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So, my wife and I have a 10 week old lab puppy. We are coming up on boating season here, and I am looking for suggestions on boating with a puppy/dog.

Safety, comfort, etc. I am sure some of you folks take the dogs out.... do you have any advice?

Thanks!

Joshua

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Labs are the best boat dogs. I would never worry about mine drowning but getting one back onto the boat when full grown is a challenge. You might consider putting a harness type collar or one of those PFDs for dogs on your dog just for something to grab on to.

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BIggest thing is to start them at a very early age if possible

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A harness-type collar makes water retevial easier. Although labs are great swimmers you should get a life vest and most have handles for retrieval. Let your new pup get use to it by putting it on and keeping the pup occupied w/a favorite toy.
BTW-Watch out for your back as your pup grows.

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Clip their nails
teach them down / stay / come
get a life vest - while dogs can swim, they can also drown
don't forget fresh water and a bowl
start slow, let them play on the boat, play on the boat with the outboard running but tied to the dock. then move the boat a bit at idle or let the boat drift so they get used to the movement. some dogs take to it like a duck, to water, others aren't so keen about it. Always reassure the pup, they will get bolder. Take short trips at first, pups like kids and a lot of adults I know have very short attention spans, and keep toys handy.

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I had my Golden Retriever in the boat last summer. I was out early in the morning trolling when I heard a splash. She had jumped in while we were in the middle of the lake. I think she got a bit scared by it. The hardest thing was just getting her back in the 13'. I would use a pfd or her car harness next time. She's 2-1/2 yrs old.

A BW and a dog. What could be better? That's livin'.

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I've had dog's (lab mixes), and they became "Boat Dog's", like "Kamie" said, don't forget the bowl and drinking water, towel helps too. The dog might not like the boat at first but, as mentioned "Short trip's" to begin with. I also had "doggie PFD's" on them for the "Handle" to grab, and dog's can get tired swimming too. I'd wait on putting the pup in for it's 1st dip though, a small shallow pond is best for training at first, make sure the dog has "Dog Tag's" on at all times.

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On the subject of PFD's, I have a 3 year old lab that is extremely fit and loves the lake. Last year I bought a pfd for him as he would not stay out of the lake to rest. I put the pfd on him and when he went into the water, he became very unbalanced and flipped over. Thinking I was a dummy and put it on up side down, I checked it but pfd was worn correctly. I rechecked the weight for the pfd and my lab was well within the chart other words was it wasn't to much flotation. I so far have not found what he needs which is less flotation on the sides but big enough to go around his big barrel chested torso and doesnt move around. My lab did not see a boat before 2 years old and took to it like fish to water but then again he is very high strung. I use an absorber http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/...e_absorber this cloth can be use to dry the dog or for him to set on it is easily dried and cleaned. They can be found in almost any automotive section of almost any store. Puppies don't always like a lot of wind in the face so he will probably stay under your feet.

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Like others have been saying, start them early. I am a contractor and have a chocolate lab. My framing contractor gave her to me as a puppy. Since she was six weeks old, she has come to work with me just about everyday and obviously whenever I go out in the Montauk.

Her name is Bella and last year, at he age of 3, she jumped out the boat in a no wake zone to go after a couple of ducks. She came back when I called her, but it was difficult to get her back in the boat.

Labs are great. I keep a ladder by the side of the boat in the backyard carport. She runs up the ladder and sleeps in the boat during the day. Don't worry, she wipes her feet first!

Good luck with the puppy.

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My chocolate lab would jump from the boat anytime I approached marsh grass. A 105 lb mud covered dog is difficult to get back into the boat. Many duck boats have a floating ladder/platform for them to swim up on.

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I'm thinking about doing a modification on my swim ladder that would have a detachable submersed platform, so when the mutt is with me he can get himself into the boat. A view of my current ladder is at the bottom of my personal page

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Also check infant's "PFD's" in a small pool, I bought what I thought was the best one made and it also flipped over face down, with the little one inside.

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When the water warms up, take the pup to the beach to let it get used to being in the water and that swimming is fun.

Not All retrievers like the water.

Con

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Here's a picture of my first mate Oscar. When I fly, he's my co-pilot, when I drive in the truck, he's my navigator and of course when I am in the Whaler, he's my first mate (that's only when my kids aren't with me).

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Thanks for all the comments! I'll let you know how it goes.

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The ladders for getting large dogs back in are nice. Can find them in boat suppliers and sometimes on line used.
I have been taking a small dog on short trips to get her used to the boat as suggested here.
She seems ok so far, but all day may be too much, at this point. We walked around a small island last week. She got into shallow water at times. I slipped on the rocks. 4 Paw drive seems better.
As the water warms, we will try her at swimming.

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Update.... Bailey did awesome!

We took her out on the Erie Canal for our first trip. less than 10mph... no wind. she did great. She was very excited about the moving water around the bow. We had to hold her tight.

This past weekend we went out on a local finger lake. she pretty much just sat down and fell asleep while we were under way. (under the bench, as promised.)

She's not sure about swimming yet (either off the boat or shore) but that will come I am sure!

Another question.... How does everyone handle bathroom breaks for the dog?

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We stop off on land a few times and let Oscar run around and find a spot. Of course, there's a lot of open land where we go so there's not a problem of Oscar going on someones back yard.

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A small sand bar, or island work's here, a quick walk while at the bait sta. or gas dock work's too, anywhere you would stop work's for them too (bring a plastic bag and paper towel's in case of a "Yard Yodel" at land fall).

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Well, it's been a year now. I thought I would bump this back up the list and ask another dog question.

Bailey is now an expert boater, but she now weighs 75lbs. I am very concerned about pulling her out of the water this season!

Any ideas or suggestions on dog ladders? I bought one from cabelas and it won't really work.

Thanks guys!

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how about this? Anyone use this off of the teak swim platform?

http://www.boatingdog.com/Load_A_Pup/Boating_Dog.html

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I have a chocolate lab. He's always hated the water and car rides. Weird. My half yellow lab half grayhound loves both and she sure can run. I'm looking at a purebread German Shepard puppy at this time. We'll see how that goes.

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Gotta black lab a few months ago from the pound. She's only 7 months old now and have been gradually getting her used to the boat with slow speeds, loves to chase waves. Took her to a small island last week and she loved it! Swimming, running arround , getting sticks. At 55 lbs. she's an arm load to get in the outrage at the beach/sandbar, so a ladder would be nice.

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I used to have a Pawsaboard ladder seen here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Paws-Aboard-Dog-Boat-Water-Safety-Ramp-Stairs-Ladder-/230399026388?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35a4da24d4

For my last boat 30 ft crusier and it worked great as I have a 120# black lab that feels like hes 150# when wet. I like them becuase they float and give him several steps.

With dogs on boats make sure they have plenty of fresh water, a towel to dry them off or they will shake off on you, and shade, esspecially if they are darker in color. Once my dog gets hot he goes for a swim no matter where you are or what the speed, hes jumped off when doing 20 before like it was nothing.

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We have a 100LB Lab and alot of what has already been posted is so true.

Start them early and they get used to everything. Not barking at every other boat. Not digging or chewing the interior. Not jumping overboard. Learning to sit at the dock.

Water. Portable water dishes are everywhere.
Shade. If there is not enough room under a seat, a towel or maybe an Anchor Shade.
Swimming. No way I was lugging our guy out of the water. We got one of the www.pawsaboard.com ladders and love it. Have used it on a few different boats and it just works.
Breaks. Some people have been able to teach thier dogs to go on the swim platform etc, If you can do that, more power to you. Otherwise, just keeping an eye on them a let them get a break on a more regular schedule at first. The excitement makes them want to go more than the normal schedule they keep at home.
Treats. Reward them for behaving in the boat, and it will pay dividends down the road.
Towels. Be prepared to watch your interior get SOAKED after every happy shake when your pal gets back on board. It still amazes me how much water a dog can absorb ----and then disperse!

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Here's my Shepherd. He loves the water and the boat.
[IMG]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e283/Protek9543/misc/Mugzie.jpg[/IMG]

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We have an 10 year old lab and a 1 year old golden. We taught them to climb the 3 step swim ladder on our Montauk. It took a little bit of time, the lab kept wanting to climb the motor but she finally got it. As many have mentioned have water & shade for your dog.

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I have an 80 pound female lab and it is extremely difficult to keep her out of the water. I have no idea how I would get her back in the boat. So far I have been able to keep her in. But my real questions is how can I keep her standing up. Any change in speed or direction and she slips on the bottom. Would a piece of astroturf give her enough footing or indoor outdoor carpet layed in the bottom of the boat work. What do you suggest. I do not want to glue anything down.

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With the average weight of a healthy male black Lab being about 60-75 pounds, the membership here must have on average a collection of some of the heaviest Labs out there. I travel the Country on a regular basis involved in training search dogs for USAR. Labs of course are popular for search and rescue duty and out of the hundreds I've worked with, I've never seen any healthy Lab at 100 pounds let alone more. Goodness gracious.

souweine, very cool product. I like the fact it appears fairly compact when stowed.

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My lab is healthy and still lean, for a female she is extremely tall, her dad was the biggest lean lab I have ever seen, she is probably outside the AKC limits for show dog even though she could have been registered. We had her spayed as a pup, but she is not fat like most 7 or 8 year old labs. I will probably get one of the pup ladders for next summer, I think it will work on the whaler and the pontoon, family boat.