Dogs on the boat

Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum or a subject I have missed in the search function, but being a bass fisherman I thought this might be the best place to start. I have a bass boat and have been thinking about getting a puppy to "boat train". I know there are ALOT of folks here that have done this. I am worried about hooks in the paws or anything else, and all of the chaos that could happen with a puppy on the boat trying to train him....or her. Can I get some stories or some hints on the best way to do this? Is a formal training program necessary first? Are there certain breeds that do better on boats? Just want a pal on the boat that I can always count on.

I'd get a small kennel that you can put him in while you are busy. They are going to have accidents and get into things. Training is easy but time consuming. You can do it yourself. Dogs like Labs like water but have to train them not to go for unsuspecting swims. My main concern is stepping on hooks when the rods are on the deck. I'm probably going to make a flap to flip over the lures.

My dog can't even ride in a car for more than 10 minutes. He gets sick and pukes on the floor. So he's never been in the boat and never will.

I got a yellow lab puppy last spring. I started taking her on the boat right away. I still keep her tied to the handle on the console so she cant get to the hooks on the rods. They need to go to the bank often when they are young. She can go all day with one bathroom break now that she is a year old. She has been good so far about staying in the boat and really hasn't been any trouble.

Dogs on the boat are great.
if you are going to train one to be on the boat, when you take the dog out in "training", then you have to train and not fish. You are either training or fishing. Once the dog is trained then you can enjoy the fishing with your fishing partner. Don't expect the dog to get "it" thru osmosis. A good water dog will learn fast of where they can go and where they cannot.

My mini schnauzer is great on the boat. He pretty much goes everywhere with me, so he is use to following commands. If only I could break him from trying to bite the fish I catch.

Our bull terrier loves going on the boat. He just doesn't like the wind in his face. [b][/b]

Wow so glad you said Bull Terrior because I think those are the neatest lil pups and think they would be a great fishing buddy for the boat!

I waited until mine was house broke and could understand basic commands until i took him on the boat. The first time out he did awesome for about 5 hours. I beached the at the boat ramp and [censored]'ed on my carpet!!! But hey atleast he held it that long.

I have had bull terriers for about 15 years. they are the most comical breed in the world, but they require very special attention. I am pretty sure the bull part refers to being bullheaded. lol. the one we have now is very hyper except on the boat. he has surprised me that he is calm on the boat. he doesn't bark at dogs on the shore or try to jump off the boat. but he will let other boats know if they get too close to daddy's fishing spot. lol

Labs are great fishing partners. You can train them to stay in their area, whether it's on the back deck or down in the bottom. They can be trained not to jump in the water when they see a critter on shore or try to jump out on the dock when you are nearing it. I waited until the "New" wore off of my boat before I would put my 70lb dog in it though. If he had been able to back the trailer down he would have been the BEST fishing partner in the world.

I too have a Miniature Schnauzer and he is a great little fishing buddy.

First time I took my pup on the boat she had to use the bathroom, She thought she could walk on water, She learned the hard way. She was about 4 months at the time.

I just dont like getting dog hair everywhere.. Other than that i like to take them

I have a black lab and he is great in the boat. He is still very young. Only a couple of months. But has done great with the boat. Before I took him out in the boat I got him to sit beside me and watch me cast out in the yard a lot. And made sure he wasn't going to chase my lure. I made sure he wasn't interested in trying to eat anything related to a fishing pole. I think a dog is good to have while fishing. Especially if you fish by yourself a lot.

Abby use to go with me all the time. She started going with me at about 4 months old and we had a lot of fun. She was a great fishing partner. Enjoy your pup.

My lil JRT loves the boat but like someone else mentioned doesn't like wind in her ears. She does tend to poop at times also. The good times definitely out way the poopy times.

High strung breeds are not good boat dogs. I wish I could take my Weimaraner, but she's just too much of a spaz.

I have an Aussie. His name is Skipper. Nuf said.

He always wears a life jacket. Sometimes I'll remove it in the summer when the big motor is off. He loves to go fast. As a puppy he would jump into the water and run ashore when i would get real shallow (like 3' or less). Now he waits until I beach the boat for his potty break. I always take extra water, treats, and a chew toy for him. In the summer time I make sure to get him in the water occasionally to cool off. He loves to check out and smell the fish I catch. Sometimes he is annoyingly at my feet and gets in the way of the trolling motor pedal, but that's just part of it, especially with a herding dog. Plan that some of your time will be spent dealing with the dog for potty breaks, etc. I'll take him somewhere to catch the frisbee for a while to expend his energy first before fishing. I also make effort to keep extra rods and lures put away so he doesn't hook himself and so that I can pay more attention to fishing. Most of the time he is looking over the edge of the boat wondering when the next fish will come out of the water.
Of course I have to vacuum the boat when we get home.

I have an Australian Shepherd and a Texas Healer, anytime I am in my boat they are both there too. I started both at a young age, never had an issue with either dog jumping in the water or anything like that. I make it a point to hit the bank about every hour to let them swim a little and take care of their business. If your worried about hooks, see below for a great way to handle that. Starting them out on a leash is not a bad idea, but eventually you will have to train them how to act around the rods. My Texas Healer got a spinnerbait hook through one of his paws years ago, hasnt stepped on a bait since.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Lure-Wraps/product/103725/

Might post in off topic as well.

Clearly you have never visited the OT!

Our 11 yr old Toy Poodle(5.5 lbs) has been going since she was a puppy, no training needed, no SHEDDING either. She just took to it. Once the motor starts she knows the routine, she gets on partner s lap or mine.
Tournament Day she holds it till weigh-in, Safe light -2 or 3pm. After we get to first spot she gets a Dog bone,her food and water is put out.She goes to sleep, either on seat or under console, till she hears the rustle of a sandwich wrapper. She's VERY smart, some of her tricks are on You Tube
Lola's tricks part 1,part 2 and 3 should be up by now. You must type in Lola's tricks part 1,2 or 3
otherwise other Lola s pop up. She's a chocolate brown toy.
BTW she has more air miles than I do, also does Auto Train. So she does trains, planes, boats, and automobiles.LOL

My pit bull loves it. She just waits and waits till i hook one and comes up jumping and she gets do excited when i get one in the boat. Makes me a proud parent

I can give you a personal opinion as a veterinarian or a fisherman. Been fishing most of my life and work as an ER vet for the past 4 years.

So, I have to remove hooks from dogs fairly often during the spring time. Most of them are in hard to reach places and often involve crankbait hooks. I am guessing ones caught in the skin are removed by the owners because to be honest I dont see many of those. As long as you keep the deck clean you probably dont have to worry about that. Some dogs LOVE chasing lures when they are cast. If your dog is one of those he/she could seriously mess up a good thing by jumping in the water after your spook. Lastly and most important I would think is to watch the temp outside. I start seeing animals for heat stroke once the temp breaks 65-70F outside. Heat stroke sucks and is expensive to treat if they get a condition called HGE from it , that tends to show up several days later. Cant predict heat stroke unfortunately . Typically happens on humid days with dogs doing things they normally do day in day out.

As a fisherman, my dog goes with me fairly often. She loves to bark at the fish. Dog hair can be a pain to get out of boat carpet.

Thats my $0.02

Great answers as usual. And yeah, I know about the off topic area but try to stay away from there....more intelligent answers here. Appreciate the input.

I will say this, expect an accident here and there as a puppy, then expect them to want to swim and track sand and mud into the boat as well. I remember taking my chocolate lab when he was a couple months old and he started a #2 on my back deck. I remember checking him into the water like a hockey player. I still had to do some cleaning. A couple other issue that you might encounter:

1. dog running back and forth from front to back
2. dog stepping on rods
3. an occasional hook in the dog
4. nails tearing seats

All in all I got over these things and never backed the boat up without my dog in the truck.

My yellow lab just jumps in and swims to shore to do her thing or cool off, or just to aggravate me. Love having her with me.

I take my chocolate lab with me often. She is 13 now, but when she was a puppy I made sure she stayed on the back deck and NEVER came forward. She got to like fishing much more than duck hunting. She goes on point every time I set the hook and will stay frozen until I toss the fish. If the fish is a throw back I softly toss it just out of range of her mouth into the water. She then sticks her head down below water level and looks for the fish. If it is a large fish, she will unfreeze and start wagging her tail because she knows I will not toss it.

All of my boys are grown and married now and she has become my fishing companion. But due to her age I have to watch taking her into the heat. I highly recommend getting a lab. They are very intelligent and easily trained, they love people, and love water.

I get a headache after 3 topics
I read down there. Everyone's just soooo funny.

Really?
No one is taking this softball downtown?
ok.....

No dogs on the boat, leave your wife at home.

going...going...gone...

Man, that's a purdy pit! They are such great dogs. My buddy has one that watches the news every morning with him! He's just a hoot!

Cheers,

George

Don't assume that your dog will enjoy being on the boat, some will and some wont. I too waited a while before I even considered bringing mine onboard with me, basic understanding of commands come in really handy in confined spaces where there is so much they can get into. I have 2 large German Sheppard's that both love to go out with me with one exception, after a couple of hours or so the female lets me know she's getting a bit cooped up in the confined space and I have to take her in, so I take that into account. The male is very comfortable and is more than willing to last as long as long as I am and stays off the deck unless I invite him up. After about 6-8 months of each of them watching me leave the dock I finally let them in and they eagerly came along, I never had to coax them they let me know they were ready. Just remember to bring em water and take the heat into account to keep them calm and comfortable.