Good Boating Dog?

Here are my babies:

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"Ruff" life -

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Taking the helm -

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Classis "Sea Ray" logo pic -

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Saying HELLO HELLO to a 300 DA -

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Great pictures and comments. But I can't believe that with all of the Chesapeake boater's out there, no one mentioned the famous Chesapeake Bay Retriever!??! :smt101 Maybe it's because this thread was titled "Good Boating Dog?", and maybe they are slightly less than good in that regard, but...they are great dogs!

Gary touched on it. My Chessie loves the water so much that she just loves to go boating. But, she can't wait to get off of it and into that water; even when doing 30 knots on a glass smooth Potomac River:

Sadie_boat.jpg


So if you want a dog that is playful, compassionate, extremely smart (but hard-headed), protective, can retrieve anything, and loves the water, that's your bet.

Check out myYouTube video of our dog showing all the rest how to enter the water. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOwmJyNWuUI

As far as getting her back on the boat, this outfit she wears is great; it has handle on top to just pull her right up. And as a bonus, it has a little flotation built in, so she can swim clear across the Potomac, in January...twice. :grin:

Sadie_LifePreserver_sm.jpg


Tom
 
Great pictures and comments. But I can't believe that with all of the Chesapeake boater's out there, no one mentioned the famous Chesapeake Bay Retriever!??! :smt101 Maybe it's because this thread was titled "Good Boating Dog?", and maybe they are slightly less than good in that regard, but...they are great dogs!

Gary touched on it. My Chessie loves the water so much that she just loves to go boating. But, she can't wait to get off of it and into that water; even when doing 30 knots on a glass smooth Potomac River:

Sadie_boat.jpg


So if you want a dog that is playful, compassionate, extremely smart (but hard-headed), protective, can retrieve anything, and loves the water, that's your bet.

Check out myYouTube video of our dog showing all the rest how to enter the water. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOwmJyNWuUI

As far as getting her back on the boat, this outfit she wears is great; it has handle on top to just pull her right up. And as a bonus, it has a little flotation built in, so she can swim clear across the Potomac, in January...twice. :grin:

Sadie_LifePreserver_sm.jpg


Tom

Never owned one but I grew up with them. I worked weekends at a marina and would play with the owners dogs. I have fond memories of throwing rocks, stick, bottles, oyster shells, etc into the water and watching them go chase them, and try to find them.

Once one of them came out of the water, dripping wet, dripping water on the end of an electrical extension cord...I heard a loud yelp and realized the poor fella had gotten a nice shot of electricity. He still stood there waiting for me to throw another rock.
 
I thought I would update this thread... We got our dog! Her name is "Tugboat"

She is a beagle with a little terrier from her dad's side. 7 weeks old and she has such a sweet disposition. She is a good match for the family. Thanks to everyone for their pictures, observations and advice! I showed this thread to my wife and it put us over the top!
 
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Good pic. I love my dogs, but don't get hounds if you are looking for boating dogs. Don't like environs they can't sniff out and are far from water dogs.

Porteguese water dog might be an option for some.
 
Good to see most of you at least have collars on the dogs when they're on the boat. We had a fellow slipholder (a blow boater) leave their golden in the boat and it got out. While roaming the docks it got a bit too excited and walked where there wasn't any pier... SPLASH. There are no ramps, steps or shoreline in the marina for the dog to use to get back onto shore. The poor thing started swimming aimlessly trying to find a way up. It was only when two of us GRABBED big handfuls of it's scruff that we managed to yank it back up onto a nearby swim platform. Not having a collar made this quite a lot more difficult than necessary. The owner later turned up and was grateful everyone helped out (and gave us a nice bottle of an Oregon Pinot Noir). I asked if the dog had a microchip and it does. But I also asked what phone number was on that chip record... their home phone... BACK IN OREGON... which rings over to unchecked voicemail while they're out here.

So get a collar on 'em when they're at the boat and make sure your chip records for it have a useful number on file.
 
This is My Valkyrie
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My daughter has a long hair chihuahua /Pug cross & Boston / Pug cross that don't bark a lot
 
Oh & I forgot to mention Dogs are one of the only unconditional Loves you will ever have

Don't believe me - try this

Put both your wife (girl friend or any loved one) & your dog in the trunk of your car, close it & come back in a hour & see which one is happy to see you :grin:
 
Wow, boats and dogs in the same thread! 2 of my favorite things!

To the dogs question.. any breed (or lack of) you choose, please be sure to check the rescues. If your not set on a particular breed (and I'll vouch that mutts are the best!), please check with local humane societies. Otherwise, if you are set on a breed, there are breed rescues everywhere. Just internet search with "breed rescue" and the breed you are looking for. Many times you can find puppies, but also adults which are nice for 1st time owners.

And now for my own question to all you dog owners. We are getting ready to buy our first boat.. 2008 SR 185... just a starter for now. And I definitely want to bring my 2 dogs abroad (lab mix, and golden retirever/ husky mix), both about 50 lbs. Any hints we should know about? Do their nails tear up the vinyl or the carpeting? They have destroyed our hardwood floors so I am a little worried. But I don't think we can bear to be out with out them. I have the prettiest pink polka dot life jackets picked out for them.

Thanks in advance,
Stephanie
 
My weiner dog loves the lake, fetching and swimming. This is not the norm though. I have just spent my summers since college with her on the water so she loves it. She's famous on our lake.
 
Best Boating Dog? That would be one that doesn't bark and bother the neighbors when you leave him home to go boating!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist! While we do take our lab boating and whitewater rafting, I really hate it when he sheds and the fur finds its way into every corner of the bilge and coats the engine (good thing he's a "mercruiser" black lab).
 
We have Irish Water Spaniels onboard Fynder with us. Great swimmers and companions, gentle but maybe a bit mischevious, most people think that they are a chocolate labra -doodle/cross/or something but I am tired of explaining.

I made a movie about cruising Georgian Bay with our dogs after we lost our female last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpIhoz0o-r8

Our male, Bosun, had a very nasty winter suffering through Blastomycosis - an inhaled fungal infection from spores in soil and rotting wood - something freshwater boaters / dog owners should know about: http://www.dogsincanada.com/Default.aspx?tabid=64&iID=254

Bosun is doing great now and is back in and on the water for the summer!
 
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rescues, rescues, rescues!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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We had a fellow slipholder (a blow boater) leave their golden in the boat and it got out. While roaming the docks it got a bit too excited and walked where there wasn't any pier... SPLASH.

Would have expected nothing less from a Golden Retriever...(sorry, couldn't resist). :grin:
 
I have a miniature black labradoodle that came as an option from Sea Ray on my 98 370 DA. Perfect boat dog, 20lbs, doesn't shed. They're available in black or gold to match your boot stripes. Ask your local Marine Max dealer to see if they're still available (part # 709899).:thumbsup:
 

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