# Dog in the marina



## sailforlife (Sep 14, 2016)

So the wife wants a small dog and we want to live in a marina on our sailboat. The question is do marinas usually accept owners with dogs ?

irateraft:irateraft::captain::2 boat:


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## ianjoub (Aug 3, 2014)

Some do, some don't. Just another excuse to not accept you at any given place.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

It depends upon he marina. Most live aboard marinas will allow pets, but you best have lots of poop bags available.

Good luck,

Gary


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## sailforlife (Sep 14, 2016)

There she is 20 pounds should have her in a week .... :ship-captain:


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Nail scratches on the soles, hair in the bilges and having to walk the dog every single time it needs to go. While I like dogs, I have no idea why anyone would want one on their boat, let alone live with one aboard. Wait till you're in an anchorage, there is a gail blowing and the dog has to go to shore. It's a real deal breaker for me.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

I've never had a marina ask me if I had a dog on the boat.


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## rpludwig (Mar 13, 2017)

The dog will adapt, just as you will...bring her on board, buy her a pfd and clean up after her diligently (the smaller dog, the better in that regard). Our place welcomes pets (kept on a leash when off the boat), and even has a "dog run" fenced in area...check around, another marina here is more contrary.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Should be no problem... good dog manners are important... no barky dogs and clean up and keep the dog under control and no one should complain.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

I like the boats with dogs that like to bark at other boats :hothead:hothead


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Some dogs get seasick too.

The worst is the crew that leaves their dog aboard, while they go to shore, and the pooch barks continuously until they return.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

The question is not whether "marinas accept dogs" but does YOUR MARINA allow dogs. Unless there are so many nearby that you don't mind moving to one that does?

The wife will also find that she needs to be diligent about training the dog not to relieve itself on the docks, not to jump on people, not to bark and be unruly, or even if the marina does allow dogs, they can ask that a nuisance animal be removed.


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## Sailormon6 (May 9, 2002)

I love dogs, and lived aboard with one, and it can certainly be done, but there are problems. What do you do with the dog if you want to go someplace where the dog can't go, like a banquet or party, or if you want to crew on a friend's boat. Your house might be 100' from your neighbor's house, but your boat is just the width of a finger pier from your neighbor's boat. The dog can hear every sound. If you leave him unattended on your boat and he starts barking, you aren't there to quiet him. You'll become very unpopular fast.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Our marina does allow dogs, but requires them to be leased all the time. It's a long walk to the first place that a dog could "go" I don't like walking to the shoreside heads, when I need them. The dog's lawn is even further. We had a neighbor that let their cat roam free. They were evicted over it. I was happy about that. If you willingly let your feline rodent climb on my boat, I should be allowed to squish it like it was an unwanted bug. Understand, there will be anchorage or marina neighbors that feel that way about your dog.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

My 60 lb Bassett Hound has been my all weather boating companion for the last 8 years. I have never been turned away from a marina or yacht club for having a dog on board and I did live aboard in more than one marina. However, the Bassett Hound is well known as a well tempered and very relaxed breed, and mine is no exception. He will sit quietly down below while I am out, provided I give him a brisk 25 minute walk before leaving him unattended, he can be good for several hours on his own, even on my current little boat.

However, he has certainly caused me lots of challenges over the years. He is okay with rhythmic wave motion but doesn't like power boat wakes and gets skittish, he can be several minutes to calm down. He is under feet 100% of the time when I am docking, which isn't always convenient for a single hander. Trips have to be planned around his pee brakes, which is pretty annoying because it often means not taking the rhumb line. Lucky for me, I don't sail off shore, if I did multi day passages, it would be a major problem. Anchoring is largely based around the dog, he has to be able to get to shore at night and in the morning, doesn't matter if there is a 2 foot chop, wind and rain, I still need to wrestle his butt into a dinghy and row him ashore. When I clear into the US, they want more documentation for the dog, then they want for me. He has fallen over board once, I was single handed, the experience pushed me very close to my capacity for multi tasking.

I can occasionally get my mom to watch him for me for a few weeks, but that is a 5 hour drive each way, so not really convenient. Think very hard about it before signing on the dotted line, it may well be the straw that brakes the camels back if you hope to leave your home cruising grounds in the future, they are a lot to manage on a boat, small children are easier and by a large margin IMO.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

In my opinion, it's downright cruel to take a dog that has lived ashore and put it on a boat. A new puppy will adapt well to boat life, but one that has a yard to play in and easy access when they have to "go"; it is just not fair to the dog.
Never mind all the stuff mentioned above, especially the hair in your bilge pumps. That one alone could cost you the boat, if not your lives.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

don0190 said:


> i like the boats with dogs that like to bark at other boats :hothead:hothead


*continuously*


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Some dogs are very nervous and territorial. Smaller dogs, especially near and under 10-20 pounds, are infamous for that. Some breeds like dachshunds are notoriously territorial and stubborn, very hard to train.

But in all cases, this is a problem WITH THE HUMANS, not with the dog. Any dog can be taught to not bark at the mailman, the newspaper delivery, passerby. And they can be taught that ONE bark [Red October: Give me one ping, and one ping only.] when there is someone actually AT the door, is all they need to do.

There are some nutso dogs that simply won't be trained and shouldn't be kept as pets. That's very rare with well-bred dogs, usually they are the product of junkyards and puppy mills and they've already been ruined, literally.

But if the dog has some security in its home, and is given early and proper training (which usually means paying for a pro) there's no reason it should be a nuisance.

I had a large dog ("livestock") that liked to chase trucks when I got it. Not cars, just trucks. It took all of 15 minutes to break the dog of that habit. You've just got to outsmart them, and learn to communicate in terms THEY can understand. Black and white, no grays. Dog brains need that kind of clarity.


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## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

hellosailor said:


> Any dog can be taught to not bark at the mailman, the newspaper delivery, passerby.


Oh, really? I had a dog that was area trained but would go crazy and attack the front door when either the paperboy or a mailman approached. Never could break that habit. Otherwise, a lovable dog (cocker spaniel), trainable in other respects

To each his own about sailing with dogs, but I will never understand the couple we saw at Block Island with 4 LARGE dogs on a 38' or so sailboat. Watching them load the dogs on the dinghy for the twice daily trip to the beach was entertaining. But, one has to wonder about allowing dogs to foul the beach in a no discharge harbor.


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

When I was a kid we had a large brown dog (some lab but short hair..dunno) that loved people but ruled his grounds/yard.
Sometimes he stopped cars in our residential street - in front of a car with his front paws on the hood of the car.
'Some' cars he didn't like parking in our driveway and would bite at the tires.
Matthew was a great dog...
He came from the pound (not called shelters back then).


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## ebourg (Dec 3, 2015)

Would there be issues with a dog if you choose to cruise to another country, or when returning to the US? Poor little bleeder could spend a lot of time in quarantine.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I've told this story before, I think. I had a buddy (he's passed) who had his black lab on his boat. He came over for sundowners one night and brought his dog in his dinghy, but insisted that the dog stay in the dink. I had a few already and offered he should bring the dog aboard. :eek

The lab stayed at the top of the sugar scoop stairs, between the twin helms for a couple of hours. Never moved, never barked, very well behaved. Great dog.

When I walked into the cockpit the next morning, with my coffee, I couldn't believe what we could not see in the dark the night before. The entire cockpit was covered in black dog hair. The front of the cockpit has to be 8-10 ft from where the dog was laying down. While it only took a few buckets of water to clean up, I couldn't imagine what it must be like to have that dog down below all the time.


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

Then...there is the problem of people coming over shedding their dead skin cells.

Jeez.....


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Fallard-
There is an old Chinese saying that there are no poor students, only poor teachers.

Yes, ANY dog can be taught. Not every person can teach them. Every basketball can be put through a hoop. Some of us can't make that happen, either. Is it the basketball's fault?

Some behaviors, like barking at passerby or the door, can be especially hard to train out. But a really sharp trainer can make that happen. I'm not one of those. Just like I'm not in the NBA.


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## sailforlife (Sep 14, 2016)

How about training the dog to use the head?

:boat :irateraft::captain:


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

its pprobably possible for the right dog/owner combination. I have seen people on youtube train their cats to use the head.

What i think is more common is some kind of special astro turf looking stuff that resembles a puppies training pee pad. I havent tried it with my dog, but i have read that it works. It sure would make life a lot easier if you plan on making passages over 12 hours or so.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Arcb said:


> ...What i think is more common is some kind of special astro turf looking stuff that resembles a puppies training pee pad.......


Then, what do you do with the contents of the pad, if you're within the NDZ? I suppose you could flush the bulk of it down your head, but the pad still needs to be cleaned, I would think.

I've heard folks advocate dragging it behind the boat for a bit. I really don't mind that, although, I think it violates the NDZ rules.


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

Minnewaska said:


> Nail scratches on the soles, hair in the bilges and having to walk the dog every single time it needs to go. While I like dogs, I have no idea why anyone would want one on their boat, let alone live with one aboard. Wait till you're in an anchorage, there is a gail blowing and the dog has to go to shore. It's a real deal breaker for me.


You can say you don't like dogs. Honestly, it's ok. No one will hold it against you. All of these complaints are reasons why _you_ don't want a dog on your boat. Which again is fine and totally legitimate. But for many people, these issues above just are really no big deal. We bring our dog out on our boat all the time. Sure it's a hassle sometimes, for some of the reasons you mention, but so is having a boat in the first place, or a kid, or having a dog at home, and so many other things in life. We love having our dog with us, and it does change the way we spend a day on our boat, but we wouldn't do it if we didn't all enjoy it.

To me, the real consideration is the welfare of the dog. I do agree that living aboard, and especially cruising on long passages, is not an ideal living situation for almost all dogs. There may be a few that do fine. But in general, I don't think it's a good lifestyle for a dog and that would be the reason to not do it.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

caberg said:


> You can say you don't like dogs. Honestly, it's ok. No one will hold it against you......


Why is liking dogs mutually exclusive from objecting to dog hair in the bilges, etc? I like red wine, but object to drinking it over my teak decks too.

If someone else doesn't mind nail scratches on their soles, or red wine stains on their teak, that's quite fine with me. It doesn't make them a bad person. My good friend I mentioned above clearly didn't mind. I just don't understand it. Can we agree that both are going to reduce the number of people interested in buying the boat, when you want to sell it? That doesn't make anyone a bad person, all should do as they please.


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

Minnewaska said:


> Why is liking dogs mutually exclusive from objecting to dog hair in the bilges, etc?


All of your complaints about dogs in this thread add up to _"I'm just not really a dog person...."_ The things you mention obviously go with having a dog, whether you are at home or on a boat. They bark, they shed, they need walks, you need to deal with their waste. If those things bother you, then dogs aren't really your thing. No big deal.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

I disagree. I understand where Minnewaska is coming from. It's possible to love dogs but not want them on your boat.

I've owned dogs my entire life. I love 'em to death, but I would never have a dog aboard my boat while cruising or living aboard. My biggest objection is that it's just cruel to the dog.
Sure, I brought him down to the boat while working or lounging at the dock, but that was usually it. Once, I sailed 9 miles to Annapolis and rented a slip so that I could walk him easily. 

My last dog suffered from heart failure so I put him to sleep almost exactly a year ago. I haven't replaced him and I won't replace him because my kids are grown and gone. It makes absolutely zero sense to own a dog that will be locked up alone while I'm at work 9-10 hours a day. It makes no sense to own a dog that I will always board at a kennel just so that I can go sailing.

I love dogs so much, that I realize when my own desires conflict with the best interests of the animal.


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## TomMaine (Dec 21, 2010)

I just skimmed this thread but it looks like the OP got a rescue dog(?) that may have some Springer Spaniel. Nice!

I had a Springer that started sailing mid-life. My advice, having started dogs sailing as pups and adults, is take it easy with the new adult dog.

I'd compare it to starting children on a boat as adolescents. You can scare them easily if you're not careful. Go slow at first.

We took our Springer to the Bahamas in a 28' boat. He loved it and he made the trip much more enjoyable. We like to hike and beach comb which is dog nirvana.

As far as marinas, that would be the same as anywhere. Good dog owners keep track of their animals and don't let them bother others. There are lots of obnoxious, noisy boats out on the water, with no dogs.

Dogs love sailing!


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

Ajax_MD said:


> I disagree. I understand where Minnewaska is coming from. ... My biggest objection is that it's just cruel to the dog.


If you re-read Minnewaska's posts, he doesn't seem all that concerned about the dog's welfare. Maybe he is, I don't know, but his objections to dogs on boats in this thread seem to be objections about dogs in general. We have spent a lot of time on the water with our dog and there are a lot of considerations that go into it, but the things like hair, barking, scratches, which Minnewaska raises, are just general "I'm not a big fan of dogs myself" kind of things.

Here's our most recent pup on the water this past summer.


imagehost ru


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

My marina allows dogs to roam free. Wild ragged sailors too and I wouldn't want it any other way.

I don't really have an opinion, but I thought I would share this cool video. If you haven't seen it - it really is worth watching!


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

Minnewaska said:


> Then, what do you do with the contents of the pad, if you're within the NDZ? I suppose you could flush the bulk of it down your head, but the pad still needs to be cleaned, I would think.
> 
> I've heard folks advocate dragging it behind the boat for a bit. I really don't mind that, although, I think it violates the NDZ rules.


I havent tried it myself, I just read about it. It was on CF about 3 or 4 years ago. I am guessing the thread is searchable, it was a long thread specifically on this topic. I take my dog ashore.

Unrelated, but I read about sailing with a dog being cruel? I do not agree with that at all. I got my dog from a rescue centre at age 2, so just having an owner was an improvement in life style. At the time I got him I had waterfront property and a power boat but no sailboat. His early exposure to boating was fishing and water fowl hunting. I know he did not like hunting, because he told me he doesn't, it wasn't the loud noises, he felt bad for the birds, so I stopped bringing him hunting with me (and have since quit hunting, because I too feel bad for the birds).

Sailing on the other hand, he loves, I know because he told me, sits in the cockpit with his people and sniffs at the sunshine, eats treats. He is a social dog, he likes 95% of activities he gets to do with people. It just means I usually stop some where every 6 hours or so to let him pee or stretch his legs, which, coincidentally my wife and son appreciate as well. Whether its cruel to the dog or not just depends on your approach, it certainly doesn't have to be.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

caberg said:


> If you re-read Minnewaska's posts, he doesn't seem all that concerned about the dog's welfare. Maybe he is, I don't know, but his objections to dogs on boats in this thread seem to be objections about dogs in general.......


But, I do like dogs. That's being a little stubborn. I also pointed out they can get seasick.

I also like red wine, I have a wine cellar at home. It never comes on my boat, but how does that make me object to red wine in general??

Dogs at home are not at all the same as aboard. You can manage the flooring easier and there isn't a bilge. You just open the back door and they go out and play and poop all on their own. Ferrying a dog to shore in a gale (which I've witnessed a thousand times) looks miserable. I don't want to take me to shore in a gale to go to the bathroom.

I had a dog for years. I do not now, because my travel schedule does not allow and I wouldn't bring it to the boat, upon which we spend ~100 days per year.

If it's worth it to you, that's great.

I hate cats. Maybe that's what you're picking up somehow.


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Pepper










She rocks...and poops on the foredeck. Easy-peasy.


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

Minnewaska said:


> But, I do like dogs. That's being a little stubborn. I also pointed out they can get seasick.
> 
> I also like red wine, I have a wine cellar at home. It never comes on my boat, but how does that make me object to red wine in general??
> 
> ...


Comparing dogs to red wine just doesn't work for me. But I'll take your word for it that you like dogs.

And we can agree on one thing. Cats are the worst.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

caberg said:


> All of your complaints about dogs in this thread add up to _"I'm just not really a dog person...."_ The things you mention obviously go with having a dog, whether you are at home or on a boat. They bark, they shed, they need walks, you need to deal with their waste. If those things bother you, then dogs aren't really your thing. No big deal.


And then there's how the last 4 days on the cruiser net different people have complained about the big piles of dog poop that the "dog people" just leave. And there are poop cleanup supplies all over that they could use.

Guess I'm just not a dog person. I have no issue with the dog barking inside the all night to just needed volume to keep the owner up, whether the dogs hair covers the inside of the boat, and whether it pops and pees all over the inside of their boat because hey, they are dog people.


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## Lazerbrains (Oct 25, 2015)

I am a dog person. My dog lives at my house - I am not liveaboard.
The previous owner of my boat was liveaboard with a dog.
No pee or poo smells, but the hair was so bad in the bilge it clogged the pumps (deep bilge) and I had
to pull them up and take them apart - so there is a possible safety issue to be aware of if your dog lives on the boat - check your bilges regularly.
I have dock neighbors who are liveaboard with a sweet little dog - but they leave it locked up in the boat for hours at a time when they go somewhere
and the dog is miserable the whole time locked in the boat - barking and crying. When the finally get back it almost pees on the way up to the grass because
it can't hold it anymore. I think my dogs are much happier at my home, with a yard to play in when I am gone. 
Another dock neighbor lives aboard, and is always there - his dog is happy as a clam.


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## sailforlife (Sep 14, 2016)

smackdaddy said:


> Pepper
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How about the pee ?


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## ClifHel64 (Jan 7, 2018)

you will have to find out. its case by case, some do, some only accept a certain size, etc. It just means you will have more restrictions and less marinas that you can go to


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

sailforlife said:


> How about the pee ?


She pees on people I don't like. Like I said, she's a great dog.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

smackdaddy said:


> She pees on people I don't like. Like I said, she's a great dog.


Must have a bladder the size of Texas


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## sailforlife (Sep 14, 2016)

smackdaddy said:


> She pees on people I don't like. Like I said, she's a great dog.


Thats really funny so does she pee in the same mat that she poops?


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

Pee on deck and hit it with a bucket of seawater. Oh, either you or the dog....same treatment.

Dog pee kills lion fish and great whites. Most people don't know this.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

RegisteredUser said:


> Dog pee kills lion fish and great whites. Most people don't know this.


probably another need for a bladder the size of Texas because just how close are you willing to get with a normal pee load


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

Don0190 said:


> probably another need for a bladder the size of Texas because just how close are you willing to get with a normal pee load


IIRC, Heckler & Koch makes a marinized version of the Super Soaker (under license from Nerf). 
Just pee in it.
I believe they come with stanchion mounts, too


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## twoshoes (Aug 19, 2010)

We have two 15lb non-shedding dogs. We have to take them to the groomers for a haircut every other month, but I don't like fur on my boat or in my house.

Well behaved in marinas (or home for that matter) in that they don't bark at noises, and just some tail wagging when they see other dogs or people. I don't feel that that is indicative of training or a lack thereof, just a roll of the dog-dice and getting lucky I guess. The only time they bark is when we play fetch and I don't throw the ball fast enough.

When we are under way or at anchor we put this down in the cockpit when we would normally take them for a walk:










Works for us, YMMV.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

I've repeatedly heard it said that (in general) the small dogs make a lot of noise because they are insecure, everything is big enough to be a threat so they speak up first. And the big breeds, with some notable exceptions, don't get bothered by anything, because they know that they can just jump up and sit on it.

Jack London mentions a Newfoundland dog in Call of the Wild. That's one breed noted (among other things as a water rescue dog, even today) for being so placid you can literally put your hand in their mouth without fear of being bit. But once they decide to get upset...they're equally adamant about "Hang on there, boss, I'm busy right now."


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## Punisher (Feb 16, 2018)

Minnewaska said:


> Our marina does allow dogs, but requires them to be leased all the time. It's a long walk to the first place that a dog could "go" I don't like walking to the shoreside heads, when I need them. The dog's lawn is even further. We had a neighbor that let their cat roam free. They were evicted over it. I was happy about that. If you willingly let your feline rodent climb on my boat, I should be allowed to squish it like it was an unwanted bug. Understand, there will be anchorage or marina neighbors that feel that way about your dog.


Squish my Dog and you will find it hard to walk or sail again


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Punisher said:


> Squish my Dog and you will find it hard to walk or sail again


I made a generic point (about free roaming cats). If you think a direct threat as your first post was smart, you find you are as unwelcome as if I find your dog uninvited on my boat. Now go change the tape on your glasses, keyboard tough guy.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Minnewaska said:


> I made a generic point (about free roaming cats). If you think a direct threat as your first post was smart, you find you are as unwelcome as if I find your dog uninvited on my boat. Now go change the tape on your glasses, keyboard tough guy.


Ferral cats need not come from slip owners... they can wander over looking for rats!

Pet owners must respect the rules for pets and that likely forbids free roaming pets.

Unless it is a small well tempered dog... keeping it on a boat seems somewhat cruel.

Our 2 westies were comfortable on Shiva... they were allowed to relieve themselves on deck.... it was easy peasy to clean up after them. But mostly they loved visiting shore and parks where they socialized with other dogs. We're on a mooring and when they were in a barky phase they went down below. They were never left alone on the boat.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

This is Otis, my #1 dog. I have 2 that I rescued and he is the older one, better trained and certainly wiser than my young yellow lab. As you can see from his body language and tail, he really does not like going out on the sailboat. He puts up with it in a good natured way because he thinks it makes me happy. What he does enjoy is running around our vast marina, and interacting with all the marina dogs, while I tie up the boat. I'm lucky that I have my boat at an off beat and loose knit place, and everyone just tolerates everyone else, including peaceful intelligent dogs like Otis. Yes, my marina allows dogs to roam, one reason I like it there.

I sometimes think that dogs roamed freely for thousands of years and then we made laws and rules a that they always have to be restrained. Sorry but that isn't their nature. I generally obey the rules in populated places and then in other places I let them roam. I am not a key board tough guy but I also never signed up to be a robot either and sometimes I get a rude look for letting Otis walk around. If anyone said anything I'd leash him in a minute but in my heart I think "go stuff it" . I'm for dog freedom. He's a peaceful dog who follows me obediently and likes to sniff around. Occasionally someone asks me how I keep him from running way. Running away? I really have no answer. He knows I'm his owner and he stays around me or follows me out of a sense of obligation, I guess.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Socializing a dog means taking out some of their freedom to be what they are .... animals.

I think a dog owner can find a good balance... such as Sal does. His dog wanders when it knows it's OK with Sal... and stays close by when it's not.

My Wesites were the same with one weakness - squirrels. They did not need a leash. They stayed close to me. They did not jump up on people... they did not bark unless they felt threatened... which was very very rare. It was up to me to be mindful of squirrels... because they would take off after them chasing them up a tree. They never ever caught one. They did chase them as they ran on the overhead utility wires barking (not appreciated). It was not easy to get their attention and stop them barking. Cats were the other animal that they were curious about... but there were so few ferral cats we only encountered a few in their entire lives as adults. But they DID remember where our neighbors fed ferral cats and would run to those feeding stations in hopes of finding a cat. Cats were always faster and climbed up out of reach.

You need to be in complete control of your dog at all times.... for its safety and sometimes for the safety of others. Leash works... and is the legal prescription. I always had their leashes when we were out and tied them when I went inside a shop. They were intelligent and knew how to behave in public.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Sal Paradise said:


> ..... I am not a key board tough guy.......


I'm flattered that you seem to hang on my every word....... 

I have no problem with a well behaved dog roaming the public space of a marina. That's not what the tough guy responded to.

Would you allow your dog to board my boat, without my permission? I bet not.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

I was just seeing if you paid attention. You are one of the better posters here. I guess I will give up comedy and go back to my day job. 

For my own benefit, I always say that I am not tough.Kind of like when a new guys says he doesn't really play poker. 

Otis wouldn't jump on some strange boat, but if he even tried it, I'd just call him back to me. That dog is a pleasure to have around. But, you can never be 100% sure.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Minnewaska said:


> Would you allow your dog to board my boat, without my permission? I bet not.


This is a joke... right?

Only a few boats have boarding steps to start with...

Why would a dog want to board a boat?

My dogs used to explore the fingers at the marine where we wintered.... that's it. They hated docks with wide spacing of the deck boards in any case.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

SanderO said:


> This is a joke... right?
> 
> Only a few boats have boarding steps to start with...


No joke. You don't seem to be following the point of the exchange and I'm not going to explain it.

That said, every boat at our marina, that one can't step aboard directly, has boarding steps secured to the dock. Ours included.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Some dogs like to go walkabout. Most just know it is safer to stay with the pack, even if that is just "Massa". In the den, however they interpret that.

A lot of developments, especially "over 55" developments, ban children and dogs. And then sometimes, they change the rules. Couple of years ago I was reading that one nearby development dropped those rules, and saw resale prices go up 10% afterwards.

Marinas and condo boards can both make the same mistakes.


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## Ninefingers (Oct 15, 2009)

Minnewaska said:


> Would you allow your dog to board my boat, without my permission? I bet not.


Why would a dog ever board your boat? Are you leaving steaks out on the table or something?


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Ninefingers said:


> Why would a dog ever board your boat? Are you leaving steaks out on the table or something?


Talk about the point going over some people's heads.

But, to answer your unrelated question, yes I have food on the table in our cockpit frequently. In fact, apps come out with sundowners every day. Dinner is frequent and steaks could indeed be waiting to be taken to the grill. Although, none of this has anything to do with the agreed upon fact that no one should allow their pets, of any kind, aboard another's boat, without permission.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Minnewaska said:


> Talk about the point going over some people's heads.
> 
> But, to answer your unrelated question, yes I have food on the table in our cockpit frequently. In fact, apps come out with sundowners every day. Dinner is frequent and steaks could indeed be waiting to be taken to the grill. Although, none of this has anything to do with the agreed upon fact that no one should allow their pets, of any kind, aboard another's boat, without permission.


No one "allows" their pets to do anything. Pets are animals and require socialization to co exist with others in society. Virtually dog owners obedience train their dogs and set boundaries for their behavior. Pets are not wild animals... they are socialized ones and to think they would be roaming around marinas like predators is a bit of paranoia.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Get as defensive as you like about your dogs. Predators? That shows your hand. You have seriously missed the point. Read above again, if you have to.

Nevertheless, if you're trying to say that no dog would ever enter another's property without properly considering social etiquette first, that will be the laugh of the day.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

Sal Paradise said:


> I was just seeing if you paid attention. You are one of the better posters here. I guess I will give up comedy and go back to my day job.


It apparently is a dog eat dog world.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

I think we all get it; dogs are family but we don't want them jumping on someone's boat uninvited, or eating their steaks. Totally agree on both points. Now let's go back to solving global warming. LOL

This is an afterthought, but maybe an important one;

Otis probably would not jump on your boat, nor would he eat steaks precisely because he is well socialized. He really has learned to take his cue from what I am doing and even when roaming around he has some idea what I am doing. If I get on a boat, then he would want to, if I am walking to the marina office he tags along. 
In that sense he is much more polite than some muffet of a dog that has always been leashed and just barks and runs. Otis has been using his brain more. 

At this point I'm not talking strictly about moral right and wrong. This is just observation, from a long time raising and training dogs. Dogs can be raised to have a certain social IQ. They still might piss in your cockpit if another dog has done it there, and they will think nothing of it because that makes sense from their view. But I think it is entirely likely that a socialized dog would be extremely hesitant to jump on a boat or up onto table to get food whereas an untrained "housecat" type of dog might just do it.

Where I have a slight problem with other people is that they see any unleashed dog as that untrained dog and assume Otis is putting them at some risk. Or, there are those miserable people who just live to tell you that there are rules and you are breaking them. For every one of those - we meet 5 who are happy to see the dog.

Also, as I said Otis does not really like boats, and I rarely take him to the marina because of that. Maybe twice a year. He mostly loves when we launch the boat because we spend hours at the dock and he runs around the marina sniffing and pissing around the poppets and abandoned boats.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Sal Paradise said:


> I think we all get it; dogs are family but we don't want them jumping on someone's boat uninvited, or eating their steaks. Totally agree on both points. Now let's go back to solving global warming. LOL
> 
> This is an afterthought, but maybe an important one;
> 
> ...


Well said Sal... smart dogs who are "emotionally" attached to their companions-owners like to follow them and inform their thinking by observing and following.

You can't take the animal out of a dog completely... erase their instincts. But getting them under control... is what socialization is all about. Dogs like boat yards because of the plethora of smells, one reason humans dislike them.


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## Ninefingers (Oct 15, 2009)

I still can't imagine a scenario where a dog would just hop onto a random boat. It just doesn't happen.


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## Sinister (Dec 29, 2014)

I'll take a well behaved dog off leash over a poor behaved dog on a leash any day. 
I've seen plenty of dogs on long leashes blocking entrance ways and charging anyone who comes to enter.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Nothing better than a well behaved dog, in my book. However, I find an owner's assessment of their own dog's behavior to be highly skewed. We had a Golden Retriever when I was a kid. Extremely docile and friendly. My Father would bring her to my High School Lacrosse practices and she would run and retrieve the balls. Except, these were balls the coach wanted the players to retrieve and he was annoyed. She was doing just what she was told/trained to do, but her owner wasn't getting the fact that others didn't appreciate it. Behavior is in the eye of the beholder.


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## CLOSECALL (Dec 11, 2012)

Well, I have nothing against well behaved dogs, but I don't much care for dog crap that the dog owners don't clean up. When I see a pile I'll set a piece of marina equipment near it so nobody steps in it. Its also a good way to get the marina owner's attention.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

Small young dogs are best, especially with garlic sauce and a nice red wine.


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## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

Arcb said:


> .........Trips have to be planned around his pee brakes (sic) (breaks), ...... Anchoring is largely based around the dog, he has to be able to get to shore at night and in the morning, doesn't matter if there is a 2 foot chop, wind and rain, I still need to wrestle his butt into a dinghy and row him ashore.


Wow, all of this can be solved with some basic dog training. For others who want to try taking a dog on board, and if you ever decide to try again with your next dog, some simple training techniques can make all the difference in the world.

It helps to start them when they are puppies to go to the bathroom on command. Start by walking them right away when they are a puppy and patting them and praising them when they go to the bathroom by saying, "Good dog, go to the bathroom. Good dog, go to the bathroom". Eventually they will pair the two and know what the command "go to the bathroom means".

Then start training them that there are places you don't want them to go to the bathroom. Just as you see them start to squat, pull them away by their leash and say, "No, no, no, no, no" and move them to a suitable place. They won't poop or pee while you are dragging them and keeping them moving. Then stop at a suitable place, and say, "Go to the bathroom". Eventually they will learn to go to the bathroom on command in the places you tell them to and refrain from going to the places where you tell them no and move them along.

This is very helpful in my neighborhood because I have some neighbors with obsessively manicured lawns. It seems like my dog prefers these lawns, particularly when the owner is sitting on their front porch to watch. She also shows a preference for wanting to do her business on the front lawn of the church on Sunday morning just as people are filing in and out of church. This training has allowed me to push her along with the side of my foot as soon as she looks like she's getting ready to go and I can say, "No no no no, not here, not here", and I can move her along to another place. There are a few wooded areas between the church and the obsessively manicured lawns where I can stop and say, "Go to the bathroom here, go to the bathroom here" and she will go on command. It also helps for those bitter cold winter nights when I let her out before going up to bed. She will sniff around looking for just the right place to go and I will scold, "Dammit quit jerking around and just go to the bathroom will you! Go to the bathroom now!" She will drop and do it there and then come back in the house so I can get back in the warmth and go to bed.

Once you teach the dog to go to the bathroom on command in a particular place, you get one of those front door mats that's made of the curly plastic fibers that looks sort of like AstroTurf. You teach the dog to go on that and hose it off afterward.

Dogs love to please us and like to do their business in the places that will make us happy, and places that are not near where they eat or sleep. That's basic denning instinct.

Cut two sections of foam swim noodle, mitered at the corner, make a slit down the length and put them on the edge of the astro turf mat at one corner. You can seal them with a little bit of glue. Set this mat on the bow of your boat closest to the front near the lifelines. Place the corner with the swim noodles downhill to catch and block the dog urine.

Take your dog sailing until he or she needs to go to the bathroom badly. Take them to the AstroTurf Matt and say, "Go to the bathroom here, go to the bathroom here". When they go praise them profusely. Most dogs will not need more than three times to be shown to the mat.
If it's well away from where they eat and sleep this will become their favorite place to go. Tie a piece of line to one corner of the mat and you can dip it over the edge to wash it after each use.

There is no way I'm getting in the dinghy at first light, before coffee, to take a dog to shore to do their business. She can learn to go on board like every other member of the crew.


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