Greyhounds on boats

[WhiteSuit]

We lost our dog last week due to ill health and as any dog person will know there is a very large hole in our lives. Whilst previously thinking of a new dog we had thought of getting something smaller. We have now met and fallen for a retired greyhound.

Do any forum members have a greyhound on a modern trad stern boat? How do you get on with the amount of space they take up? Are they robust enough for the lifestyle?

I have seen a few blogs but they seem to be on cruisers

 

Mark

[dmr]

They get right in the way on a trad stern but thats where they want to be and they do get what they want. If we go down a lock with leaky gates we just put a couple of towels over her, its easier than getting her to move.

 

The only real issue is that she picks up on our tension very easily so if we do have an urgent moment she stands up and really gets in the way. Sighthounds are good boat dogs and there are a lot of them on the cut. If you are on the boat in winter they may well need pyjamas to stay warm.

 

................Dave

[valrene9600]

Google sue and Richard on NB indigo dream they rescue greyhounds and travel on a regular basis with greyhounds on board.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https://indigodream.wordpress.com/&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjsvuKwk_DOAhXJa5oKHfvdAlsQFggLMAA&sig2=iDGWIr11DPreC7uXpKMzcA&usg=AFQjCNG2wzGurjhJLjTizjmofCLkSfHhBg

[RLWP]

I come across quite a few greyhounds on boats of all sizes and shapes. Like many things in life, if you want something, you make it work

 

One of the members here is part of a greyhound rescue group and has taken several on the BCN Challenge - now, who was it?

 

Richard

 

MORE:

Google sue and Richard on NB indigo dream they rescue greyhounds and travel on a regular basis with greyhounds on board.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https://indigodream.wordpress.com/&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjsvuKwk_DOAhXJa5oKHfvdAlsQFggLMAA&sig2=iDGWIr11DPreC7uXpKMzcA&usg=AFQjCNG2wzGurjhJLjTizjmofCLkSfHhBg

 

That's who it is!

Edited September 2, 2016 by RLWP

[valrene9600]

https://indigodream.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/r_regents-19-oct13-06.jpg

[RLWP]

https://indigodream.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/r_regents-19-oct13-06.jpg

 

 

Elegant dogs, greyhounds. They always make me think of Tudor mansions and roaring fires. A couple of sleeping greyhounds seem to set the scene perfectly

 

Richard

[Chertsey]

Pretty sure Indigo Dream has a cruiser stern?

 

For what it's worth from a couple of years of cruising with Little Ricky (mostly greyhound, but small) the biggest issue is the separation anxiety. I wouldn't have him on the stern (even if he could get on and off); dogs on a trad stern to me look like an accident waiting to happen. As long as there's two of us, it's fine, if one stays with him. What we've learnt is that we can't shut him inside, and we can't tie him up out of sight of us. He just gets too upset. Mostly for locks whowever's working the lock takes him with them and ties him to a convenient fence, hedge, sign etc. He still gets upset and thinks we're going to leave him behind (until the last day of the trip, when he suddenly gets the hang of it) but at least we can talk to him. We also have finally arrived at a means of tying him on the boat in such a way that he can move around in the middle but not get off either side, and can still see us. We had to invent this after he was completely worn out by a day of lockwheeling! We only do this for locks, narrows and tying up, when there's a chance he'd try to get off.

 

The other drawback is that we would never let him (or any sight hound) off the lead in an unfamiliar place in case he saw something to chase, because he'd be gone. This means he can't be trusted to just follow us round at locks etc. even though he clings to us like glue 99% of the time.

 

Oh yes, and we have to drape a wet tea towel over him when it's hot, and take a cushion to any pub with hard floors.

 

ed. to add pic (albeit not on boat but getting in training :-)

 

With those two caveats I'd say he's a great boat dog. Very placid and friendly (unless you're a cat/sheep/cow); sleeps a lot.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Chertsey

[RLWP]

Pretty sure Indigo Dream has a cruiser stern?

 

For what it's worth from a couple of years of cruising with Little Ricky (mostly greyhound, but small) the biggest issue is the separation anxiety. I wouldn't have him on the stern (even if he could get on and off); dogs on a trad stern to me look like an accident waiting to happen.

 

Indigo Dream does have a cruiser stern, and a well enclosed one too!

 

I suspect that with the modern trad stern (steering while standing on a boxed in engine) a dog could be reasonably close without being in the way

 

Richard

[Rickent]

A narrowboat is incomplete without a dog.

[WhiteSuit]

Indigo dreams blog is the one I saw and yes it is a cruiser hence my question. Our old dog was a lurcher cross lab so had sight hound behaviours. She used to stand on the back with front paws on the wide gunwale, we have taff seats which tend to protect against falling off. She fell in once from our old boat which didn't. She at least was a swimmer which greyhounds usually are not. When she was younger she would occasionally leap off in a bridge hole have a pee and rejoin us at the next. She loved the canal life and was the grumpiest mare when packing up the car to come home.

I am thinking of a big duvet on the engine cover. Helm is always in sight then. Every dog is an individual so you never know quite how they will behave. We have friends with a pair, one will run miles because it's seen something small and furry the other couldn't be bothered.

Chertsey thank you for your experience, presumably on a real trad so no way through the boat. We intend to work hard on the separation/anxiety as our dog will have to be left alone for a few hours at home while we are still at work. Roll on retirement in three years!

[Chertsey]

I

Chertsey thank you for your experience, presumably on a real trad so no way through the boat. We intend to work hard on the separation/anxiety as our dog will have to be left alone for a few hours at home while we are still at work. Roll on retirement in three years!

Yes. The ideal would be for him to be able to go in the back cabin, but the step down is too steep and he likes to see what's going on.

Bear in mind I'm still quite new to this dog lark, in a few years I'll probably be wondering why I made such a fuss.

[Machpoint005]

A narrowboat is incomplete without a dog.

 

That's on a par with "...as a fish needs a bicycle" but you are entitled to your opinion even if it's wrong.

[cuthound]

A narrowboat is incomplete without a dog.

You have that the wrong way around.

 

Every dog I have had has loved being on a boat, so I think a dog needs a boat.

 

When we brought Zeus home, and I am reliably informed he had never seen a boat before, he made a beeline for DQ and leapt onto the rear deck (trad stern), as though he knew it was meant for a dog to stand on! Matty 40's will testify, as he was painting DQ at the time.

 

I can't go on the boat on my own, for example to check something in the manual, without howls of protest from Zeus.

[Machpoint005]

You have that the wrong way around.

 

Every dog I have had has loved being on a boat, so I think a dog needs a boat.

 

 

That I CAN agree with!

[Rickent]

A dog is incomplete without a boat.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Rickent

[widebeamboy]

We have two onboard, however we are in a long fat widebeam and they have a sofa each. The corridor from bedroom to living area is about 2 feet I guess and they can turn around in this without too much difficutly if they happen to meet us coming the other way. One loves it when we are cruising, so much so I have had to make temporary doors on the stern to stop him attempting to jump off at "intestesting" things on the towpath or in locks the other currently detests it and covers and shakes on the bed.

[Chertsey]

Talking of turning round, Ricky is not great at walking the plank, and refused to get off onto the narrow pontoon at Alvecote unless I stood between him and the water (he was fine until the boat left from the other side!) He grows in confidence over the course of each visit, but then forgets it all by the next time.

[Old Swan]

We've got a 9 year ex-racer and a cruiser stern. Our thinking was narrow dog on a narrow boat. Each trip is a learning curve for us and the dog. She's happiest if out on the stern with one of us and seems to enjoy the ever changing view. She has to be tied on the back on a short lead after an unauthorised departure onto the towpath in a bridge earlier this year..

 

However...any change of engine revs, bumps when off loading crew or getting into a lock or mooring, she is up on her feet. Being on the back in a lock invokes stress for her and the helmsman and she wants to come and lean on you for comfort. If we have crew she is off the boat and "doing" the locks as well. Being left inside when we are moving, invokes a panic attack for her, but she can be left on her own when moored up for a couple of hours.

 

Keeping her warm in the night in winter months is a challenge, despite coats and being well tucked in. Like mentioned earlier, we just cannot trust her off the lead, so for her it probably feels a little restricted to being at home and having the garden to charge around.

 

Great dogs. Lovely natured. Lazy lazy animals. Be prepared to be repeating over and over again to everyone that they don't need a lot of exercise and just how much they sleep. Wouldn't be without her!

[Chertsey]

I had never had a dog before (although OH had) and didn't even like them very much as a species but Ricky has completely won me over.

[Jennifer McM]

Greyhounds I understand don't moult? When you've a very hairy GSD who appears to moult just once a year lasting 365 days, a dog that doesn't moult sounds fantastic.

 

Our GSD has anxiety issues as well, and we've been thinking about getting a rescue greyhound to help calm him and be a companion... but I'm not sure. A whippet might suit us better?

[Chertsey]

Ricky certainly deposits very little hair.

 

But then he's hardly got any to spare. He's got three different coats, including one to keep the sun off!

Edited September 2, 2016 by Chertsey

[churchward]

We lost our dog last week due to ill health and as any dog person will know there is a very large hole in our lives. Whilst previously thinking of a new dog we had thought of getting something smaller. We have now met and fallen for a retired greyhound.

Do any forum members have a greyhound on a modern trad stern boat? How do you get on with the amount of space they take up? Are they robust enough for the lifestyle?

I have seen a few blogs but they seem to be on cruisers

 

Mark

The only downside I can think of is their size and long legs. Other than that as you must now be realising they are lovely dogs with a very friendly nature. They won't mind being inside while you cruise as they are also couch potatoes and although they can run fast most of the time they just don't want to!

 

My Mother-in-law had a ex-racing greyhound for several years and although at first she was concerned about it being a big dog she soon found out that they make ideal pets for older folk too as they do not need much exercise and are very good companions.

 

I have no direct experience living with one on a boat though.

[WhiteSuit]

A boat without a dog is as bad as a house without dog, i.e. it's not a home. Besides with all that beautiful countryside out there, what an excuse to walk everyday.

We are out cruising next week and likely to cut down our time away as I have been to our local grt rehoming centre. I didn't get a say in the matter as Michael, a 2 1/2 year old has chosen me! We will have to get him used to us before we introduce him to the ditch dawdlers lifestyle.

Thanks for all your responses. I must be nuts, confined to minimal space in a metal tube and let a dog take over the sofa. You will recognise me I'll be the one on the floor!!

[widebeamboy]

Greyhounds I understand don't moult? When you've a very hairy GSD who appears to moult just once a year lasting 365 days, a dog that doesn't moult sounds fantastic.

 

Our GSD has anxiety issues as well, and we've been thinking about getting a rescue greyhound to help calm him and be a companion... but I'm not sure. A whippet might suit us better?

 

Greys do moult a little however not a significant issue. Greys are friendly and very lazy until they hear food or snacks in which case they are off the starting blocks like Usain Bolt. I think most dogs are like this however Greys seem to be even worse!

I had never had a dog before (although OH had) and didn't even like them very much as a species but Ricky has completely won me over.

 

I never had them either and didnt really even like dogs. I was sort of railroaded into the first one in April last year, fell in love in a few hours of the weekend fostering and boom now we have two!

[RichardN]

I think we have had 58 different greyhounds on our boat, as far as I can remember 55 loved it. The ones that did not get on with boating included one of ours, Jelly Boy Ty who had a bad time before we got him and was basically scared of anywhere new. Zillions of dog photos on the blog, http://indigodream.wordpress.com, easiest probably just to type dog blog into the search box. The one page I can direct you with a wide range of photos is a sad one but the photos tell a great story of Greyhounds on various canals: https://indigodream.wordpress.com/2012/12/08/dog-blog-moors-gem-lou-1112002-8122012/

 

Most of what I could say about greyhounds would apply to any dog. A new greyhound is unlikely to have recall, may well be keen and will be basically a 4 year old puppy as the world outside the race track is very different. You will see a wide range of views on how to train dogs and most work, not everybody would agree but personally I think dog training classes are excellent, some believe in Greyhound only classes, we have tried them (excellent school in Essex) but prefer a training school which has mixed breeds so better for socialisation. The majority of our hounds reached the stage that we could leave them off lead on lock flights etc but you need to keep a keen look out. Not that much different to any other dog but think 300 yards ahead rather than 50 yards. Coming down Audlem at the start of this week the dogs were so tired that they worked on a three lock cycle, first lock out with me and ran to lock 2 where the promptly got back on the boat and fell asleep. By lock 3 they were awake and agitating to get out so they came out and ran to the next lock by which time they were ready for their next snooze.

 

Obviously helps that we have a cruiser stern and a few other adaptations which were put in for our old Lurcher, Indie, though sadly she never saw the completed boat. Obviously the best option is to get rid of your trad stern boat, otherwise how is your boat laid out? If they can, Greyhounds will happily sleep for 23½ hours a day so possibly less of an issue then with some dogs. There will be an initial flurry where they want to see everything but them most will happily settle down. If they can see you then they will be happy so is there space for a bed just off the back deck? Greyhounds at pace are a thing of beauty, at slow speeds with steps etc they can be a bit ungainly but you just need to work with that. Please get in touch if you have any questions. Nowadays I don't frequent CWF that much so a PM is good or may be better still to message Sue via facebook or leave a message on the Blog,

 

Swimming. Hmm. There are Greyhounds which will walk round puddles, very few are enthusiastic about water. We give our hounds swimming lessons, basically moor up somewhere like higher up on the Thames, pick up the dog and walk into the river with them till the water is chest height on me. First time you let them go they try to run on the surface, once they get back to land you find any recall they may have had has vanished (just imagine local dog walkers creaisng up with laughter at this point). By the third time they do a very effective doggie paddle. We have only had three falls into the water, all by the same dog, yes out of 58 only one has fallen in and managed it three times.

 

 

I know what you mean about space. When our old Lurcher died we went back to Battersea and asked for another one, our spec included the words SMALL and FEMALE. Battersea looked us up and said we have the perfect dog for you called Blue, HE is a LARGE greyhound, trust us he will be perfect. When we got him home (we have a very small house) initially it was a shock, this boy is big! A week later we got Indigo Dream and then we had initially just one Greyhound on a narrowboat and the space worked well. I must admit it gets crowded with 7 or 8 on board but 2 greyhounds fit perfectly on a boat.

 

 

Photos are from the Middlewich branch, River Thames and finally Worksop lock on the Chesterfield

Edited September 2, 2016 by RichardN