Dogs on Boats - Safety

[gazza]

Find a "proper" canine pool a get your dog a few swimming lessons.

 

No I'm not being silly. Our JRT, also a Millie, still has swimming sessions due to a medical problem and she has no fear of water. When on the boat she wears a "Ruffwear" harness and is attached to the boat at all times when not moored up.

 

http://www.muddypaws.co.uk/dog-training/dog-harnesses/front-range-harness?sid=9dit3ulcpl2mce948ue34fa6k1

 

I have been "shot down" before for mentioning this, but Weil's disease, however remote ban be contacted by dogs as well as humans.

 

http://www.pethealthinfo.org.uk/leptospirosis-in-dogs

You are spot on with regard to leptosporosis, I had a chat with my vet about annual vaccinations, the one most important to those who have dogs regularly in contact with water is the lepto shot. He was happier to drop in advancing age the parvo shot for dogs that DON'T get put in kennels.

 

Its a practice that we have followed with all our dogs so far with no ill effect.

Edited July 25, 2015 by gazza

[Guest]

all these dogs getting in the way on back of boat why are they not on the roof ?

Because it depends on the dog size/shape and how they are about it. Dennis our first JRT was never particularly happy about being up there but Simon our current one was more than happy and actually a bit too over confident.

 

 

The advantage of having a semi trad boat was that there was room for us and the dog.

[Pykebird]

Both my guys stay on the back counter when we are cruising, but both are very well trained and will stay until I tell them otherwise. I have tried keeping them inside but they get very stressed out, and as I steer from the hatch they are not in the way.

In fact the only boat my boy has ever fell off when cruising was a cruiser stern widebeam!

I a currently researching a xxxl life jacket to be worn 24/7 by him, hopefully with built in bubblewrap.

The most important thing I have found is to take your time, be patient and train your dog to do the basics such as stay, wait, sit down (I also use back when I want to get on board and they are in the way.). These commands can then be used on the boat as well.

[lockedout]

Our two 3 year old Border Terrorists have known the boat since they were about 10 weeks old so they are completely at home on board. We have never encouraged them to jump on or off without being told to, so they are pretty reliable.

 

They can swim but would rather just paddle at the edges.

 

When on canals they just wear their normal harnesses so we have something to grab hold of, if necessary. However, when we are on the Thames, they wear lifejackets. The thinking is that if they fall in the Thames we have a current to deal with and the river is usually considerably wider than a canal, so if they need a little bit of extra support while we turn the boat round or while they swim to the side, they have got it. Also, being fluorescent orange, they are easy to see.

 

However, touching wood, we have only had one falling in incident and we were very close to the bank at the time so Maggie just paddled to the edge and waited to be rescued with a sorry look on her face...

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Shame we haven't got a 'Pet Section' or something so we could post pictures and helpful information in, it would make it easier for reference purposes as well !,

 

(Cough cough nudge)

 

Dogs can be trained fairly easily and it's all about repetitive familierization (think iI just made that word up) so in the beginning you will need eyes in the back of your head, and a mindset of having a Exploring Toddler on Red Bull on board, but it will get easier fairly quickly.

[Nightwatch]

Dennis (sadly not with us any longer)normally wore one when boating. He went in a couple of times and I believe wearing one helped.

We always kept him on the boat while doing the locks.

Dennis was nice wasn't he? I feel sad for you still. I know you have another.

 

To add to the topic. We had two rescue Staffies. Neither could swim very well. Enough to just about keep snout above water. I was told it was because of muscle mass and weight. George was lousy at buoyancy. Quite funny really. Would cough up loads of water when recovering.

Bought Rio a buoyancy aid. Put it on her and she refused to move for ages, just looked up to say, you're joking right! She stood still for about ten minutes until we took it off.

 

So, no more life jackets. You do hear of tragic accidents, but they are few and far between. Just be careful and aware. Common sense.

 

I ought to get some more, I'm running out.

[Woodstock]

OurJrt has really taken to boating. We did buy him a life jacket thing but he hates it and tries to rag it off. He hasn't fell in as such but did decide to jump into the green weed that coated the erewash a couple of years ago. He swam back and was lifted out by his collar and bum. We have a skirt around the cruiser stern which we can fasten to stop him getting off. On a separate point - is microchipping becoming law. I've noticed a lot of found dogs have no collar or chip and its a good way to ensure lost dog and owners are reunited

[cuthound]

I have had three rescue dogs on boats at various times. They all behave differently. The second one, Buster, my recently departed GSD/collie cross,(see my avatar) was the best.

 

He would either stay on the boat through locks, or accompany my wife where he would stay by a lock gate until called. This made it easy for my wife to operate the far side without worrying about him. He only fell in twice. Once on his second canal holiday, when he was following my wife across the narrow plank on the bottom gate, when she told him to go back and he tried to do a u turn with predictable results, and once when he was a bit over-optimistic about the gap he could jump.

 

The first was a nervous creature who took several holidays before settling into the boat.

 

The most recent Zeus is a 14 month old GSD rescue dog, who is very confident about the boat, but, never having been socialized with other dogs, barks at all other dogs except those on boats. We are about to start work with a dog behaviour specialist to address this.

 

If you dog can swim well, I would suggest they wear a harness rather than a !lifejacket, to make getting them back out of the water a bit easier. I have seen two dogs sucked through the paddle culvert of a lock. The one without a lifejacket survived, and the one with got trapped and drowned.

 

The main thing is to have the dog well trained so that it will get off the boat only when told, and also to sit and stay at the lockside, whilst its owner operates the locks.

 

Edited to make sense.

Edited July 26, 2015 by cuthound

[blackrose]

I've seen a boater lose control of his boat because he got distracted by having to look after his dog. So it's not just about the safety of the dog but other waterways users too and dog (or child) distractions can be a real safety issue, especially if you're single-handed.

 

You either need to have someone else on board who's job is to look after the dog; keep the dog below decks for the duration of the journey, or have a very well-trained dog who obeys commands.

Edited July 25, 2015 by blackrose

[Guest]

If you dog can swim well, I would suggest they wear a harness rather than a !lifejacket, to make getting them back out of the water a bit easier.

Most pet life jackets have a handle on their back to aid lifting them out (clearly visible on Dennis'). I understand the getting trapped issue but TBH if your dog can't swim very well I would suggest something that helps keep them afloat while you get to them would be better than a harness.

 

On balance my choice would be life jacket (with the proviso it has a handle).

 

[Sabcat]

When I was a kid we had a dog, something crossed with something, crossed with a labrador. It couldn't swim. My dad threw a stick in the cut by Chasewater, the dog went in to get it then shortly afterwards my dad went in to get the dog.

[RichardN]

We have an enclosed cruiser stern which the dogs love and so do we as it makes our life so much easier Worth thinking through how your boat is setup as locking them inside is a bit harsh but sometimes is essential.

 

Including guests I think we are up to having had 43 different greyhounds on board and a collection of other breeds. We have had a few accidental splashes eg when a rug has moved just as a dog with a dodgy knee jumped off but off hand I can only think of one dog that has fallen in and he has managed it twice. So it happens but for us it is a rare experience, thank fully as reaching down and lifting out 30+kg of greyhound is not easy. ymmv.

 

We only make them wear life jackets when we are on tidal waters. That said dogs we are nervous of get put in a harness or a life jacket mainly as it is easier to get them out using the convenient handle.

 

We have taught all our dogs to swim to the great amusement of anyone walking past. Easiest way is to moor on a nice big river next to a bit with a sloping bank and then walk out with them as far as you can and then let them go. Some get it straight away and are naturals, others need 3 or 4 dips before they relax and get used to paddling rather than trying to run on top of the water. Has to be very breed dependent - only 1 of our greyhounds enjoyed swimming.

 

Each dog is different as to how much freedom you can give it and obviously also that depends on your temperament and how much training work you put in. The original boating greyhounds, Lou and Blue and also Lynx were off lead virtually all the time with no incident or worry. Current dogs are restricted for various reasons eg Ollie is very good but getting so old that his balance / stability is not what it was. At the moment we have two long stay guests who get a reasonable amount of freedom but I don't let on about all their adventures.

 

So my advice is train your dog (I sometimes think that dog training classes are as much for the owner as the dog), teach them to swim. Consider how your boat is set up. Get a harness. Consider a life jacket depending on your setup and the dog. If you spend time on big rivers or tidal waters, then you must get a life jacket. Cuthounds story of two dogs getting sucked through a paddle is the stuff of nightmares.

 

 

A couple of piccies from last weekend:

 

[brassedoff]

Wow thanks for everyones replys, will reply better when I get home later on.

Edited July 25, 2015 by brassedoff

[homer2911]

It's horses for courses, and caution is the watchword. All our dogs - about four I think - have thoroughly enjoyed the boat, with few miss-haps over the years.

 

One of our collies was old, near blind, and deaf to boot. She fell in at our moorings, and just went further into mid-canal, no matter what I did or shouted. I ended up diving in to bring her back to the bank. Three or four days later, other infirmities developed and I took her on that last journey to a vet.

 

Eddie, on the other hand, is our current Jack Russell. Last year he made the mistake of thinking he could walk on a carpet of weeds in a lock! On the rivers and tidal waters he wears a life-jacket, as do we. You just have to suss out the dog, and be cautious.

[brassedoff]

Sorry to here about your collie Homer, thats the really hard part of owning a dog and its not a nice at all.

 

I enjoyed reading all the replys and their are some lovely looking doggy pictures too

 

I wont be taking any chances when i get a dog so will follow the advice and buy a good life jacket, another thing i never even thought of was different types of Vacinations thanks for bring that up too.

 

MJG Dennis nice picture of Dennis, thats looks like the type i found on google pretty good idea the handle and very handy lol

 

I was originally thinking of taking my Cat onto the Boat but i quickly realised i would end up being chained to him all the time he has no idea of danger and hates water, i remember being at my mums house 2 months ago sat in the garden and my dad had opened the bathroom window the bloody cat was walking on the window ledge 2 floors up staring at me panic.

 

Thanks again for the advice and a good read.

[TimYoung]

We never go boating without Tess my size 3 black mongrel. At the rescue centre when other dogs had an approximate species she simply had 'farm dog'!

Sort of staff/collie/lab in black.

On Rudd she travels in the hold or on the roof (transition no problem, up the gas box). No float a coat.

On Severn because she runs round and round the side decks she travels without generally, but on the Ship canal, Weaver or the Trent where it's hard to stop and turn round she wears her

'Professional dog coat' with handles , lifting eyes, reflective strips and pockets. For poo bags, no whistle.

She has fallen in in Leeds without coat 3 times!!

 

Tim

[Hartlebury lad]

Cassie is a bit dippy and getting on. She will have a jacket on most of the time- having been in a couple of times - but locks and lift bridges are the main problem. If we shut her in the boat, she hollers, and if we let her off, she follows my wife everywhere and becomes a nosy trip hazard. So she gets off with my wife, and gets tied up to watch.

The biggest problem is getting her off the boat easily - she can only hop off the trad stern when it is up against the piling or bank and we are stationary - hence lots of scrapes and second attempts when she hesitates - unless I get off and hold the boat close. Our boating buddies only recently cottoned on to why our boat was often at an angle close to locks!

[Phil Ambrose]

The value of canine life jackets was brought home to us one freezing January night. On our moorings, the river Bure with the tide ebbing fast, I had let our 4 dogs out for a last "one" frost glistening and ice floating down the river.

When I called the dogs in only 2 responded, with a torch I scanned our mooring to see one dog running up and down the bank.

The 4th dog "Pip" who was almost blind had fallen in luckily wearing her orange life jacket with a flashing light. I saw her floating away downstream, I leapt into my dinghy and rowed after her.

Once back in our boat she was towelled down and warmed up with a hair dryer,I've never seen a dog shiver so violently but she did recover.

Pip by the way was a tiny min poodle x yorkie. That episode never put her off, she still did a leap of faith off the boat, following the sound of the other 3 dogs

If she had not had her vest on I would never have seen her in the water and I have no doubt that given the temperature of the water she would not have lasted many minutes.

Phil

Edited July 25, 2015 by Phil Ambrose

[Guest]

We have two large dogs on our boat. They always have harnesses on when moving to aid lifting them out should the need arise (happened a couple of times.). We have buoyancy aids but would only tend to use them on flowing rivers (they are strong swimmers, might be different for other dogs).

We keep them on board when locking etc by keeping their leads fastened down.

[brassedoff]

Glad your dogs made it, well theirs no doubt what so ever about Life Jackets i wont be skimping on a crap one.

 

just glad i asked this question, scary as hell animals are like little people. on accasion a better breed i might get my arse chewed for that comment lol, no offence anyone.

 

yikes shivering with reading this thread

Edited July 25, 2015 by brassedoff

[David Mack]

Our Lab Rosie boated from a very young age. She never had a life jacket or harness. We would put her on the back cabin top , (with a bowl of water) and she would happily stay there all day apart from necessary trips to the bank. The only time she was ever tempted to jump off was in locks as the cabin top came level with the lockside.

 

 

And she soon learnt to walk the top plank:

 

[StarUKKiwi]

We have two Labradors, they have harnesses, which we used to put them in when doing locks, but don't bother now as they just lie down when lock wheeling, or stood on the stern. Both very strong swimmers, they did, once, jump off the boat at a bridge and swim alongside the boat. I was not amused! They haven't done it since! I do have to watch them in some canals though. Although, the off side is normally quite shallow, if there is no arco on towpath, they struggle to climb out.

General rule of thumb is that webbed feet dogs, (gun dogs) are well suited to canal living

[Hartlebury lad]

Drowning of our canine friend is not my main worry. Crushing is a greater risk I feel, especially if she plops in when it is windy in a confined space of canal like a bridgehole, as happened once.

 

Top and bottom is i think you will soon get to know what is required given the personality of the individual dog. And always err on the side of caution.....

[koukouvagia]

A butty is ideal for keeping dogs safe.

 

 

[Ange]

Drowning of our canine friend is not my main worry. Crushing is a greater risk I feel, especially if she plops in when it is windy in a confined space of canal like a bridgehole, as happened once.

 

Top and bottom is i think you will soon get to know what is required given the personality of the individual dog. And always err on the side of caution.....

Yep that's our biggest worry. The times that Millie has taken a dunking she's proved she can swim, and it's only happened when we're moored on the centre line at a water point, she judges the jump distance but then it changes, so we've always been close at hand.

 

The scariest one was when we found her on the gunnels in a lick - she'd attempted to jump from the roof to the bank and failed but luckily landed on the gunnels. Fortunately the only time that's happened - we lift her off the roof nowadays and she stays on dry land till we're done.