Good Boating Dog?

This guy loves the boat. Everybody says Beagles howl a lot and bark but mine isn't too vocal! Loves going in the car or the boat. All you have to say is do you want to go in the... car....boat and hes off! Make sure you keep them on a leash though, the love to run!

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Woody,

Its funny you mentioned the Basenji. We rescued a Basenji mix puppy in Dec and we decided to keep her. Very smart but stubborn and lots and lots of energy. Having a yard and lots of walks is a must for her. As far as the water, she has only been swimming once and it took awhile to get her in. She hates baths and the hose and is not the best swimmer, but I think eventually she will get more comfortable.
 
We have two Yorkies (9 and 10) that are out with us every weekend. They do not shed or take up much room and love to snuggle with you in the mid-cabin. That is one of the reasons we went with the setup we have now so they can enjoy our favorite pastime with us. The little one likes to play fetch and they both love to swim. The only problem, IMO, is that they are a little fragile when it come to other dogs on the beach or people who are not use to looking down.
 
I'm going to recommend a Maltese... family dog, small (usually 5-6 lbs.. altho our male is 9 lbs) They do not shed , very playful and absolutely LOVE the boat and the beach. Swimming they will do just to please you and to be with you, altho I don't think they are real fond of it. Altho they are white we don't have any trouble keeping them that way even after swimming in our dirty river water. Very well behaved but will be protective of their owners. Best of luck with your choice!
 

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Our miniture Schnauzer loves being on the boat, but does not care much for getting in the water.

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All my dogs were pretty good dogs but I have to say that the schnauzer has the most unique character and exceptional intelligence(he's a smart a$$).
 
schitzo -bichon good w/kids hpoallegetic hair not fur ,loves boating,and little dogs -little dumps

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Our Cockapoo, Molly, is 22 lbs. and a good size for carrying on andoff the boat. She's great on the boat. Loves to swim (Cocker Spaniels are in the sporting breed) and she doesn't shed. Not shedding is something to consider. There are a lot of new breeds that have been bred with Poodles to get the non-shedding trait. A friend has a labradoodle. Great dog.
 
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Nice to see so many dog owners. That's yet one more thing in our favor -- boats, Sea Rays, and dogs.

One of the great things about boating is that we can bring our dog along with us. Don't need to find someone to take care of him or kennel him while we're away.

I don't think that there are any bad dog breeds, buts some are better suited to certain families and settings than others. Some breeds are more tolerant of kids. But most dogs are pretty good with their kids. It's the other kids in the neighborhood who have to watch out. Bullies should be trained to not pick on kids who own GSD, Rotties, Dobies, and so forth. I think that this sums it up, "The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic." - Henry Ward Beecher

We have a golden retriever. He's our second. They're good dogs, but can be a handful on the boat, because they want go be in the water. It was difficult to keep the first one out of the water. If he was outside and not on a short leash, he was in the water. Our current golden is defective. He doesn't like the water. Not as much fun, but it sure is easier.

Retrievers, golden, labrador, chesapeake bay, etc are all easy to train dogs. They are eager to please, which makes training easy. Beagles are harder to train. We had one when I was a child. He could be a handful.

Another choice is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Has a golden retriever like temperament, but in a much smaller package.

Best regards,
Frank C
 
Larry&Leisa said:
I'm going to recommend a Maltese... family dog, small (usually 5-6 lbs.. altho our male is 9 lbs) They do not shed , very playful and absolutely LOVE the boat and the beach. Swimming they will do just to please you and to be with you, altho I don't think they are real fond of it. Altho they are white we don't have any trouble keeping them that way even after swimming in our dirty river water. Very well behaved but will be protective of their owners. Best of luck with your choice!
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I see you guys have an open boat like mine and go out with your Maltese. We have a Bichon (kind of like a 2x Maltese). He is a fantastic dog and loves the car, so I am guessing he'll love the water.

I have never taken him out as I'm concerned about not having a place to put him with shelter. Yes, we have the under helm berth, but underway I do not think he'll like it in there.

A couple of questions for you and others:

1. What do you do to make sure your dog does not fall (or fly at 54mph!) out of the boat? OK, OK, we cruise at 42 on calm days, so maybe he won't fly out.

2. Do you need to put a life preserver on a dog? I know he can swim as he does that in the pool . . .

3. I hear some folks talking about sunscreen, would you consider a Bichon which has the same pigmentation as a Maltese as a dog that needs sunscreen?

Thanks,
Gregg
 
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I am looking at a Keeshond. also known as a Dutch Barge Dog. They are suppose to be good watchdogs, good with children, do not grow too large and are very loyal.
 
HudsonHauler said:
I see you guys have an open boat like mine and go out with your Maltese. We have a Bichon (kind of like a 2x Maltese). He is a fantastic dog and loves the car, so I am guessing he'll love the water.

I have never taken him out as I'm concerned about not having a place to put him with shelter. Yes, we have the under helm berth, but underway I do not think he'll like it in there.

A couple of questions for you and others:

1. What do you do to make sure your dog does not fall (or fly at 54mph!) out of the boat? OK, OK, we cruise at 42 on calm days, so maybe he won't fly out.

2. Do you need to put a life preserver on a dog? I know he can swim as he does that in the pool . . .

3. I hear some folks talking about sunscreen, would you consider a Bichon which has the same pigmentation as a Maltese as a dog that needs sunscreen?

Thanks,
Gregg
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we always put a life vest on our boykin. i think any dog can get distracted and just continue to swim, like us, they too get fatigued. ours having a liver colored coat, we always provide shade for him and always, well mostly always, put sunscreen on his nose.
 
As far as suncscreen we haven't used any but we do make sure the pups have shade. We usually have our bimini up. I haven't gotten ours to take to to the underhelm storage area either for traveling.

I don't worry about them falling out really. The admiral and I have discussed roles in a 'rescue' however. heh When we are cruising they tend to come to the back of the boat and sit on a lounger or curl up underneath one of us. (plus we usually have the helm door closed to block the wind) When i really tend to watch them more is when we are at slow speed. They tend to have to jockey each other for best position riding on top of the anchor locker and playing 'lookout'. :smt009

There have been several discussions concerning life jackets if you want to search. We put them on after they have been swimming awhile, go on the waverunners, or there are number of large boats going by causing wake at the beach when they are swimming.
 
When our female Golden Retriever was younger (about a year old... she is 5 now) she would just jump off the boat into the water regardless if it was moving or not. That's the problem I think with the Retriever/Lab type of dogs. If she is near water, she has to be sitting in it or swimming in it and it's always a fight to keep her out. The life vest for her was a good idea because it was bright orange and made it easy to spot her after she jumped off... plus it had a handle.

She doesn't jump off a moving boat anymore but if the swim platform goes down and the kids are going swimming, she's the first one diving off.... stupid dog.
 
Just a few thoughts....we had a 30' boat for many years with two kids and a dog and we did a lot of cruising with friends. The night time walks (dink ride) were never a challenge but friends with large breeds was a much bigger ordeal. Our first was a mutt that loved the water 20 lbs or so. If you pick up a water loving dog, they are always in the water and always need to be dried off (a few extra towels). Black hair on the boat deck constaintly. If she would see something in the water...she would jump off even when the boat was in motion.

Next was breed with hair at 15 lbs...does not really like the water (will never jump in) but is at home on the boat and takes up minimal room and is easy to get on and off the boat. The dog needs to be cut every few months but you have minimal hair clean up. Quite a few breeds with hair...ours is a breed called a Havanese. Smart and easy to train....and you are not carrying 5#s of c**p during your walks.
Best of Luck in your search....Ed
 
In Two Deep said:
I am looking at a Keeshond. also known as a Dutch Barge Dog. They are suppose to be good watchdogs, good with children, do not grow too large and are very loyal.
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We had one. Nice dogs. A little willful, so they can be a handful to train, but not as difficult as a hound. They do tend to bark a lot. They bark at everything, kids outside, the mailman, when the heat or central A/C kicks on, everything.

Best regards,
Frank
 
We are on our second boating Doberman, our first one passed away because of CHF last year, and Lexi our new Dobie has been wonderful on the boat and spends the night with us at the dock or on the hook. Everyone on the dock loves her to death and remarks on how well behaved and gentle she is. Here is a pic from this past weekend sitting next to my mother in law.
 

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