Families can be diverse in interest, age, size and species.
In the olden days, cats where commonly found on board ships and had an important role, to catch and kill rodents. Rodents would be responsible for eating food stores, damaging cargo, nibbling ropes and damaging electrical wiring, and of course these rodents were also carriers of diseases such as the black death. For this reason, sailors insured that the cats had comfortable living conditions and good meals every day.
These days it is seldom that you will find a cat onboard a boat but our other furry friends have grown quite fond of the boating lifestyle. Here are some pointers on how you can make it comfortable for your furry friend onboard.
Teach your dog to get comfortable with boating and the water.
Boating is a fun experience for the whole family and should be enjoyed by every single member. To get your pup comfortable with the boat, it is a good idea to teach them to get on and off the boat safely on their own. Don’t push or pull a hound onto the boat this will make them uncomfortable and may delay their introduction to boating. Rather make use of treats to reward them.
Older canine’s may take a bit longer to get use to the boating lifestyle.
Preferably choose a day when the waters are quiet to introduce your canine to boating, they need to get comfortable with the movement of the boat on the water.
Get a life jacket.
A doggy life jacket will soon have the same effect as taking a leach. Your dog will immediately associate the life jacket with boating and before you know it you and your best friend will be on the water. Although dogs are naturally good swimmers, accidents can happen. So a life jacket is always a good call should your pup slip and fall of the boat that you have enough time to get to him for the rescue.
Things that you should have onboard for your pup
Having a canine on board is like having a special guest onboard, only difference is that this one is your best friend. However, there are some things that need to be considered.
- Fresh drinking water and a drinking bowl is one of the basic essentials that always needs to be included in your planning when you take your pup boating. Some drinking bowls comes with rubber footing which will avoid the bowl from sliding over the deck should the water get a bit busy.
- There is an additional boat lunch that needs to be packed and it comes in the form of dog food and treats
- If your canine is a puppy, it is advised that you pack toys for those itchy teeth.
- Does you dog like swimming a lot? Well you get floatable leaches. This is to keep your dog close to the boat but the leach cannot get tangled in anything as it floats on top of the water.
- The swimming pup needs his own towel, make sure to pack an extra towel of two to dry off your wet dog.
- Then comes the other big question where does your canine do his business. Always try and let your canine relief himself prior to boarding the boat. If possible, dock a couple of times through the day for your pup to do his business alternatively you could train your dog to use doggy pee pads should it need to go during your time on the water. Remember to also take disinfectant and disposable bags and anti-odour spray.
Over the years, we have seen that dogs can be completely trained to enjoy your boating lifestyle with you as part of your family. So take your pooch boating!