A dog owner question!

tawcat

tawcat

New Member
Apr 14, 2007
699
Lake Ouachita, Arkansas
Boat Info
320 Sundancer
Engines
6.1 V drives
two parts to this question. first; we are prepping for delivery of our 320, got dock lines in place yesterday using a friends 320. noticed though that we will have a boarding issue for our dog, simon, a boykin spaniel! the way we have the boat tied in it'll either be a big leap for him or a heavy carry for us. anyone have suggestions for a boarding ramp hookup?

second part. simon is a swimmer, loves the water. on our old boat, a rinker fv 265, he has been known to leap off of the back seat, over the swim platform and motor. sometimes he is such a dumba$$!

anyway, getting him out of the water back on to the boat is not an easy task. anyone have a fix for some type of ramp or step configuration to make his getting back onto the boat easier?

our fix is to make him a stay at home dog while mom and dad play at the lake!!!!
 
Our Golden uses the boarding ladder after a swim just like everyone else. She has a little bit of trouble when it's really rocking, but I just grab her collar and give her a little help and she's fine. Then she shakes and drips a bit on the swimstep before entering the boat. It works very well! If we're docked someplace calm, she'll jump in and come up using the ladder all by herself. Other folks usually come over to tell us that are dog has fallen in. They think she won't be able to get out and are amazed that she can do it.

I'll bet once Simon figures out the ladder is available, he'll figure it out. Don't under estimate the power of a few well placed Scooby snacks! On the back of our boat is a handle to grab once your still on the ladder but can't quite reach the railing. I thought about putting something on that for the dog to grab with her teeth, but she never needed it.

The boarding ramps that float seem like a good idea, but I think they'd be hard to stow. Maybe they just flip up on the back? I thought about a carpeted piece of plywood with some rails across that would float with a buoy or two. I'm lucky because we didn't need it.
 
For our golden to get on and off at the dock, I tighten one of the stern lines and spring line when we arrive, to bring the boat about 6” from the finger pier. With the boat this close she will jump on and off without any hesitation.

When we are anchored and swimming, she will also try to climb the ladder onto the swim platform, but can’t quite make it, so we just give her a little boost and all is well.

When she was a puppy, we used one of those dog life jackets with the handle on top, which worked great, but now would be a bit of a chore as I guessing she weighs about 80 lbs soaking wet.
 
We were just talking about this last night as we were grilling out behind several of our friend's boats. We have a Shelty/Shetland Sheep Dog/Miniature Collie/small version of "Lassie." He went to the beach with us on our 250 for 8 or 9 years. If we left him on the boat, he barked. If we ran on the beach, he barked. If we swam in the waves, he barked. If we threw a frisbie, he barked. If we sat quietly on the beach, he sat quietly. If we went to dinner, we had to take him off the boat with us and let him sit quietly under our feet. That didn't always work. If we left him on the boat, he barked.

There are nesting grounds on our barrier islands. There are "No dog" seasons. Those rules were being stricly enforced the last couple of years, so we got out of the habit of taking the dog. We actually watched a Ranger's helicopter land in the sand dunes creating a Saporro as a uniformed cop with a big-rimmed hat got out to check for fricking dogs on the beach - some just don't get it.

I decided that on the new boat, no dogs would be allowed. As we arrived at the dock one year ago this week, my neighbor came to pick us up from our trip home from buying the boat. He brought my dog and both of his dogs. After 6 months of cleaning up dog hair, our dog has not been back on the boat. When we pack beach towels, he gets really sad and lays flat on the floor with his eyes tracking us around the room. If he didn't bark so much, or the fines weren't so high, or he didn't shed so much, I might break down. Well, he'd have to not bark. As it is, he stays home with the cat.

Did you know that lap dogs were owned by the rich to keep the fleas off of the owner? They also work well at the beach to keep sharks off of the owner.
 
We love our dogs, have 2 or 3 depending on daughter's life but believe they have they place; the marina, on our boat or in the lake isn't them. You invent a dog with a lab's disposition that doesn't bark, pee, poop, fart, shed & has no toe nails & we'll reconsider. I
 
appreciate all the info. our dog is part of our family and we really do hate to ban him from the boat. so today i bought a dog house, i'll figure out a way to install a small fan to move air for him. silly i know, he's a dog!
 
We take our Golden with us to the boat. He manages fine with jumping on and off the boat, we just have to lift the dock lines at the stern for him. Since we are not lake boaters and are on the boat for a few days at a time, we can't leave him home.

Best regards,
Frank
 
I forgot, the newer boats don't have easy access to the swimplatform at the dock like the older boats do. You have to step around the side of the boat which makes for GREAT styling, but a PITA at the dock. The dock is not a problem for our Golden or the Lopsided a$$hole (Lhasa Apso). It would be on the newer design.
 
BON DIA said:
We love our dogs, have 2 or 3 depending on daughter's life but believe they have they place; the marina, on our boat or in the lake isn't them. You invent a dog with a lab's disposition that doesn't bark, pee, poop, fart, shed & has no toe nails & we'll reconsider. I
Click to expand...

They have those - I forget what they're called, but they're really tiny, skinny lap dogs that cost a fortune. For exercise, you can put them in a hamster cage and let them run around in the wheel.
 
We have Boston Terriers and have learned not to teach or let the dogs get on/off the boat by themselves. They have never met a stranger and without supervision, will go visit anyone nearby including various protected species of sea birds, etc. Teaching them to be lifted on and off makes them stop before jumping on or jumping off and while it is an inconvielence, it is a lot better to know your dog is where he's supposed to be.

I know that collars are the preferred means to control dogs, but we use harnesses. A harness gives you a handle to grab when the dog is in the water and also eliminates the possibility of an accidental choking.
 
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We have a 100lb chocolate lab who goes to the boat every time we do. Fortunately our 240 is easy for him to get on and off while at the dock. If we are on the hook he will only jump in if we tell him its ok. We bought the paws aboard ladder and after trying to attach it to the boats ladder we sent it back. What a piece of you know what. Plus you can't use the ladder for yourself. If we are in shallow water it is just as easy for me to lift him. we also have a life jacket for him with a handle to pull him out if the water was deeper. Normally he doesn't use the jacket.
 
I take my Yellow Lab out with me once a week in the summer. I installed a hydraulic swim platform several years ago that makes it easy for her as well as my friends to enjoy the water without dealing with a ladder. She isn't allowed in the cabin because Labs blow their coats in the summer and it gets everywhere. Her swimming also helps with the shedding problem in the summer.

Walking her every 2-3 hours is not an issue in Georgetown unless we are side-tied to other boats. That makes it a bit more challenging for her to get to the dock.

-John
 
Our yellow Lab, Rudder, is a permanent fixture on the boat. He uses the swim ladder unassisted without any problems.
 
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