Jump to content

Boater dogs

IainW

By IainW
in Living Afloat

 Share

Featured Posts

IainW Community Regular

IainW

Posted
Posted

So a beautiful wee lurcher pup has been rescued off some <pc mode> travellers </pc mode> and is being fostered by some friends. We want to adopt her, so can I have some top tips and experiences from you liveaboard dog owners please?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kiki Proficient

kiki

Posted
Posted

One wee lurcher that might grow up into one big lurcher - hah that is nothing. Our new neighbour went off cruising with 5 German Shepards on board - just relax, let the dogs run your life, they will anyhow. Congrats on taking a lovely rescue dog - may he/she bring you years of joy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BargeeSpud Rising Star

BargeeSpud

Posted
Posted (edited)

One wee lurcher that might grow up into one big lurcher - hah that is nothing. Our new neighbour went off cruising with 5 German Shepards on board - just relax, let the dogs run your life, they will anyhow. Congrats on taking a lovely rescue dog - may he/she bring you years of joy.

Think I may have met her on the Stoke Bruerne flight, or at least someone else with 5 GS's on board. Some people think I'm nuts dodging 3 boxers on the stern counter of a trad NB, but boating's not the same without a dog, or 3, or 5!

 

IanW, your pup will enrich your boating life no end. Gives you an excuse to walk & explore our towpaths & footpaths & a great welcome home whenever you come back from shopping etc. Well worth it.

Edited by Spuds
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Les&Gerry Explorer

Les&Gerry

Posted
Posted

IanW, your pup will enrich your boating life no end. Gives you an excuse to walk & explore our towpaths & footpaths & a great welcome home whenever you come back from shopping etc. Well worth it

 

As long as you clean up after it. Make's me think that no one cleans up after there dog leaves a horrid mess on the towpath.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dovetail Community Regular

Dovetail

Posted
Posted

It’s a great life for a dog on a boat and lurchers have that come and pat me on the head look about them.

 

It wont belong before you will be on the lumpy chair because the dog prefers the soft one and crushed into the corner of the bed as the dog wants just that bit more room.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
carlt Veteran II

carlt

Posted
Posted

It wont belong before you will be on the lumpy chair because the dog prefers the soft one and crushed into the corner of the bed as the dog wants just that bit more room.

 

Not if you're firm with them and start as you mean to go on... :blush:

 

DSCF4628.jpg

DSCN0736.jpg

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dmr Veteran II

dmr

Posted
Posted

We got a lurcher pup two years ago.

Gillie has had dogs before but never a lurcher, and it came as quite a surprise.

Learn as much as you can about lurchers, they are certainly not quite the same as other dogs.

Absolutely never hit them, it will take months before they forgive you.

Make a firm plan now as to how you are going to keep it out of your bed in the winter...and then watch that plan fail!

Be prepared to end up owning two or three. We have resisted so far but many others have failed, lurchers do like friends.

Sophie was very hard work for the first year or so but she is half dearhound which makes her a bit strong willed, we came close to sending her back a couple of times, but are now very glad that we didn't.

 

..........Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites
IainW Community Regular

IainW

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks folks, we're really looking forward to it :-)

 

W've already started re-planning our furniture on the presumption we will only ever be allowed the second comfiest spot haha

 

Carlt - your dogs are georgeous. Are they bigger than average lurches though? Eek!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Gillie Collaborator

Gillie

Posted
Posted

As Dave said above we have a Lurcher who lives with us on the boat..She is very good at stretching out and taking up a lot of space but also can curl into the smallest ball!

 

I have walked so much of the towpath with her it must make me fitter ( at least that is what I tell myself!)

 

I think a boat needs a dog..and Lurchers are great dogs..but do need a lot of patience as they can test you at times!

 

I love the pictures above such typical lurcher poses!

 

Here is our Sophie peeping round the back of the boat to see why we are taking so long doing the lock!!

 

8054665632_faccdf9076.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
carlt Veteran II

carlt

Posted
Posted

Carlt - your dogs are georgeous. Are they bigger than average lurches though? Eek!

Sheridan, the black and tan, is average size but Nog is very long indeed.

 

He can stand on his hind legs and rest his front paws on my shoulders and I'm 6' tall.

 

They are both Saluki x Greyhounds (Long Dogs rather than Lurchers) which are notoriously untrainable and my two do nothing to dispel that reputation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Gillie Collaborator

Gillie

Posted
Posted

Oh she is gorgeous..how old is she?

 

 

The best thing I was ever told (by one of the staff at the Greyhound rescue centre where Sophie came from) was to get a whistle and train her every day with it & reward her with a high value treat..I always use half a dental stick which she loves.

 

I used to do this in the boat at first then outside..and now if I need to get her back in a hurry I whistle and she comes back at top speed even if she is in mid chase. It has only failed a couple of times in 2 years.

 

Lurchers are notoriously bad at recall and I wanted to be able to let Sophie off to walk on the towpath and other paths but be able to get her back quickly if need be..She does come if called mostly, but the whistle is great for a top speed recall!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dmr Veteran II

dmr

Posted
Posted

Sheridan, the black and tan, is average size but Nog is very long indeed.

 

He can stand on his hind legs and rest his front paws on my shoulders and I'm 6' tall.

 

They are both Saluki x Greyhounds (Long Dogs rather than Lurchers) which are notoriously untrainable and my two do nothing to dispel that reputation.

 

We met a bloke on the cut recently who said he had always had salukis and saluki longdogs and that you had to share your life with them, eat with them, let them share your bed etc etc so that you were a pack, and that way they behaved. Also met a bloke on the K&A with a suluki that had run off and got tangled in an electric fence. It had been perfect ever since! It certainly did stay very close to the boat, and walk to heal off the lead perfectly.

 

........Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites
IainW Community Regular

IainW

Posted
  • Author
Posted

About 8 weeks old :-) She'd been passed around 5 different families before they handed her in.

 

The council hold dogs for a week before putting them down up north. But a charity formed which takes every dog and rehomes them.

 

She went for her first walk along the beach today with the fosterers and their Lurcher. Apparently she was off the lead but stuck like glue to them!

 

Can't believe we've been on the boat this long without a dog!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AidanLincs Collaborator

AidanLincs

Posted
Posted

My dogs are Oscar (16) and Millie (14). Their first experience of being on a boat was yesterday afternoon. They skittered around for half an hour, but as soon as the stove was lit they decided that it wasn't so bad after all, curled up and went to sleep. I was away from the boat this morning, and my neighbour said that one of them was yapping for a little while after I left, but eventually shut up until someone on another boat started doing a bit of noisy diy. When I arrived back at the building-site-cum-storage-container they were asleep on their rug in front of the (now cold) stove. Having decided that boats are a tolerable prospect, this afternoon they tried to get onto the neighbour's boat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AidanLincs Collaborator

AidanLincs

Posted
Posted

That's a bit of a result, Aid... Last we spoke about it you were worried about how you'd keep one from heading for the water like a one-dog lemming, and how to get the other one anywhere near the water at all!

 

The lemmingdog has already fallen in. Jumped out of the boat, didn't take into account that the pontoon is only 3' wide.

 

*scamper*

 

*scamper*

 

SPLASH!!!

 

Fortunately he had his lead on, and was quickly hauled out. He wasn't impressed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LadyB Explorer

LadyB

Posted
Posted

Awww well done you for taking on a rescue! Lurchers are lovely dogs :). I dont know what id do now without my boy :) ( a great dane cross) I had him from a pup and crate trained him for the first few months and i can proudly say ive never had a problem with him.. beautiful nature and well behaved. Good luck .. im sure you will all love boat life together :) lucky dog :)

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.