See full version: Dog on boat thread regarding pee and poop breaks
On the other hand, some of the remote Island beaches that I like to go to in the boat are not patrolled, so those beaches are littered with dog poop, diapers and cigarette butts. Just imagine spending a beautiful Sunday afternoon on the beach when some idiot comes in and lets his dog(s) loose, only to have them poop right next to your pickinick basket! [links]
Don't make that assumption. I have a golden that will take a dump in the water (if it's shallow enough for him to stand, or rather, squat). He holds it as long as possible but when he absolutely has to go, he will. We try our best to watch for the signs but sometimes we either miss them, or he just doesn't show any signs.
We take shore breaks for our pooch, she gives us the signal which is usually her very anxious attitude, so we pull up and she jumps in. its pretty easy for us since our situation is that our Lab is 8, and has a weight issue so going to the lake is our opportunity to work off her winter weight in a low impact way, by July she will be ready to go running with me as that's when I start training for hunting season. She will swim until she drops and will go to shore to do her business and investigate everything she can, when she is ready to go back out she will let us know. She has never had an accident on the boat. more
When I go for a picnic with my family in the State Park, I can be assured that I won't have to step in dog poop, because the place is regulated. They have a "dog walking" area where you can poop to your heart's content. But its not where other people frequent. [links]
our experience has showed that we can stay on the water 1 hr or 8 hrs and the dogs do not know the difference
but no matter how long we stay out we stick to the same procedure
We have a 7 month old lab mix that we're both smitten with. We even named our boat after him. (see pic) I've been getting him use to the boat on land so when the big day comes this weekend he doesn't freak out. He love car rides, and is very well behaved (potty trained as well), we sure hope he'll love boating. My question is, where do the dogs pee, and or relieve themselves? Do they just pee in the lake? do I make frequent landings? I assume he wouldn't take a dump in the water being out of his normal mulch/grass spot in the back yard. :redface: I hope not! We usually stay out w/o going to shore most of the time so I'm looking for advice from other members.
Since we're sometimes sailing longer distances and may be away from shore for a day or two, it can be challenging and sometimes impossible to take the dogs ashore every time they need to relieve themselves. With small dogs, their potty breaks are especially frequent. After researching everything we could and making some improvements of our own to the idea, we and the pups are quite happy with their "doggy business" setup.
We did end up with an unexpected behavior from Mondo, which was that he enjoyed the praise so much that for a day or two, he would go to the front of the boat ALL THE TIME to deposit a drop or two and then run back to us all excited to get praise and treats. Lol. We slowly reduced the excitement levels for each "deposit" and they quickly returned to normal frequencies of doing their business, only this time on the mat on the bow of the boat. :)
To train the dogs to do their business on the mat, we first needed to get the "scent" on the mat. Dogs like to "go" where there is already a bit of scent, so right after they each went pee in the grass at the marina, we placed the artificial turf upside down (green side down) on the wet spot and stepped on top of the artificial turf. This helped transfer a bit of the odor, which is enough for the dogs to really take notice. here
Put a Life Jacket on Him
Boating with dogs can be a pleasurable experience for all involved. While most dogs do well as soon as they get comfortable on board, it’s important to have an emergency action plan in place.
Create an Overboard Plan here
I know of very few people who have had luck with purchased puppy-training “scent” that you are supposed to spray or drip where you want your dog to go. Despite it seeming to be a simple way to give your dog the idea, I wouldn’t waste my money trying it. here
Some people with male dogs have said they needed a little more than just a carpet. Three that I know of found some sort of artificial shrub and tied it to a stanchion to give their male dogs something to pee on. Since Paz is female, I have zero experience with this. But if your male dog won’t go without a “target,” I’d say it was worth trying. here
Any dog I’ve worked with has gotten the message almost immediately, but some friends have told me it took a bit of patience with their dogs. The critical thing is NOT to take the dog ashore until they go on the boat; praise lavishly the first few times they do use the carpet so they know they did the right thing. And don’t let them lie down on the mat — it’s not a sleep place! Patience and persistence will pay off—you can teach your dog if you stay calm and positive and keep at it. [links]
If that approach won’t work for you, there are two alternatives: more
Recently, I’ve also seen ads for various “indoor dog potties” and a grass patch called “Fresh Patch.” You can also buy “puppy pads” that are similar to disposable diapers but lie flat on the floor or a tray. For years, we used a “welcome mat” size piece of carpet. And no, she has never been confused and used any of our other carpets by mistake and friends also report no confusion. here