Recommendations for a Dog Ramp?

In Two Deep

Member
Aug 23, 2007
237
Long Island Sound
Boat Info
2001 340 Sundancer
Engines
8.1 Mercruiser
This coming season will be the first with our newly rescued 3 year old Labrador Retriever. If he is true to the breed, he will want to be in the water. But I am concerned about getting him out of the water and onto the swim platform and when we are at anchor. Anyone have experience with ramps, ladders, etc? UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_4d11.jpg
 
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Following, also do you train your dog to do business on the swim platform? Take the dog to the beach?
 
This will be his first season onboard, so hoping to train him to go on the swim platform in emergencies. We normally use our dink to take him ashore to do his business.
 
10 year old very fluffy Labrador here. She loves to swim but since packing on the last 40 pounds has become really tough to hoist her back onto the swim platform. The only solution was to place a rubber backed piece of carpeting at the top of the swim ladder. Once her front paws were up I was able to hoist her big butt up enough for her to pull herself onboard. I thought the neighbors were going to fall in laughing at us but heck, we got it done
 
My boy is on a strict diet now after gaining 15 lbs in the first three months we spoiled him. Are you on board or in the water when you hoist him?
 
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In the water. Sometimes not my first choice. I have been told to mix green beans or pumpkin in with her food to add filler. Low calorie senior food. I feel guilty when I am munching on pastries but I’m not the one struggling too much getting back into the boat....lol
 
I don't have one of these, but saw one last summer on another boat in Oak Bluffs and the dog actually could crawl back aboard themselves:
http://www.petstreetmall.com/Paws-Aboard-Doggy-Boat-Ladder/5429/2165/details.html
(I don't know if that's the exact model they had, but it looks similar)

Our dog is about 60 lbs, so I can lift her onto the platform. She's usually swimming when we're anchored in shallow water off a beach, so I can stand up at the platform. If we're on a mooring or the hook in deeper water she wears a doggie PFD that has a pretty nice harness and lifting handle on the back so I can haul her back in.
 
I've seen dogs floating on and boarding swim platforms via closed cell foam floats similar to the one below...which do double duty because humans can use them, too! Tie to the swim platform with a dock line or bungee cord through the pillow end.

Texas Recreation Serenity Float
 
I have been looking into what to get for our rescued 6 year old, 65 lb., Black Lab Mix as well. I like the Paws Aboard ladder be-prepared posted about, but have been reluctant to pull the trigger on getting one. Ever since my uncle picked up my dog and dropped her over the side into the water when she was 6 months old, my dog has been "reluctant" to go for a swim off the boat. Before everyone gets upset, she did have her life jacket on and I did yell at my uncle for doing what he did. She does love the water and goes into the water every time we take the dinghy to shore. She will swim from the beach (bay side without waves, she does not like the ocean surf) and loves jumping around in the water. Still, I would like to get her comfortable jumping into the water off of the boat, but then again it is a comfort knowing that she won't jump into the water on her own when we may not be looking. Decisions, decisions.
 
Thanks for all the replies! The Paws Aboard ladder looks nice, but then it has to be stowed somewhere, which means another thing under my feet. The raft seems like it maybe a nice alternative if it stable under his feet once he gets on. h-gerry- It maybe a blessing that your dog is not eager to jump off the boat. One of my concerns is mine will be more than eager and we will have a hard time keeping him out of the water. I guess we will find this out if spring ever decides to arrive.
 
Check out the Dog-On Water Ramp. Deflates so it’s easily stowable, and we use the same dual-action pump that we use for our dingy and paddleboards. It takes about 5min to set it up and the dog loves it.

Also, make sure you spend the extra cash and get a high-end life jacket. Look for full mesh across the chest instead of straps. And make sure it’s sized correctly. That will extend your pup’s playtime many more hours if they aren’t swimming as hard once they get tired.
 
We trained ours to never jump off the boat. I have to lift him off to the dock. He will jump into the dinghy (he views this as his boat), but has been good about not jumping off the swim platform. We play fetch a lot at the beach so occasionally on the return voyage to our marina, he will need to use the swim platform to relieve his bladder.

For the first two years on the boat, we were religious that he wear his life jacket (Ruffwear), so that if he did jump off, we could easily hook him and pull him back on. Fortunately, that never happened.

As he is 14 now, we have considered a ramp also, but have the same concerns around storage. At 85 lbs, he is not a lite dog:)
 
It may make sense to keep it simple this season with something like Phasma's non-skid mat and human help re-boarding while you gauge his level of enjoyment.

If he's not hugely interested, you probably can stick with a simple solution.

If it's hard to keep him out of the water, a floating mat or Dog On Water type setup may give you good ROI: he'll learn to go there when he gets a little tired but still wants to hang out in the water, and you won't have to supervise as much.

And one other tip, not about re-boarding but about keeping tabs on your pup if it turns out he's eager: folks that anchor where we do have a VERY active, very sweet, very sociable dog. Once he's in the water, they clip a 20' floating dock line to his life jacket so he can motor around to visit among those in his own raft-up, but not go to shore or to other boats unsupervised.
 
This is a bad photo, but it shows the idea behind the Dog-On Water Ramp. The red floats completely deflate and can fit easily in a backpack. The flat board is a bit of an issue, but it easily fits in our dockbox or the aft lazarette. I attach it to our swim platform by clipping into the Weaver davits that we use for the dinghy.

ld94eJ6.jpg
 
if you had a way to keep the extended swim platform ladder at an angle with some sort of bracket or brace would the dog be able to use the ladder to climb onto the swim platform?.....

just a thought....

cliff
 
Heavy mat available in pieces like a jigsaw from Lowes. I made this mat two feet by three feet, and then used cable ties to attach noodles underneath. Left the corners so they would sag making it easier for Henry to climb aboard.

Mat 001.JPG Mat 002.JPG Mat 003.JPG
 
Heavy mat available in pieces like a jigsaw from Lowes. I made this mat two feet by three feet, and then used cable ties to attach noodles underneath. Left the corners so they would sag making it easier for Henry to climb aboard

Great idea. Do you think it would work for a 90 lb dog?
 
Heavy mat available in pieces like a jigsaw from Lowes. I made this mat two feet by three feet, and then used cable ties to attach noodles underneath. Left the corners so they would sag making it easier for Henry to climb aboard.

View attachment 54658 View attachment 54659 View attachment 54660

I've seen a bunch on YouTube like that. They seem to work with heavier dogs and I plan to make one for the start of my season on May 1st. My dog is about 70lbs dry but 85 wet. I have a 195 Sport so I plan to roll it up and store it on the swim platform when not being used.
 

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