03/31/2007 04:21:56 AM
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morris
Junior Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 03/05/2007
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I'd appreciate any tips and comments about having a dog on
a houseboat.
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03/31/2007 06:38:51 AM
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ted655
Admiral
Posts: 424
Joined: 02/09/2007
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Great question. We are wondering how our dog is going to do while
we make our 800 mi. journey. I'm considering the dog life jacket
while underway. The recovery effort of a HB will be more involved
& slower. On a river this could be fatal.
Our present plan is his airline style house and a strip of i/o
carpet on the back deck. I'm told the carpet (if they use it) can
be dipped & washed, then reused. during storms he gets inside
lodging. We have friends whose dog freaks all the while the engine
is running and the boat is moving. Ours has been riding in the bed
of our truck since a pup. He is a good traveler. I think our
biggest issue will be boredom. He is a knee high dog and very smart
and curious. At home he is very active. Our railings do have skirts
1/3 up & all around. If he were a kid he could color or bug us
with questions. What do you do with a bored dog?
Anyway, hope we get some pointers. Leaving ours home is not
possible. I may get him drunk and shang-hi him.
Edited: 03/31/2007 at 06:45:15 AM by ted655
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03/31/2007 09:31:05 AM
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alreadygone
Admiral
Posts: 792
Joined: 02/07/2004
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Had a Schnauser (now deceased) as our pet and boat dog for years. trip to the bank couple times daily (morn&eve) and he was perfectly happy as long as he was with us. Keep an eye on their liquid intake(while making sure they have enough) and you'll do just fine. Training pads at pet shops might be a good idea if banking is a problem. Have one aquaintence with a small dog who has trained pet to "go" in shower stall then rinse liquid, paper towel solids, disinfect, and all's well.
THIS is the pickiest guy I've ever met, anal about clean!
Life jacket should be mandatory. They are gonna fall in (probably only once) , after that their balance and low center of gravity will keep them a lot safer than you are.
Any specific questions I might help you with please private message me.
Bob
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I carry a gun because it's too tiring carrying a cop.
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04/01/2007 08:20:02 AM
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OLD HOUSEBOATER
Super moderator
Posts: 1520
Joined: 10/18/2002
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Dogs smell up houseboats. The only ones who don't notice this are other pet owners.
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OLD HOUSEBOATER
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04/01/2007 07:33:39 PM
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lazycruz
Member
Posts: 122
Joined: 11/12/2005
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dog smell i dont really agree BUT they do shed hair ...
i have a few suggestions for ya .
1 life jacket sold at west marine we bought 1 for moms dash hound that we baby sit now and then .it has a LOOP on the back so its easy to snag with a boat hook..
dog HAS fell overboard ONCE i think she learned  but it was nice to reach out 5 feet from the boat with the boat hook and get her back on borad in just a min or so ..we Do have gators hanging around here in fla ...
2 ionic breeze -takes out odors inside the boat ( fish smell, cig smoke, dog odors)
all though i DONT think dog odor is a prob if they get a bath now and then
3. moms pup is a 3 time per day stop on the shore ,not a big deal cause we stop for 3 meals anyways right ? i put her in the canoe paddle in and take her for a little walk on shore i have seen more wildlife by doing this ...
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gibson 44ft
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04/01/2007 08:02:04 PM
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Robby
Member
Posts: 167
Joined: 02/20/2006
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I want to say that we are prepairing to buy a boat and as part of this we rented for a week last Oct.It was not only ment to be an adventure but a learning curve for what we think will be retirement.We are dog lovers and Blaze is a 40 lbs male cut Border Collie who is a large part of our lives.He 7 and could well be around when we buy a boat.Sooooo He went with us.Hes well trained and learned that he needed to go a shore with me in the morning and evening.Sure dogs have an oder.I'de rather have Blaze on board than a smoker anytime.As long as they both go outside everything is ok.We had a small boat with us and it didnt take much time encourage him to jump in to go pee. He adaped quickly.I smoked for years so dont jump me for that.Keep your dog clean like you would a child ,love him an enjoy your boat.Robby
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04/01/2007 08:38:08 PM
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ted655
Admiral
Posts: 424
Joined: 02/09/2007
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The WM life jacket is the 1 we are going to get, because of rge
handle.
I don't know if ours will go all the time. Gators love dogs (in the
worst way), but for this long a journey we have no choice.
OHB is right. A true & simple observation. If you have a cat,
I know it in the first few feet into your home. If you
smoke, I smell it on your clothes & hair. Cook with Oregeno?
I'll know that too, etc. I was raised to be tolerant, so others
would be tolerant of me. Ol' Lucky gets a bath from time to time,
and brushed requarly to boot. AND, I limit his garlic intake, thats
for sure. 
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04/02/2007 06:46:50 AM
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jimg
Admiral
Posts: 367
Joined: 08/13/2006
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I read somewhere of a couple that put some sod grass in one of
those plastic rectangular garden planters and left it on deck in an
area that could be watered easily. Trained their dog to use that on
board.
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Riverliver
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04/02/2007 09:39:17 AM
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alreadygone
Admiral
Posts: 792
Joined: 02/07/2004
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Have sen sod used. Seemed to work ok with small dog involved,12-15lb. Not too sure if bigger dog wouldn't be a problem.
Never been on a houseboat that didn't have it's own distinctive odor. Your aftershave, wife's various beauty aids, last paint job, carpet cleaners, all contribute to distinctive smell, a little dog mixed in is better than many of the smells on board! Have to say, most houseboaters I'm aquainted with are dog owners. Been on several of their boats and never yet picked up on any unplesant odor I'd directly associate with their dogs.
Bob
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I carry a gun because it's too tiring carrying a cop.
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04/02/2007 03:30:48 PM
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abdiver
Member
Posts: 168
Joined: 02/22/2007
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I have always taken my dogs aboard whenever we go.
Ideally you can teach them to do their business on the swim
platform where you can just wash it off. Unfortunately, I was
never able to do that. Since I also boat in tidal waters I
can't pull up to a beach so it requires a few trips a day in the
dinghy to keep the dogs happy.
You do have to be a little careful about the dog falling overboard.
I have seen some dogs that were able to climb a boarding
ladder but most dogs need to be helped aboard. Even at
anchor, if the dog was to go overboard and not be noticed it could
be very bad. Since you often have to hoist the dog aboard a harness
instead of a collar is a really good idea.
I had some friends who had a dachshund that could swim forever.
When the dog indicated that it needed to go to the beach they
would simply lower it over the side and let it swim itself to the
beach. When the dog was done it would swim back and wait to
be picked up, which they would do with a boat hook, snagging the
handle on the harness. Sometimes they would be distracted and
dog might paddle around for quite a while before they remembered
it.....
My current dog is a non-swimmer. She also likes to ride
perched up on the front of the dinghy as if she was the hood
ornament. Since she tends to fall off a lot I will put a life
jacket on her.
Rod
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04/03/2007 08:25:13 PM
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alreadygone
Admiral
Posts: 792
Joined: 02/07/2004
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Our Schnauser must have been a CAT in previous incarnation!!! HATED water and would go to any length to avoid anything more than toenail deep! Absolutely loved riding in boats though, runabouts, or HB. SeaDoo was just a little to close to the wet stuff though, made him nervous! Only made him ride couple of times when we were across cove (near end where no one would come) with rope from bank to bank and he needed a shore trip.
Bob
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I carry a gun because it's too tiring carrying a cop.
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04/05/2007 09:21:16 AM
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zilpo55
Junior Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 03/12/2007
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This is a very helpful topic. We're still in the
dreaming/research stage of houseboating and our dog has been one of
my concerns. He absolutely loves the lake and our runabout
and there would be no chance of us going without him.
Occasional trips to shore keep him going on long days, but
he's going to need something for long stays in a cove. He has
fallen overboard several times and can swim to the ski deck.
However, you all have about convinced me to get a life jacket
at least for when we're underway.
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Zilpo55
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04/07/2007 09:50:09 PM
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TheJudge
Admiral
Posts: 282
Joined: 05/01/2006
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Guess I will weigh in on this treacherous topic. We have a chihuahua that is a fearsome thing. She runs our dock and everyone speaks to her walking down the dock as if she were a person. One day she was on the back deck with us and a pair of springer spaniels that she hated were walking down the dock. She took off running up the side of the boat and ran right off the front just like Wile E. Coyote. She was trying to run in thin air and fell 4 feet into the water. The lady who was walking her spaniels reached down before I could get there and grabbed the handle on her life jacket and set her on the dock where she promply lunged for the throat of the nearest dog but I caught her in mid air. Those doggy life jackets are a lifesaver but you must be sure to adjust them snugly because they will in their natural swim stroke get a paw under the strap and cause themselves major problems in the water.
Lucky for us this dog would rather die than mess up inside the boat. We just have to pull over several times a day to let her go ashore. This can be a problem on the Tennessee because of a rocky shoreline so we keep an eye out for a likely looking dock where the owner is outside and ask permission to put ashore. I have never been turned down. Of course I am not asking to put a St. Bernard in their yard. Plus we police up after her.
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The Judge Rules
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04/10/2007 11:57:03 AM
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ted655
Admiral
Posts: 424
Joined: 02/09/2007
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I just looked at the "Doggy Dock". It's on the NAV Store website
under Pets.
Looks easy enough to build.
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04/15/2007 08:21:27 PM
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wecantow
Junior Member
Posts: 1
Joined: 04/15/2007
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We had been using a disposable aluminum cookie sheet under
the BBQ to catch grease drippings and low and behold our 10 yr old
chihuaua / terrier (female) mix Scooter decided it
would be a good potty spot. We were delighted and
bought her a litter box for the back deck. I don't know why
or how she figured it out but we are happy with the arrangement. I
am hoping she will teach the new dog when he joins us.
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04/16/2007 12:23:23 PM
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alreadygone
Admiral
Posts: 792
Joined: 02/07/2004
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WELCOME ABOARD ,,WECANTOW!! Allways have prefered male dogs,,,BUT unlike females to whom making water is more or less a body function, to males it's a form of recreation, bonding (yes my dogs allways "cover" when I go outside)  ,sport, territory marking,etc., etc.,. Maybe he will, good chance he'll figure if one place onboard is ok, What the heck, it all the same boat!
Bob
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I carry a gun because it's too tiring carrying a cop.
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04/17/2007 06:18:25 PM
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ted655
Admiral
Posts: 424
Joined: 02/09/2007
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I lifted ol Lucky up into the jon boat today. He wanted to see what
all the drilling and cussing was about I guess. It was his first
time in a boat, even if it was on a trailer almos 6' in the
air.
He was good. Sniffed around, went up on the bow, walked the
gunwales and then laid down. Ahh, good I thought. Just then another
dog came past. Darned if he didn't just jump out. Wonder what he'll
do next week on the shakedown trail? Hmmmm?
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04/25/2007 11:41:39 AM
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ted655
Admiral
Posts: 424
Joined: 02/09/2007
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Jon boat is back in the water. We took the pooch out on the trail
run. He did fine. Didn't jump off or freak out. After about 1/2
hour he was actually bored with it all.
Took him again today but with 1 of his toys. Laid in bottom of boat
& played with the toy. Even an alligator we stopped to look at
didn't excite him too much. Hope & expect the same
behaviour on the HB. Now we work on the potty training spot.
Edited: 04/25/2007 at 11:45:30 AM by ted655
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04/25/2007 02:02:05 PM
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stmbtwle
Admiral
Posts: 2142
Joined: 04/22/2003
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Mine are fine except when leaving and returning; then they want to "talk" to all the neighbors' dogs. I've learned to keep them on a leash until out in the open.
I also got a "baby gate" which I put in the cabin door sometimes. It works just great.
Once the dog jumps/falls in he'll be less likely to do it a second time; particularly if the water's cold the first time. Might as well take him out in the jonboat and get it over with. It's easier to pick them up than from a houseboat.
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Willie She's a tired old barge but she's paid for! http://s71.photobucket.com/alb...p;current=ef324993.pbw
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04/27/2007 12:36:50 PM
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Skallywag
Member
Posts: 154
Joined: 09/22/2003
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If I can add just $00.02 worth? Not sure why, but nobody has indicated whether or not, when considering a dog, if this is a liveaboard situation. Having had a horse/cattle ranch for 15+ years, I am very familiar with two breeds. Border Collies and Australian Shepherds. Both of these breeds are hyper-active. They need a job! Neither would be suitable for confined living, as they need room to run and jump. As we ready ourselves to move aboard, sometime in August/September of 2008, I have a very hard decision to make regarding my old red girl (not my wife) and houseboating.
So, if it's a liveaboard situation, please consider the breed.
Edd
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Chance Favors The Prepared Mind!
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