[Rhodes22-list] Salty Dog

[Steven Alm]

Lee,

We had a lab for 13 tears and of course he loved the water and so we took
him on the boat until we couldn't stand it anymore.  He was only happy when
he was actually in the water.  When on the boat all he did was whine
incessantly until he could go back in.  That got to be very annoying.  He
fell overboard plenty of times and some were quite inopportune moments.  He
did however learn to climb the swim ladder with my help.  He would naturally
paddle up to it and find the rungs and then I'd put my hand on the back of
his neck to keep him from falling off the ladder once he was upright.  And
if you bring guests aboard, don't assume they'll love your dog like you
do--they won't.

We now have a 16 lb. miniature poodle who's turning out to be a great boat
dog.  Small enough to not be in the way, calm onboard and is quite content
to just sit and watch the water go by, our guests don't mind because he's
gentle and friendly and there's never any drama concerning him.

My advice is to try it a few times but be prepared to alter your thinking
depending on how he behaves.  Good luck.

Slim

On 6/26/07, Brad Haslett <flybrad at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Ok, I lied, one more post.  If he/she has at least 10% lab you MUST take
> him
> to the boat.  They are a pain in the ass getting back on board but they'll
> figure it out.  The bigger issue is keeping them on board.  The slightest
> excuse will do for jumping overboard.  When my boys (now adults) were
> little
> our retriever jumped in the water every time they did and damn near
> drowned
> them trying to save them every time.  Keep the nails trimmed short to
> protect the gelcoat and plan to get wet every time they shake themselves
> off.  It is a major hassle but they love it so.  Good Luck!
>
> Brad
>
> On 6/26/07, benonvelvetelvis at theskinnyonbenny.com <
> benonvelvetelvis at theskinnyonbenny.com> wrote:
> >
> > Lee,
> >
> > Your lab will LOVE being on a boat.  Like a beagle loves to chase small
> > animals
> > or a racehorse loves to run the track, he's got a thousand years of
> > breeding
> > telling him that there's nothing better in the world to being on the
> > water.
> >
> > I would love to have one of the dogs that I see (usually labs) charge up
> > and down
> > the deck in a rough lake without it looking like it's any effort at
> > all.  We
> > almost always bring our two dogs (beagle and basset hound)
> sailing.  They
> > seem to
> > enjoy it, but like you allude, it's hard to know whether they enjoy the
> > ride, or
> > just being with their humans.
> >
> > (Attached is my favorite photo of the two of them aboard.  It's a great
> > illustation of the difference in their personalities.  The big one's a
> lap
> > dog,
> > the little one's a captain.)
> >
> > Getting an overboard lab back on board might be more of a problem.  I
> have
> > seen
> > them climb swim ladders, but I think I would want to train at the dock
> to
> > see if
> > he catches on.  Hoisting a big wet dog aboard doesn't sound much fun.  I
> > guess
> > worst case you could leave the dog in a harness, connect him to your
> > topping
> > lift, and use the winches to haul him up if you had to.
> >
> > Ben
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue Jun 26 10:06 , Leland <LKUHN at cnmc.org> sent:
> >
> > >
> > >We just rescued an 18-month old lab mix from the pound.  The dog loves
> > the
> > >water and my wife thinks it would be a great idea to take him on the
> > boat.
> > >Doesn't sound so good to me.  I know a lot of you have sea dogs and I'd
> > >appreciate your advice.
> > >
> > >1.  Aside from preventing separation anxiety, do you think the dog
> would
> > >enjoy it?  I wouldn't take him on an amusement park ride.
> > >
> > >2.  How do you get him back in the boat?  I assume he's around 100
> pounds
> > >wet, and I don't think I could train him to use the swim ladder.  Not
> > that I
> > >really want a wet dog in my boat anyway.
> > >
> > >I'm obviously looking for reasons to leave the poor pooch at home, but
> if
> > >you think otherwise, please let me know.  I'll be selective when I pass
> > the
> > >information on to the Admiral.
> > >
> > >Thanks!
> > >
> > >Lee
> > >1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
> > >Crab Alley (Kent Island, MD)
> > >--
> > >View this message in context:
> > http://www.nabble.com/Salty-Dog-tf3983627.html#a11309784
> > >Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> > >
> > >__________________________________________________
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> > >
> >
> >
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