Living afloat with dogs

[alika]

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 .

[loubyscooby]

Hi Yes I do leave my dog on board by himself. What did you do with your dog before you had the boat? When I lived on terrra firma the dog could get into the garden via a dog flap so was used to going out when he wanted.I work full time and sometimes long hours so have just got a dog walker. I let him out before work, then he gets 2 walks about 4 hrs apart with the dog walker them I come home. I do leave him on his own if I go shopping or out for the evening. Just try leaving her for a little while and then build up that time. Hopefully she wont bark or wreck the place but I wish you good luck.

[davet45]

I had a dog for ten years, and we spent every summer on the boat. Once your dog has got used to the fact that the boat is now his/her home, there really isn't a problem. Usually, if I left her for a few hours to go shopping, I'd get a dirty look when I got back for waking her up!

 

Enjoy, and don't worry. He/she will sense your concern, which won't help.

[Midnight Rider]

No problems with the two dogs that I've had. If they are used to being left at home or in the car, they will get used to the boat.

 

Both dogs adapted to the boat fairly quickly, but had to be watched at bridge holes & coming into the side at locks in case they made a jump for it. Once they got used to the boat they were more concerned with getting back on the boat than leaping off.

[Canal Rat]

I like my dogs to bark when strangers are near. Gives me a safe feeling. I give my dogs a good walk before I leave for work and same again when I get back. The only place my dogs don't go with me is work. I can't fault them. In fact one of my dogs will only settle on the boat.

 

Like Scooby says, build up the time you leave her. If she is already used to being on her own for short periods then I think you should be fine. Leave plenty of toys or bones if she is a chewer

 

 

Good Luck

[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.

[Dovetail]

As with the others your dog will have no problem providing it has been left alone in the past. If not you will have to start a bit of training short periods at first and slowly increase the times.

 

My dog comes with me to work most of the time but at times I have to leave him, obviously not a happy bunny when this happens head and tail down, looks away as if the world is going to end. I have got over feeling guilty as on most times I have forgotten something and return to the boat within a few minutes he is as happy as Larry on my bed and this following all the times that he needs help onto the bed pretending he’s not able to get on the bed when I have a lie in

[Ange]

We took on a little dog 18 months ago and were worried about her settling on the boat, particularly the logistics of getting on and off as she only has little legs. After a bit of a shaky start she adapted really quickly and is very happy on the boat now. She was 6 when we got her, if yours is a young dog I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about. We do leave Millie on the boat on her own for an hour or so when we go shopping and she's fine, once they're acclimatised it's no different to leaving a dog in a house.

[loubyscooby]

 

Firstly good luck for Tuesday. As I said earlier George too had a free run and was able to get out whenever he wanted. So although I knew he was happy on his own I did worry that his bladder (he is 13) wouldn't cope. TBH it was me who needed training, making sure I allowed enough "extra" time to let him out etc before rushing off.

 

Have to agree with Dovetail too, I am amazed he manages to get up on things when Im out yet if I'm there its like some sort of bizarre standoff - him trying to get up on things so there are the pathetic half jumps and me shouting encouragingly "bl..dy get up here"

[Neil2]

We took on a little dog 18 months ago and were worried about her settling on the boat, particularly the logistics of getting on and off as she only has little legs. After a bit of a shaky start she adapted really quickly and is very happy on the boat now. She was 6 when we got her, if yours is a young dog I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about. We do leave Millie on the boat on her own for an hour or so when we go shopping and she's fine, once they're acclimatised it's no different to leaving a dog in a house.

 

I've met several dog owners who have testified that their dog(s) could not get used to boat life. One poor chap we met last year said he had persisted with his dog but she simply became a nervous wreck whenever she got on the boat, and he ended up having to leave her with a relative whenever he went off cruising. All our three dogs are fine but one of them only barks when she is afloat, so she clearly percieves it to be different from dry land.

 

I've sometimes wondered whether dog/boat problems are caused because when you leave a dog on a boat is pretty obvious to the dog that you have left them all alone, whereas in a house you can trick them into thinking you might just be in the next room, or in the garden. For this reason we hardly ever leave the dogs alone on board when we're cruising. It's only for a trip to the pub mostly anyway and if the pub doesn't let dogs in then we don't bother.

 

A couple of years ago we moored up for a while next to a couple CCing, and they had two terriers who yelped and barked the entire time the couple were away from the boat. The couple doubtless thought their dogs were fine, even when I mentioned it they just said "oh they are good guard dogs.." They were inflicting suffering on those poor dogs without realising it, as do all the other owners who insist on leaving their pets for long periods alone. .

[Ange]

I've met several dog owners who have testified that their dog(s) could not get used to boat life. One poor chap we met last year said he had persisted with his dog but she simply became a nervous wreck whenever she got on the boat, and he ended up having to leave her with a relative whenever he went off cruising. All our three dogs are fine but one of them only barks when she is afloat, so she clearly percieves it to be different from dry land.

 

I've sometimes wondered whether dog/boat problems are caused because when you leave a dog on a boat is pretty obvious to the dog that you have left them all alone, whereas in a house you can trick them into thinking you might just be in the next room, or in the garden. For this reason we hardly ever leave the dogs alone on board when we're cruising. It's only for a trip to the pub mostly anyway and if the pub doesn't let dogs in then we don't bother.

 

A couple of years ago we moored up for a while next to a couple CCing, and they had two terriers who yelped and barked the entire time the couple were away from the boat. The couple doubtless thought their dogs were fine, even when I mentioned it they just said "oh they are good guard dogs.." They were inflicting suffering on those poor dogs without realising it, as do all the other owners who insist on leaving their pets for long periods alone. .

 

Yep we were very lucky with Millie that she adapted so quickly to the boating life - I suppose my post did imply that it was a foregone conclusion, but I'm sure some dogs can't get used to it.

 

As full time liveaboards we have to leave her on her own regularly - it's either that or leaving her in the car when we go shopping / to a restaurant / to a non dog friendly pub which I think is more unfair, particularly as she doesn't like cars. She's fine though, she doesn't whine or bark when we're out and the warm patch on the sofa or our bed (where she's not normally allowed!) tells us where she's been waiting for us. I don't think you can trick dogs into thinking you're still at home in a house - they're clever and their hearing is much better than ours so they'd recognise the front door / car ignition / front gate and know you're not there

 

I think the answer has to be each dog is different and hopefully the OP's dog with take to boating as well as ours did.

 

The only time she's unhappy on the boat is if she's indoors when we're cruising - she has to be on the roof!

[Keeping Up]

Every dog that we've ever had (we're on numbers 5 & 6 at the moment) has loved being on the boat. One of our current two, Molly, had suffered from very sever "separation anxiety" when we got her from Battersea Dogs' Home - three previous owners had given up on her and she had just spent 3 weeks in Battersea's psychiatric unit because of it.

 

It took a long time before we were able to leave her on her own, but even when she had completely accepted the idea in the house, it was clear that she was unhappy at being left alone on the boat. Eventually we worked out that her problem was that she couldn't see the whole length of the boat at the same time, so she was constantly worried about the part of "her" territory that she couldn't see. We cured this by shutting the door of the cabin that she stayed in, giving her just two cabins to guard; no longer did she have to worry about the lounge, the kitchen, or the bathroom, and she was immediately 100% happy about being left alone.

 

She knows that her solemn duty is to make sure that nobody steals the bedding while we are away, by going to sleep in the middle of the bed. During the day there is a candlewick bedcover which she can sleep on without making the bed muddy, and at night when we transfer it to the floor of back cabin she knows that it is her bed and immediately goes to sleep on it so we can shut the door behind her to leave her in peace in her bedroom.

[Monkey 1]

How do you get on with your dogs in summer when it's hot? Do boats get unbearably hot inside like cars?

 

Our dog has taken to boating very well so far & appears to really enjoy it. She happily sits on the deck looking out whilst cruising & loves all the attention from passers by whilst moored up. We haven't left her alone very often, but when we have she is always in her bed asleep when we returned to the boat, just like when she's at home.

[Ange]

How do you get on with your dogs in summer when it's hot? Do boats get unbearably hot inside like cars?

 

Our dog has taken to boating very well so far & appears to really enjoy it. She happily sits on the deck looking out whilst cruising & loves all the attention from passers by whilst moored up. We haven't left her alone very often, but when we have she is always in her bed asleep when we returned to the boat, just like when she's at home.

 

Our boat stays very cool in the summer - we keep all the windows and doors open and the curtains closed on the sunny side when it's really hot and that does the trick.

[Squeezy]

Hi, we live aboard with two dogs. I work full time and my partner part time. Luckily I work shifts so the dogs don't have to be left totally alone most days but probably are for 3-4 hours regularly and 3 or 4 full days a month. They get an hours walk in the morning and an hour and a half in the evening when we're at work and more when we're off. I think it's better to have two than one and then they're never actually alone. Everyone who knows our two loves them and say they're the happiest most relaxed dogs they know (except when there are rabbits or squirrels about!)

I think the main thing is exercise. After all, even when we're home all day, on a rough average they'll sleep 16-18 hours out of 24 anyway. Squeezy

[AidanLincs]

After all, even when we're home all day, on a rough average they'll sleep 16-18 hours out of 24 anyway. Squeezy

 

So true. One of mine is a small lurcher (whippet crossed with something). She loves her walks once I've got her to leave the snug warmness of her blanket, but seeing the mournful face she puts on when I'm putting her lead on, or watching her laboriously get up and have a pre-walk stretch, you'd think I was torturing her.

[dmr]

We have a young lurcher who is mostly very happy with boat life, though she has known nothing else.

Living in a small space with her owners is probably ideal for a pack animal, plus the huge amount of rural walking, and lots of other dogs to socialise with.

However she does have severe separation anxiety which might be in part due to her closeness to us.

At present we really can't leave her alone. She has got very good at going to various pubs with me but it would nice to get out without her sometimes.

Even if we just step off the boat to work through a lock she starts screaming.

Maybe it is something about been left in charge of a boat?

We have tried all the usual cures but no luck so far. Any suggestions welcome.

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

[AidanLincs]

Maybe it is something about been left in charge of a boat?

 

Does she have the run of the whole boat? Someone else posted about a similar situation, I think, which seemed to boil down to the fact that the dog felt that it was "in charge" of territory that it couldn't keep an eye on all at the same time, and so became very stressed. Can you close off part of the boat that she feels comfortable guarding?

[fee666]

How do you get on with your dogs in summer when it's hot? Do boats get unbearably hot inside like cars?

 

Our dog has taken to boating very well so far & appears to really enjoy it. She happily sits on the deck looking out whilst cruising & loves all the attention from passers by whilst moored up. We haven't left her alone very often, but when we have she is always in her bed asleep when we returned to the boat, just like when she's at home.

 

our boat is normally cool inside even if really hot outside so no problem with leaving them inside.

 

I like your profile pic! Do you have an English Bull Terrier? we have a male brindel and white called Tig, he loves the boat as his bed is there!

[fee666]

My inlaws brought there dog on board for a weekend and he was fine with the boat which was quite a surpise as he is very nervous about a lot of things,

but he loved it

Edited May 22, 2012 by fee666

[Squeezy]

@ Aiden & dmr, my two are both lurchers. I think they're ideally suited to boat life; they love the country walks and tear around the fields and woods then curl up on a chair/bed/dog basket and snooze the rest of the time!!

Re' the separation anxiety, I used to re-train 'challenging' dogs for the RSPCA in a former life and found a regime of gradually extended periods of separation starting with you being in a different room then outside the boat then down the moorings a bit etc. main thing, take it slowly, very slowly. If you persist it'll pay off. Another tip is to leave the radio on low too, something talky

 

@ Aiden & dmr, my two are both lurchers. I think they're ideally suited to boat life; they love the country walks and tear around the fields and woods then curl up on a chair/bed/dog basket and snooze the rest of the time!!

Re' the separation anxiety, I used to re-train 'challenging' dogs for the RSPCA in a former life and found a regime of gradually extended periods of separation starting with you being in a different room then outside the boat then down the moorings a bit etc. main thing, take it slowly, very slowly. If you persist it'll pay off. Another tip is to leave the radio on low too, something talky like R4, or classic Fm can work for some. However the very best strategy I found was to get them a doggy mate. Two's company after all an it's no more bother really. Good luck, Squeezy

 

Sorry big thumbs on the mobile!!

[Monkey 1]

our boat is normally cool inside even if really hot outside so no problem with leaving them inside.

 

I like your profile pic! Do you have an English Bull Terrier? we have a male brindel and white called Tig, he loves the boat as his bed is there!

 

Hi Fee, yes we have an English Bull Terrier. She is a typical bully, very stubborn & quite lazy so not a big fan of walks, but once out & about she gets into it. Throw other people & dogs into the mix then she is in her element! She is extremely sociable & a real attention seeker

Boating appears to suit her perfectly so far but at home she likes to have a mad run around now & again, it hasn't happened on the boat, yet

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dmr]

@ Aiden & dmr, my two are both lurchers. I think they're ideally suited to boat life; they love the country walks and tear around the fields and woods then curl up on a chair/bed/dog basket and snooze the rest of the time!!

Re' the separation anxiety, I used to re-train 'challenging' dogs for the RSPCA in a former life and found a regime of gradually extended periods of separation starting with you being in a different room then outside the boat then down the moorings a bit etc. main thing, take it slowly, very slowly. If you persist it'll pay off. Another tip is to leave the radio on low too, something talky

 

@ Aiden & dmr, my two are both lurchers. I think they're ideally suited to boat life; they love the country walks and tear around the fields and woods then curl up on a chair/bed/dog basket and snooze the rest of the time!!

Re' the separation anxiety, I used to re-train 'challenging' dogs for the RSPCA in a former life and found a regime of gradually extended periods of separation starting with you being in a different room then outside the boat then down the moorings a bit etc. main thing, take it slowly, very slowly. If you persist it'll pay off. Another tip is to leave the radio on low too, something talky like R4, or classic Fm can work for some. However the very best strategy I found was to get them a doggy mate. Two's company after all an it's no more bother really. Good luck, Squeezy

 

Sorry big thumbs on the mobile!!

 

Hello Squueey,

 

Thank you. We have tried all of these things and more besides. Sophie really has to be caged when we leave her. This should be OK as she is very fond of her cage, she sleeps in it and often goes in when she is tired. But if left alone she shreds the bedding and anything else she can pull in through the bars. Its all very odd as she is a laid back and well adjusted dog otherwise.

Now she is a bit older we will have another go at building up in small stages.

The screaming when we step of the boat is a big problem too.

The concept of a friend is a very tempting one, sighthounds do appear to like to be part of a gang, but I do suspect that two dogs are actually almost twice as much trouble as one???? They might be skinny but they do eat well, and we have just had the vets bills and care duties after the running through the barbed wire fence adventure!

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

[AidanLincs]

The concept of a friend is a very tempting one, sighthounds do appear to like to be part of a gang, but I do suspect that two dogs are actually almost twice as much trouble as one????

 

Doesn't need to be a second sighthound. I have a lurcher and a terrier - very different personalities, but they complement each other nicely. I often feel as if I'm unnecessary, except for the provision of food and other such doggy requirements.

[DeanS]

Doesn't need to be a second sighthound. I have a lurcher and a terrier - very different personalities, but they complement each other nicely. I often feel as if I'm unnecessary, except for the provision of food and other such doggy requirements.

 

 

That's how I feel with our cat. He blesses us with his presence when he wants his turkey in gravy sauce....or when he comes in to get out the sun...sleeps all day, and goes out in the evening...but always back by midnight.. He seems to think that walking on everyone elses roofs is an acceptable way for a cat to act. He did pounce out the side hatch once...into the water...but we hauled him out no worse for wear. We've actually got wooden criss cross doors which fit perfectly into the 2 hatches and the stern doors....which means he can be kept indoors, but still able to enjoy the breeze, when moored up in a strange place. Personally I think animals on boats enjoy watching the ducks, geese, swans and other cats and dogs. It's much more interesting for them than 4 walls.....and that goes for their masters as well