding and the possibility of her claws scratching/tearing stuff. I do not plan to have my boat forever so I think for resale purposes, my pup will have to miss out on the lake trips for now. And I am extremely anal about cleanliness on the boat. See above statement about resale.

Edited by ac88926
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My dogs are swimmers, so if it's just me & them, no life jackets. If my wife is with us, they have to wear'em. I have a water dish & fresh water on board & try to keep them from drinking the lake water too much. Every couple hours we jump off or swim ashore for a break. We keep their claws trimmed & never had a problem with the upholstery. They shed, but their a LOT easier to clean up after than kids.

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Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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ahopkins22LSV

We take our 115 Mastiff / Black lab out all the time. We have a jacket for him but only put it on him when he is really tired. He is very well behaved in the boat. Never had an issue with his nails ripping anything. Yes there is hair everywhere. But, there is hair everywhere in our house, cars, and typically food. I have got used to it.

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One note I just though of when Bill mentioned keeping his dogs from drinking lake water. We do have our dog immunized against Leptospirosis, which is a nasty thing they can get from drinking from some ponds/lakes.

Yea, it's really only an issue around here later in the year when the lake's algae bloom starts to get going. Every now & then you hear about a dog who dies or gets sick from it. Hasn't been a problem for us. I paddle with them a lot too & still have not had any issues.

billfrankie3.jpg

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I read somewhere (probably this site) about a dog that was seriously injured jumping off the back of the boat and getting a leg caught in the grab handle. To minimize the chance of that happening, I cut a foam noodle to size and wedge it in there every time the dogs are out with us. We encourage the dogs to drink fresh water from a collapsible bowl, as too much lake/river water can cause intestinal problems. Someone usually accompanies the dogs to shore on potty breaks to clean up after them and to round them up should they spot something that sparks their prey drive.

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LE issues are law enforcement issues but I think my question got answered (dogs are considered passengers).

Our dog is a 100 lbs Dutch Shepard. Very well behaved ex-MWD (military working dog). He has a bad hip and I am actually not sure if he can swim or not.

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My dude will go on command before we leave the house or shore. He won't relieve himself in the water but will wherever there is a bush on shore--he'll back in underneath it. In this pic between one of our favorite sandbars and shore there is a 8' hole about 20' across. I make my son swim him to shore on the leash (it's a busy downtown public park) and bag it and bring it back if it comes to that. The dog will get antsy and look towards shore if he needs to go.

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We take water either in a bottle and a soft collapsible dish or in a sealable plastic coffee container for him to drink out of.

No jacket on our retriever, we only swim where he can find an area to touch bottom.

One thing not mentioned yet is keeping the truck dry if you tow to water. We swim a few miles from the launch and bring two towels for him. Get him on the platform, dry him as best we can and let the wind do the rest on the way back to the launch. Only time it didn't work was when I let him ride in the boat across my parents' lake with my Dad and an uncle while I drove the truck around to the launch. I got the boat hooked to the trailer and said 'okay' meaning I was ready to pull them out. Well, he took the 'okay' to mean jump off the boat and get in the truck. Shallow launch so the rear tires were in up to the bottom of the rims so he got soaked. And then so did they on the truck ride back to the house. :lol:

Nature's dryer, I recommend a minimum of three miles for a long haired dog. 25mph seems right, much more than that and he'll crawl under the console by my feet to get out of the wind:

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Edited by jk13
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Hydration- we carry around a water bottle and have an ice cream container to put water in, alltho the dog (Banjo) dose not drink whilst on the boat...

Bathroom- before we go out we take the dog for a walk to try to make them go, but if we are out for a long time we normal stop on the shore and take a small break

Fur... every where like just ahhh.... what can you do right.. enjoy your cleaning

Buoyancy- we have never used life jackets, but should possibly look into it the dog jumps of the back sometimes (hold on to them whilst surfing... for some reason they hate surfing..) and just pops right back up, think its a sign of fattnes..

Le? Think that's a usa thing.. (from Australia)

We dont clip our dogs feet that often so we use towels on the seats he sits on and that seems to solve all of our problems

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On 9/4/2015 at 9:52 AM, jk13 said:

Nature's dryer, I recommend a minimum of three miles for a long haired dog. 25mph seems right, much more than that and he'll crawl under the console by my feet to get out of the wind:

attachicon.gifKava boat 3 web.jpg

Haha, what is it about dogs & kids & the bow? They all seem to gravitate up there all the time!

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We usually bring plenty of water for the dogs to drink too. By the end of the summer, many of the lakes around here get funky with algae blooms & milfoil... occasionally you hear about dogs dieing from drinking it. I'm sure it's in the stagnant shoreline areas, but who wants to risk it.

We taught our dogs to jump in on command. So when it comes time to take a shore break, it's easy enough to tell them to jump in & swim ashore to take a leak. Doesn't work everytime, but mostly.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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