Dogs

[alika]

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

[Ally]

We live with a ridgeback cross, and she has to jump from the floor out on to the tugdeck, so the same as out on to a stern really...she manages fine with just a pushoff on the top step on her way. Other than that, the only issue is you can't send them out unaccompanied into the 'garden' so need to be prepared to walk them several times a day, come rain or shine, ill or well! I wouldn't be without her and she seems to love the boat!

[Ray T]

Hi and welcome.

 

Big dogs are fine on narrowboats:

 

 

Not my dog or boat BTW.

 

 

[Arthur Brown]

I suspect it depends as much on the dog's temperament as its physical self. If it feels hemmed in it may get bad tempered and even physical, if it sees a new playground and new doggy friends every day it will not mind sharing it's kennel with you!

[alika]

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 ....

[Midnight Rider]

I've trained two dogs to boat traveling in recent years & they have been fine. At the start they tend to just want to get off the boat at the first chance, so watch bridge holes & mine tended to think that they could jump from boat to bank at a great distance.

 

The Staffie now just wants to get back on the boat, even if it's someone else's. Also have to watch her with ducks when traveling, she has been known to lean out too far & ---- splash.

[mrsmelly]

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 ....

 

Dogs generaly love boats. Our boat has sensible steps fore and aft so its no problem but the last boat we just used the sharp end. Our little girl is not very big she is 33kgs so proper dog sized and she luvs it, our previous old boy was an Airedale terrier he was a bit smaller and he loved it. The problems do sometimes arise when they get older and find the steps harder as we all do. We have friends who liveaboard with Great Danes and know a couple with 2 Berners on their narrowboat.

[Ally]

They get good at backing up where it's too narrow for them to turn around!!

[BlueStringPudding]

My brother's Staffies are able to get out the front door or the side hatch easily... and escape!

[Pykebird]

Most dogs will adapt to life aboard, but obviously size does matter! I have 3, 2 of whom are rescues ranging from 35-50k, so BIG dogs. I must confess I re did the boat with them in mind, steps were made shallow and access easy. Because 2 have already had leg ops this was a prioity, although you can get cheap fold away ramps as well. I also cruise single handed so it is essential that basic obedience is important. If I leave them on the boat whilst I do a lock, they all STAY there until I call them. They WAIT until I tell them it is safe to cross a lock and they get back on the boat when asked. Otherwise it can be very dangerous and I just could not have all 3 running wild! I am still working on the cat though.....!

[David Mack]

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

 

Plenty of pictures of our labrador Rosie boating here.

 

David

[tillergirl]

Although not living afloat - yet - we have holidayed with 2 Border Collies for a number of years - so different dogs over that time. 3 have been rescues - which in itself presents a whole load of problems as they come to light but boating has never been one of them! In fact they love it so much we have to watch them when out walking that they don't help themselves to someone's boat moored up with doors wide open! Dogs are like kids - they will adapt to wherever you choose to make your home. As previously said the difficulties will start with old age - fair comment - me and the dogs can share the pensioners steps when we get to that point

[Bob Blues]

I have just got a Lurcher who lives with me on my 55ft trad, a very nice dog from a Vet friend who found her abandoned, apart from the fact she wants to jump off every time we pull up at a lock she appears to love it . (and me  )

 

A point to note. Dogs Trust discriminate against Boaters and will not let you have one if you want a rescue dog. I heard Battersea dogs Home do the same.

 

Typical Move on to a boat and get discriminated against

[Ally]

Ours is a rescue dog...from Leicester Animal Aid...they were happy for us to adopt, and took time with us to find a dog that would suit us and a boat....they have adopted a few out to boaters...I can't praise them highly enough for their care and support.

[nigeljan]

We got a rescue border collie from dogs trust and they were happy with the accomodation on 45 ft narrow boat.dog was a little nervous at first but now bounds on and off safely and happily.Inside she does do a lot of backwards walking

[mrsmelly]

I have just got a Lurcher who lives with me on my 55ft trad, a very nice dog from a Vet friend who found her abandoned, apart from the fact she wants to jump off every time we pull up at a lock she appears to love it . (and me  )

 

A point to note. Dogs Trust discriminate against Boaters and will not let you have one if you want a rescue dog. I heard Battersea dogs Home do the same.

 

Typical Move on to a boat and get discriminated against

 

This post shows just how stupid Doga Trust and others Blue cross springs to mind, with their blanket bans on certain categories of people and lifestyles are banned from adopting an otherwise unloved pet. None of them will have even seen a boat never mind lived in one.

[alika]

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 .

[bottle]

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

 

I see you are well trained, got you just where she wants you.

 

Welcome to the forum.

[mrsmelly]

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 .

 

Just a quick note...our little girl is half bernese mountain dog and if yours has a similar coat you will need a bloody good vacuum cleaner to keep on top of the hair !!

[tillergirl]

This post shows just how stupid Doga Trust and others Blue cross springs to mind, with their blanket bans on certain categories of people and lifestyles are banned from adopting an otherwise unloved pet. None of them will have even seen a boat never mind lived in one.

 

Not just boaters..........we've had Border Collies for over 18 years now and Setters before that...............before we got our eldest lad from a working farm litter we've tried all the Border Collies rescue places. One said we don't let our dogs go to towns and hung up on me, another said we will have to get someone to come and assess you and that could take months to find someone available and the foremost Collie rescue said " Just because you've had a collie for 18 years doesn't mean we will let you have one of ours". I suggested they ring our vet and ask for a reference. I even offered to pay for the phone call. Still an empathic No!

 

Makes you wonder sometimes whether these people really want to rehome their dogs

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alika]

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!

[AidanLincs]

Makes you wonder sometimes whether these people really want to rehome their dogs

 

I heard a story a while back (second hand from the husband-of-the-woman-whose-parents-these-people-were, but I have no reason to disbelieve that the facts are essentially correct). A dog-loving, late-middle-aged couple decided, since the children had sprung the nest, that they would make use of some of their very large garden to build kennels to house rescue dogs that would otherwise be destroyed. Their idea was that they would take the "overflow" from the local RSPCA and actively find homes for them. They built 4 kennels, as they thought that 4 strays, plus their own two, would probably be enough.

 

After 6 months, the kennels were full, but they hadn't re-homed any. They built two more kennels.

 

After another few months, all 6 kennels were full, and they still hadn't re-homed any. One of the strays had moved into the house "temporarily", and his kennel quickly re-filled.

 

They finally realised that the reason they weren't re-homing was because they weren't advertising properly. And the reason they weren't advertising was because they didn't actually want any of the dogs to leave.

 

And so, the strays were no longer strays.

Edited February 28, 2012 by AidanLincs

[i love my narrowboat]

We have 4 dogs, Sammy 3.9kgs, Doodie 5.2kg, Georgie 5kg and Bertie 5.9kgs weight, total combined they don't add up to a 'proper dog' but they all like it on the boat and have adapted well, we have lived on our boat full time since last May.Dogs are very adaptable..

[RichardN]

Our boat was designed with our aged lurcher, Indie, in mind who was quite arthiritic - she had been found with a untended dislocated hip so anything after that is a bit of a salvage job. The main changes were

 

* We have steps at the back and basically one more step then normal to make them shallower

 

* We have a cruiser stern which is 2' longer then normal and enclosed, ie dog proof with recesses in the doors at Indie head height.

 

Sadly she never got to see the boat but the changes have benefited large numbers of dogs since eg:

[mrsmelly]

Our boat was designed with our aged lurcher, Indie, in mind who was quite arthiritic - she had been found with a untended dislocated hip so anything after that is a bit of a salvage job. The main changes were

 

* We have steps at the back and basically one more step then normal to make them shallower

 

* We have a cruiser stern which is 2' longer then normal and enclosed, ie dog proof with recesses in the doors at Indie head height.

 

Sadly she never got to see the boat but the changes have benefited large numbers of dogs since eg:

 

Hi

 

I had a similar job welded on to the rear of our boat last year. It enables our little girl to be out at the back to see the world go bye and we have too gates one either side we use but she has not yet worked out how to open.