alika

Well we havent actually moved on yet.....maybe tuesday. My dog is very large and has been used to be left alone at times. She always has had the choice to go outside as she pleases so was never shut in the house.She is 19 month old so still young enough to adapt to a change I hope.Just the thought of actually locking her in but maybe like you say do it for short periods. It would certainly make me more at ease if we were able to leave her for short periods. Thank you for all the positive replies.

This week we are finally living afloat.I am still concerned about my dog not settling . I know she will have to get used to it. One of us is hoping to be with her all the time but sometimes it may not be possible to take her with us so we were thinking of putting her in to kennels for day care. Does anyone leave thier dogs on the boat and go out for a short while ? Suppose its just going to be wait and see .

Well the house is about sold ! The boat is about ready ! but am I ? I am starting to panic slightly now its nearly happening, and we shall be live aboards . I have got to tell myself that my large dog will be happy and settle down. A lot of folk say ..what you doing with you're dog ? I say she is coming with us and they are shocked we are having a dog on a boat ! I have started to pack the house up and starting to get rid of things we shall not require. I suppose it normal to feel like this ..are we doing the right thing and all that ? Some friends wish us well ..others say i think you're crackers....so its all swirling round me mind ! Time will tell I guess

I was just trying to find out about washer/drier on a narrowboat . I am thinking of getting one but been advised against it . Any thought ? Thankyou.

Hello.....Oh I am concerned and just being silly really. We are planning on being a livaboard subject to house sale. When we are here she roams about the garden freely, but obviously that will change. I think to myself..what if she gets bored and is unhappy ? She is large and the steps down are steep and I worry that she won't be able to manage. I just wanted reassurance thats all from other owners. Around the locks she would just stay on board as we would never be able to lift her out . She doesn't really require a lot of long walks anyway so just popping on and off frequently for a sniff about and then hopefully she would enjoy it.

She is a Leonberger. She has a very thick coat but still got quite a bit of puppy coat in her as she is still fairly young. I have a Dyson and a hand held Dyson what is always in use. I have hairy trousers permanently ! but wouldn't change her for the world!

Thank you for all the replies. It does make me feel a bit better. We were speaking to a couple who live aboard with two Bernese mountain dogs and as ours is similar size we shall be fine. We do have a folding ramp for her to get in the car but she would just rather stand there with her front paws on the back of car and wait all day for us to lift her bottom in....she is only 16 months old so am sure she will soon get used to it .

Thankyou for the replies . She is a giant breed dog and when we talked about living afloat with the dog we got in touch with the breeder and she said she would be fine. They would rather be in a small space and with you than have free run and be alone so hope she will be ok. Last year we had two boating holidays and she was fine. Its just me being a bit anxious ....

I am just wondering how living afloat with a dog is ? We are currently looking towards living on a narrowboat but we have a very large dog. Its the steps what concern me as I don't want her to damage her hips as they are steep. Maybe getting on and off at the front would be better. How do others manage ? Thankyou