Training your dog to live on a boat isn’t all that hard, but the big question is what do you do about their bathroom needs, particularly if it’s not convenient to take them ashore several times a day. In short, how do you potty train a boat dog to pee and poop right on the boat?
There are lots of good comments on this article from other readers with various things that have helped teach their dogs that it really was okay to use a piece of carpet on the bow as their bathroom. I urge you to read the comments as well as this article.
The Key to Training Your Dog to Poop and Pee on the Boat
Anyone who has a dog knows that they love to sniff around and go where other dogs—or even other animals—have gone. This is the key to training YOUR dog to pee on the boat.
Almost every boat with a dog has a piece of carpet or Astroturf somewhere on deck as the designated “spot.” (See our favorite from Amazon, as it’s designed to be rinsed off.) When we first rescued Paz, we didn’t really think about how we were going to train her to use a carpet—we just knew several friends with dogs aboard and since they’d trained their dogs, we figured we could do the same.
Our friends Jo and Lance from Milagro came over the day after we got Paz, bearing several gifts. Jo was a little embarrassed but also excited to give us the last one: their dog’s old carpet. “It’s got the right scent,” she told us. And it did. We put it down on the bow, took Paz up there, and she did her business immediately. We praised her lavishly. And with that, our 4-week old puppy was trained!
She immediately understood that was the ONE place on board to poop and pee. What I found even more astounding was that when we took Paz to other boats that had dogs aboard (say when we were having happy hour), she had no problem using their piece of carpet once we showed her where it was. And ditto when “guest dogs” came aboard our boat. But the proof of how well it worked was when a friend who lived ashore brought his 13-year-old dog aboard—the dog had never been aboard a boat before—and his dog immediately used the carpet.
Getting a Scented Rug to Use to Train Your Dog
Okay, you’re saying, that’s great. But where do I get a “scented carpet?” And how do I keep from smelling it?
The first question is whether you have a friend who has a dog that uses a carpet. If you do, you can try asking for an old carpet, but it’s unlikely they have one (we were really lucky). So instead, ask if you could put your piece of carpet under theirs for a few days. Some of the urine will seep through theirs and scent yours. This is what we did whenever we replace Paz’s carpet: put the new one under the old one for several days before throwing the old one away . . . or giving it away as a training aid. We’ve now done this several times for friends!
If that approach won’t work for you, there are two alternatives:
If there is snow on the ground, you can bury a piece of carpet under the snow and then get your dog to go on the snow right above the carpet (use a leash to keep them in the correct spot). I’ve never known someone who could just put an unscented carpet on the grass/dirt/sand and get the dog to go on it, but if it’s covered by snow it seems to work. Then when the snow melts, the urine will sink into the carpet. But it’s unlikely you’ll have snow when you need it, so (with a bit of embarrassment) I’ll tell you about the second method.
I really don’t know how to put this delicately, but the other option—which does work well—is to scent it yourself. It’s how we scented a brand new carpet after three years of living ashore when we spent several days cruising on a friend’s boat. Paz refused to use the unscented carpet, but immediately did her business after one of us sprinkled it with our own urine. And yes, I know of others who have used the same technique very successfully with their dogs. How you do this will probably depend on where you are, but if you’re in a marina or crowded anchorage I suggest a specimen cup . . . oh, the things we do for our dog-children!
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.
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.
The one problem with the carpet is that it would get waterlogged and Paz didn’t like to step on it when it was wet. Paz started waiting to go ashore or even pooping or peeing right beside her carpet, instead of on it. A couple years ago, we switched to an artificial grass “pee pad” that she greatly prefers. She no longer waits to see if we’ll possibly take her ashore. Yes, it’s more expensive than the cheap rugs we were using but it’s worth it to have her actually use it and not whine for a trip ashore. We got it on Amazon:
Another Option for Teaching Male Dogs to Pee on a Boat
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.
Training Your Dog to Use the Carpet
To get your dog to use the carpet the first few times when it’s time for them to go, put the dog on a leash and take them to the carpet. Let them sniff. Stay there until they go. It may take a while, particularly with an older dog.
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.
After the first few times, you’ll probably find that your dog goes to the pad on his or her own. Underway, we keep Paz on a leash or down below and she learned to “ask” to go forward, just as a dog in a house learns to “ask” to go outside. We then take her forward on her leash (we also installed netting on the lifelines so that even if she slips, she wouldn’t go overboard).
A Special Phrase to Let the Dog Know It’s Okay
Even ashore, it can be helpful to teach your dog a “special phrase” to indicate that it’s a good time and place to take care of business. Most cruising locales allow dogs in many stores, outdoor restaurants and the like. And you don’t want your dog to have an accident in one of these places.
The day we got Paz, we met some other cruisers on our dock who had been puppy trainers for service dogs. They suggested that we use the phrase “get busy” and told us to say it every time before and—very importantly—AS Paz was pooping or peeing. This has worked really well not only before entering buildings but any time that she seemed unsure if it was okay to do her business in a particular location. This is something that you can work on even before moving aboard that will help you explain to your dog that the carpet is the place to go, as well as helping on shore excursions.
Care & Maintenence of the Dog’s Bathroom Carpet
And so for the next big question: how to keep this carpet from stinking up the whole boat? Remember that your dog’s sense of smell is far, far greater than yours. So if you tie a line to the carpet and dunk it overboard once or twice a day, you won’t smell it but your dog still will. We permanently tied the free end of the line to a stanchion so we wouldn’t lose the carpet if we accidentally dropped the line when dunking it.
Conclusion
I’ll finish with a funny story. We initially adopted Paz when we were staying in a marina in La Paz, Mexico (that’s how she got her name). And we trained her to “get busy” both on the boat and ashore. Then about a month later, we left La Paz and crossed the Sea of Cortez to Banderas Bay. And with the passage, it was about a week from one time when we took her ashore to the next time. Well, somehow in that time, she’d gotten the idea that her carpet was the ONLY place to go. And in the reverse of most boat dog scenarios, we now had the task of teaching her it was okay to go on grass. The magic phrase of “get busy” helped . . . as did watching where another dog went and taking her to the “scented spot!”
There are plenty of boat dogs out there who have learned to use a carpet, some at advanced ages. Spending the time to teach them will make life with your boat dog so much easier than having to plan multiple trips ashore each day, particularly if you’re planning any passages longer than a few hours. Use your dog’s natural instinct to go where others have and you’ll have a quickly trained boat dog!
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Katrina Drahos says
This is awesome…..exactly the information I have been looking for. My dog is 18 months and we will be spending a lot of time on the boat this year and one of my top goals is to carpet train her on the boat (right now she will not even use the dock…we haven’t cut our land lines yet…..just a few more years). anyway I would love to see more “Boat Dog” Articles! Thanks!
Katrina
Belles & Whistles
Potty Training A Puppy says
And I thought potty training my dog inside my house was hard. I cant imagine how many added difficulties potty training a dog on a boat would be.
Carolyn Shearlock says
It’s very do-able, particularly if you use the dog’s natural instincts. And very worthwhile to have your best friend along! Paz really enriched our cruising.
Elyse Schoenig says
Carolyn,
Thank you for the article. We have just moved aboard our sailboat home with our 6 year old dog. We have not yet begun to potty train him on the boat as just getting him accustomed to living on the boat has been a steep learning curve. We don’t have a land home anymore and have been on our boat at the marina for a month. We put up safety netting and he is getting used to his PFD. We walk him up the dock to the grass in the morning and evening. We will be taking off up the ICW in about 2 weeks. This information gives me hope that we will be successful in potty training. Thanks again and yes, please more articles about pets aboard.
Bruce Bibee says
An excellent and useful article. My (female) partner has expressed a desire to have a Labrador puppy to cruise with us in the central Philippines. She thinks of the dog primarily as companionship while I think that the dog will greatly enhance boat security. Neither of us have any recent experience with dogs although we both had dogs as young children. Not many dog training classes here in a third world country – and dogs here seem to be either: 1) ‘street’ dogs with no training or restraint; or 2) ‘house’ dogs who spend most of their lives on the end of a six foot chain or in a cage. The ‘scented’ carpet idea is brilliant and should not be difficult to obtain – but male dogs often pee standing and direct their stream onto a vertical surface, the carpet seems most useful for poo and female dogs. Do people with male dogs hang a second piece of carpet from the rail? More articles would be REALLY useful!
Susan says
We have a male spaniel who has turned into a wonderful boat dog. We got him as a puppy and he has rarely (3 times) lifted his leg to go pee. He’s now 2 years old and still squats. If they are not around other male dogs as they mature (approx 6 months) they don’t always learn to lift their leg to pee. This is my husband & my 4th dog we have raised together & about the 11th dog we have had in total, all but one have been males. The last 3 male have continued to squat throughout their lives.
Rebecca Frazier says
I have a dog, and he grew up around another male dog, but still he always squats
beth says
More articles, please. We are acclimating our doxie to the boats…she loves them and the PFD is a non-issue. At home she thinks the walkin shower is her “spot” when left alone and at night. We are hoping for the same luck in the aft head’s shower. We haven’t had her aboard long enough to experiment. Or had an issue! I’m going to try the carpet this weekend. Thanks!
Erika says
Thank you so much for this informative and entertaining article. I started searching the web for ways to secure an elderly dog at sea and the search developed until I came across your article. We spend our time at present taking the dog ashore 2 or 3 times a day, and it can be awkward in limited daylight or adverse conditions, so will definitely give your carpet a try. We are hoping to secure the dog (‘Whisky’) if conditions get lumpy, tethered on a soft beanbag in the cockpit well so that it is held securely and so that he cannot be bumped about too much. Whether this actually works or we have to think again remains to be seen.
Reading the other reply to your article about male dogs, from Bruce Bibee, we are hoping that if we place an object like an inverted flowerpot in the centre of the carpet he’ll pee against that!?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Great idea with the flower pot — I asked some friends with male dogs and they said the dog seemed to find “something” (sometimes imaginary) that he was going on. But I love the idea of the flower pot. And the beanbag in the cockpit sounds workable, too. Paz always curled up on the laundry bag under the “notch” of the V-berth.
Love to hear a follow up on how it goes!
Michelle says
Loved this topic. We have a ridgeback we are planning on taking with us on our sailboat. This will be a challenge I know but she is our kid…and will try your suggestions ….
Another thing I am trying to figure out is how to get her on/in the dingy ‘when’ we do want to go to land?? She is a rescue dog and very unsure of her footing..so looking for ideas on this.
Another concern …how do I get heartworm medicine for her? I have already read my vet won’t prescribe them unless the dog is tested each year…any insite to these other issues would be greatly appreciated..
Thanks again for all your helpful topics!!!
Michelle
Carolyn Shearlock says
I don’t know where you’re planning to cruise, but we did not have any problems finding heartworm meds (and vets to do the testing) in Mexico and Central America. Ditto for flea meds, although we found different brands worked best in each country and had to ask local vets what worked best. Friends in the Caribbean haven’t told me of any problems getting any meds, but I haven’t specifically asked — we just talked in more general terms about their experience with their dogs.
Have a great time with your “kid” — our experience is that dogs really can do well cruising. Lots of new stuff to see, new people to meet and new stuff to sniff!
Tasha says
I love the idea of “The Boat Dog”! Anyone have experience with cats on board? We are still in the planning stage of living on-board, & your site is full of great info. Thanks
Dar*Dar says
We’ve been cruising with our cat for 6 years; he’s done two trans-Atlantic crossings with us. He was 11 years old when we started. He’s done just fine & established his own ‘routine’. When he hears the anchor going up, he goes inside (we have a catamaran) to hang out. As soon as he hears the anchor dropping, he’s out in the cockpit looking around. We have had zero problems with having him with us. If I know it may be rough, I cut off any food to him several hours before. When we’ve had a few days in a row of rough conditions & he doesn’t want to eat/drink, I open a can of tuna in water & pour the water into a bowl. It works every time in getting some liquids into him. (He doesn’t want the tuna itself; I eat that! He’s spoiled & only wants fresh tuna!)
Brenda Martinez says
I’ve been looking for a straight forward article on how to train a dog to do this aboard. This one was great! I saw a comment about what someone does if weather will be rough but it was a cat. I was wondering if anyone has experienced a dog that gets sea sickness?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Talk with your vet, but ours recommended liquid (kids’) Dramamine and told us the proper dosage for our dog. She was sick her first time out and never again, even in some pretty hairy conditions, so we only used it that once, but it did seem to help her.
Judy says
We have just retired and bought our sailboat to go cruising. We have watched several youtube videos and saw that using ginger powder in their food that works. Has anyone triec and did it work?
Carolyn Shearlock says
I know that ginger works for some people, not for others. Probably the same for dogs!
Vince says
Thanks for the article. I recently bought another boat and I’m turning my two year old lab into a “boat dog”. I haven’t yet started her onboard potty training, but I’m confident you helped us a great deal.
Bill Dixon says
We had no sucess with carpet, astroturf and even real grass sod. Kept the dogs on the boat for 24 hours, gave them glycerine suppositories on the foredeck. Of course they went in minutes, Gave them treats, hugs, praise and never had another problem. We live ashore now with a later model dog and when we go cruising it takes a half day or so for the new dog to remember, but he does.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Thanks, Bill!
I love how we’re starting to get a list of ways that have worked for people.
Another reader, Kim, added this note on Facebook of what worked for her, too, and I wanted to add it here:
“We just moved onboard with our 12 year old dog… We prefer to use a patch of fake grass (we tried the carpet but after 12 years of being told not to pee on carpet she wasn’t about to start now… & we tried the urine thing too but she wouldn’t even touch the carpet after that – fussy little thing!)… We worked out that we could get the scent on the new patch by rubbing it vigorously over her wee every time she went for a wee on the lawn… Took a few rubbings along with a bit of encouragement & some perserverance but we eventually got there! The biggest mistake we made was giving in & taking her ashore to toilet when she refused to use the grass patch (I was worried she’d get a bladder infection). Once we got strict & refused to let her off until she went on the grass patch she was fine, & from that day forward we’ve had no worries! She still prefers going ashore (& will hold if she knows we’re going) but at least she’s now willing to use onboard facilities when we’re away for a few days at a time *phew*… thanks for the tips – yours was the only site I found that offered any decent suggestions… Until then I had absolutely no idea how I was going to tackle that little issue :)”
Mary Dixon says
We don’t have a washdown hose on our boat yet, so we use a sprayer filled with water to hose off the boat where the dog has “gone.” Here is link to one at Wal-mart http://www.walmart.com/ip/D.B.-Smith-1-Gallon-Bleach-and-Chemical-Sprayer/14282636
Mary Dixon says
I should clarify, we use the sprayer after picking up the solid.
Theresa Williams says
We have been sailing the caribbean and the US for the last 2 years. We have a yellow lab on board who uses his piece of astro turf (a 2.99 fake grass doormat) He knows it is his patch of duty. I highly recommend a phrase like Get Busy. When on long voyages or long trips on land. He will go on command. Having a dog aboard has its issues, but the rewards are worth it. Theresa and Sailor aboard Lucky Jack
Carolyn Shearlock says
What a great name for the canine officer! Lucky dog!
-Carolyn
Lesley says
Hi – my husband and I will be heading north on our Roberts Spray in July and are having a lot of trouble training our 14 year old (very spoilt) staffy to do her business on board – I too have relented after 36 hours of her being on board and holding it in (I was worried it would cause her harm not going) – any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated – we have tried the scented astro turf mat with her scent & ours but to no avail – she will happily go on command on land any time but has yet to go aboard – really need to fix this problem so any help would be good – we also plan to visit a lot of islands up around the Whitsundays and most of them are National parks which you cannot take dogs on ?? any suggestions to relieve her of too much boredom aboard when we go exploring
gkorula says
By far the most useful and realistic article I’ve read till date. Does the carpet work for big jobs too? And is the same carpet used for both? From what i’ve observed of our fawn lab on land is that he is VERY picky about where he does the big job. I don’t mean to sound crude but I’ve seen the “business” almost coming out but he refuses to squat because he’s still searching for the perfect spot. We are due to buy our boat soon and he’s never been sailing apart from an hour in the dinghy. I’m prepared for the worst tho… Any idea whether holding it (big or small jobs) does actually cause medical harm to the dog?
Carolyn Shearlock says
We only had one piece of carpet and I don’t know of any boats that used two separate ones. I’m not a vet and thus couldn’t tell you about the medical consequences of holding it for certain.
Good luck and have fun!
Carolyn
Jeff says
Excellent article. I appreciate your apprehension in posting on a potentially awkward topic, but appreciate that you DID post even more. Off to the store this evening to get some astro-turf type carpet and see if our Boxer puppy will take to it quickly. I sure hope so… I’m not fond of him waking me up in the wee hours so I can paddle him to shore so he can wee. 🙂
Carolyn Shearlock says
Oh, the things we do for our boat dogs! Here’s to no more 2AM trips!
Jill Brown says
We have a 7-year-old Shar Pei who hates water. Our problem will be to get him onto the boat in the first place. We’re going to try a life vest with two handles for Bill and me to pick him up with. Alley Oooop!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Another trick to to have a dog who is not afraid of the water walk with the one who is. Our dog has guided numerous dogs onto the dock and into the dinghy — funny to see the 7-pound “brave” dog encouraging the 90-pounder who’s trembling with fear!
Rebecca says
My first dog was so timid. Took a few tries and tons of treats. Then she was in and out like crazy. I used the best treats for special occasions so she associated the boat with amazing treats. Now she’s happy with or without them. I used her to help train the 2nd one. Try not to force them bc it can create a negative association.
Hilary Helkenn on Facebook says
Thank you for a great post!! We are still in the planning stages of crushing but our dogs are a huge part of our life. Probably only one will make it to the “cast off the lines” phase but this is such good advice. I knew about the carpet but the special seasonings…so a very big thank you!
LaDonna Thomas on Facebook says
This really does work. Our doxie was good to go from the first day. Much easier than house training her when she was a puppy.
Jim Bradley says
Wow, this is some great stuff. I always wondered how people dealt with this issue. I’m looking forward to using these techniques when I get my boat in the next couple of years. My black lab, Jake should be about 9 so hopefully he doesn’t have too many issues.
Sami Bolton says
Or, like we did after trying all of the above with NO luck at all…..the light bulb went off over my head to get a piece of sod. Actually we got two pieces about the size of a welcome mat, put one down and in 10 seconds we had success where we had none for the previous YEAR. Rinse it with fresh water after each pee, ours lasted two weeks and then we tossed it overboard and put out the second piece which we had been keeping moist and covered. That one lasted a few weeks but by that time, that was their potty place and we never had another problem after that. It was a teeny bit messy because it has some dirt on it but who cares? Rinse it off! Real grass/sod is what they were used to going on so…….also, this worked for untold numbers of friends dogs over our 6 years of watching folks dingy their dogs to shore in all kinds of weather! It has been proven fool proof for even the most stubborn dog!
The Boat Galley says
Hey, whatever works!
Laura says
We initially spent way too much money on a potty patch and have since then found cheap Astroturf type of mats at Home Depot. And here I thought we were the only crazy ones who ‘scented’ the patch. I posted about it here three years ago
http://knottycattales.blogspot.com/2010/08/pretty-smart-pitty.html
I’ve found Wilbur both lifts his leg or squats depending on where he is. We also immediately clean up #2 so he can then pee. He doesn’t like trying to maneuver around it. We have a very sensitive pit bull on board.
Alex Miller says
This is the article that I originally found your website via Google for bringing dogs on boats. 🙂
The Boat Galley says
Looked for a site about dogs and got mostly cooking, huh? 🙂
Alex Miller says
I have very much enjoyed the galley articles also! After a year of setback in progressing in our sailing plans due to a relocation (from Boston with the wonderful harbor for sailing, to Nashville with freshwater lakes) we are finally getting back on track. We have started looking at boats to purchase. And yesterday, I took Badger, our 45 pound Border Collie mix to the marina to check out the docks and see the scary boats and take a ride in a kayak as a test. She did great and was not spooked by anything but the cleats on the dock which poked her in the nose. The dock was scary at first, but quickly found to be safe, and she appeared to want to get in the boats. She also did great in the kayak and didn’t cause any capsizing, minimal standing or leaning out, and mostly sat or lay down calmly. Got in and out with minimal coaxing. She actually hates swimming, and I think this is an advantage, because she won’t be inclined to go launching off the boat.
Anyway, my question relevant to this article… and it sounds elementary. Does the configuration of the foredeck matter in selecting a boat that will be compatible with doggie carpet? Obviously, there needs to be a large enough flat area easily accesible. But many boats have hatches in the foredeck. Are those out of the question? It seems leakage might be messy. Or does it not matter if it is just going into the anchor well?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Sounds like you had a great first experience with the dog!
I’ve never heard of anyone having problems with pee leaking below through a hatch and causing a problem. Paz was very good at actually going ON the carpet, and it soaked it up (we dunked it overboard a couple times a day). I doubt it’d be a problem.
Therese says
Thanks Laura! No one mentioned the tip about picking up the #2 as soon as they were done and then they could pee. Our dogs are picky too! Great idea.
Rose says
Wow, I am so happy I read this article and all the great, creative reply`s. We tried to hold out long enough for our Goldie to figure out he could go on the back of the boat…..and even convinced the Capt to mark the spot to encourage him to go….but he looked at us like we were crazy! We never toughed it out long enough. Sadly he has since passed away, but we will get another Goldie in a couple of years and I am so relieved to know we were close….but these are some much better ideas! Thanks to you all. If we were not headed for Australia, we would have had another by now. I can hardly wait. 18 yrs and two Goldies later, I am definitely feeling like an empty nester!
Rose
Ben says
The article and comments all seem to be talking about wee. Is this used for poo as well? How do you handle it all? Just interested.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Both poop and pee. Pick the poop up and put it in the toilet, or if allowed, directly overboard (i.e., same as human waste).
Matty Fletcher says
my dog Ani trained herself, Number ones in the scuppers and number two’s up on the fore deck by the anchor winch…..!!!
The Boat Galley says
Now that’s a GREAT doggie!
Bart Trish Masker says
WOW! Great information! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jennifer Dean Neumann says
Thank you!!! Just what I needed.
Karen Moser says
Thanks for all the great info.
We have a 6 month old puppy. He was trained to use the AstroTurf pad from day one. He learned very quickly with very few accidents. Now all of a sudden he does not want to use the pad. We are currently in a marina and able to take him for lots of walks. Now he only wants to go potty outside. This would be great if we lived in a house, but we do overnight passages and there will be times when we don’t see land for a couple of days. Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions for getting him back to using his pad? We tried just not taking him out for a walk, but he went 14 hours without going. I was getting concerned so I took him for a walk and he went right away.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Once you’re out of the marina, he may realize there’s no other option. Paz is that way sometimes, wanting to wait until we go for a walk. But she knows the pad is there and if we’re at anchor readily uses it.
Deb says
Great article! I bought the Shake Dog Potty when it first came out and have used it on our boat all summer. It has been amazing, plus you can fold it up for travel and to empty out for hands free cleaning. I put a used pee pad on it at first to get my dog used to it, she went on it no problem and now we don’t need the pee pad (which saves us $$). Its a really quality product, I recommend it for boaters. I got it at modko.com but think saw it on amazon as well. Cheers!
Nancy Testa says
Thank you everyone for all the great dog information. We are just a few months from moving onto our first liveaboard and I have fretted more about the transition for our 15 yr old Jack Russell than for us! Tiger has never even been on a dock and it never occured to me that even that could cause him stress. Guess we will start getting him used to all things nautical right away!
Sarah says
Very helpful! My 7-year old beagle will be living on the boat with us for the next 6 months and these tricks will come handy.
Sue Webb says
Once again, thanks so much for these doggie articles! We also have a yellow lab plus 2 cats moving aboard with us next year. I am really anxious about it so I very much appreciate all articles related!!!
Denise Peter says
I watched a fellow in a very large yacht pull into Sooke Basin. He stopped just behind the spit and got really close to shore. A guy and his dog appeared on the back swimgrid. The dog jumped into the water, swam ashore, did his thing and swam back to the boat. The boat turned around and headed back out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Pure genious!!!!
Manon Pilon-Fry says
Starting this week to train our 2 dogs, both 10 years old. Number 1 shouldn’t be a problem , but I’m wondering about number 2. Our dogs have always had a big fenced in yard and we moved to a condo while preparing the boat for live aboard. Like you said will take a lot of trials and patience. Thanks for all our articles, i find them very interesting!
LaDonna Thomas says
My pup was 10 years young when we moved aboard and she was much easier to train on the boat compared to puppy house breaking! Good luck, it’s worth it They add so much to the quality of life
Manon Pilon-Fry says
Thanks.
Danielle Gagne says
Thanks for all the tips. We have a porch potty on our boat and one dog uses it and the other just doesn’t get it. We did a 25 hour crossing and the poor guy clearly had to do his business , whimpering in pain , but he just wouldn’t use it. It was heartbreaking Your article is encouraging us to try again. Thank you !
Red Canoe says
Thanks for this! I am patiently…ok frustratedly patient…trying to get the Lab to use the green pad. He just refuses. I’ve had my friend pee on it but still no go. I will keep on it.
Denise Peter says
Peeing on it is actually a pretty good idea. “Hey Buddy, can you pee on my mat for me?” LOL!!! I’m really surprized that didn’t work.
Red Canoe says
haha. yeah I got “you can’t be serious???” oh yes PLEASE pee on my mat. Maybe i’ll try mine next? I like the idea of another dog’s scent on it…
Red Canoe says
Denise Peter I am a Cedar girl!
Debbie Bowen Crawford says
Best thing we ever did was to get them some grass for a potty area. They knew exactly what that was for.
Brian Torpey says
My buddy had around pan that had turf in it, on his swim platform would last quite a while, dogs went out on it and no problem. He cut it out of his back yard so it “smelled like home” Douglas Iosbaker you have a picture of that set up?
Douglas Iosbaker says
Its not the best photo… If you look down on the bottom left corner of the photo you will see it on the dock…I used a Well Tank tray from Home Depot. It has a drain hole where you can attach a hose for overboard draining if it left out in the rain. We would change out the sod once a month. We also made 1 out of a square washing machine tray. When it was left on the dock other dogs would use it and would enforce our dogs to do so
Richard Philbrick says
I knew a guy, years and years ago, who trained his dog to do his “business” on rope he’d coiled on the aft deck. When the dog was done he’d simply flip it over the side and rinse it off in the water before re-coiling it again.
Kathy Orr says
I have a question – what do you do with the poop? We only open our holding tank in open water. Do you put it down the toilet?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Depends on where we are. You can toss it overboard if offshore. Put it in the trash (pick it up with a doggy-do bag and tie it up just as on shore ). Put it down the toilet.
Tony Warner says
Marcella Balkema
Miriam Webster says
❤️
The Boat Galley says
Paz is both embarrassed and proud of that picture, I think.
Robert Sayles says
I fixed that, I have a cat.
Abigale says
One thing I have noticed no one seems to mention, we have a mat that the dogs use for their business, but when we go on long trips or are at anchor, we just put them in the water. They go for a swim and do their business, we never trained them, they just figured it out for themselves. they much prefer it to the mat.
We use the tender as a swimming plateform, afterwards he just haul them into the tender, then they jump onto the boat.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Our dog has never done that! Interesting . . .
Carol Curtis says
We have a little Shih Tzu who uses his pad in the cockpit faithfully. We have a salt water wash down there and when he is finished, I pour/dump the soil over the edge and hose down the astro turf. We never get a bad odor that way.
Funny story…..we had another Shih Tzu that we tried to train to use the mat. I let other dogs pee on it and even went so far as to collect our dog’s urine in a deli container and scent the mat. We hauled that mat all the way to Alaska and back and he never used it once. Maybe we gave in and took him ashore too early. Who knows. I do know he didn’t use the mat. The current dog went 27 hours before he finally pee’d on it the first time. The take away here? “They will not explode!”, and that was a quote from our vet. Be patient….they will get the idea and your lives aboard will be soooo much easier.
Carolyn Chancellor says
We finally succeeded in training our 11-year-old dog to be a “boat dog”, although it was a very painful and slow process. We tried everything – potty pads, fake grass mat, chunks of sod, sand. We had to force her to stay on board for a LONG time – a couple of days (vet said no problem) – before she would finally pee on a fake grass mat, but she just wouldn’t poop on it. We finally bought a 2′ width of fake grass from Home Depot, the width of the roll (12′). That gave her enough room to pace to find “her spot” and she will now do everything on board. We have been able to cut the long strip to about 4′ – 5′ long and she will still use it for everything. She still much prefers to go ashore and needs to look off every side of the boat to make sure there is no dock before she will use her mat. But she is now, officially, a Boat Dog!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Woo-hoo!
Anne says
Important topic for the many dog lovers who go cruising.Thank you for the forum to share this info.
Carol Spink says
Wonderful information. Planning the Great Loop Trip with 2 small dogs, lots of things to try.
Ls Nims says
I never even thought about thius Topic. äi have sAILED MOST )F MY LIFE: mY DOGS WENT ALONG FOR THE RIDE: wE JUST FIXED THEM NEAR THE SI(DE SOTHEY COULD NOT FALL OIFF; AND THEY HUNG OVERE THE SIDE AND DIDTHEI)R BUSINESS: Les Nims
Erich Kestler says
Great article.
Thank you!
Anonymous says
Shelby Otto
Susanne Jensen says
4 week old puppy? We have 3 dogs and none of them will use the carpet. We put it up against a tree and so our older dog would pee on it, so it is scented. None of them will go on it. However, they use it to relax on
Ritchard Findlay says
We’re hoping to take off south this fall, and we’re really wrestling with the idea of taking my pal Charlie or leaving him at home with my adult kids. Clearly having a dog aboard is workable, or you wouldn’t be writing this article. How much does have the dog aboard impact your lifestyle – hiking, exploring, day trips, sightseeing, etc?
The Boat Galley says
It has both pros and cons, but we keep seeing more and more boats with dogs. Most, but admittedly not all, dogs love the life of being with their people and getting to explore new places. I wrote a long piece about it and rather than rehashing it all here, I’ll let you read that: https://theboatgalley.com/dogs-on-boats-101/
Linda Carroll says
Hello Carolyn,
Thanks so much for taking the time to teach me how to do this. We have a house-trained dog (Audrey) and are planning to explore apartment life (parks in the area, but her yard goes away). We’ve been wondering how to add this into Audrey’s repertoire of amazing abilities so that in the middle of the night, when walking the city streets is not necessarily the safest idea, she won’t be anxious about using a designated area inside.
Sounds like it should work like a charm with some patience and support.
Thanks again,
Linda C.
Florida, NH, and a less worried visitor in a US city sometime soon
Jim says
Very helpful article Carolyn.
I rescued Buddy in November to accompany me on an extended Cruise up the Pacific NW Coast this summer. I planned to buy the Potty Pad and scent, but you saved me the cost and hassle. Buddy can smell critters under the snow, I’m sure he’ll be able to smell a used patch of carpet.
Thanks for all your helpful articles… I’ve learned so much from you over the years.
Lori says
I took advantage of all of the snow we’ve had this year and captured some “yellow snow”. I will use it to scent the carpet we use on the boat this summer. We’ve never had luck with this and just send the dogs to shore with a life jacket. Maybe the scent will do the trick.
Thanks
Iva says
I think having a piece of fake grass on your boat as a personal puppy bathroom is a great idea. I bet it makes clean up easy. Do you just hose it down?
I agree that having a phrase helps as well. We like to say “go potty”. This focuses our pups attention and she does her business.
Have a lovely day at sea!
Carolyn Shearlock says
We have a line tied through one corner and dunk it.
Terry says
Wow! Good topic, Thank You! We’re in the process of buying a boat and that was one of my concerns. We have 2 dogs and didn’t know what to do. Hopefully, the deal goes ahead and I’ll come back to reply on this with results. 3 year old labrador and a 7 year old dashund (wiener dog that pees on everything that has a sent)
Thanks
Kris says
Great article Carolyn! We have a Hallberg Rassy 42F with teak decks. Have you or anyone you know had any experience or issues with them and the astroturf? I have the opportunity to foster a dog, but having foster failures in the past, my goal would really be to adopt. Getting busy is a natural concern, but having one that doesn’t get seasick is just as important. My husband is also a little hesitant on starting over….😉
Carolyn Shearlock says
I think I’d put the pad in a shallow waterproof tray — just to be on the safe side. I’ve heard of very few seasick dogs, interestingly. Paz got seasick her first day out — and it was a rough day when I was seasick too. Also, she was only about 2 months old then. Since then, and in worse conditions, never.
Jackie says
Contrary to what people have been told. Having a dog hold it’s pee is very unhealthy. It can lead to urinary tract infections, but the major cause for concern, is long term damage to the kidneys. Perhaps taking more time to get the dog used to the boat, would not only be healthier, but kinder. Try training the dog to go on the pad, off the boat first, then transfer to the boat.
Mary Kristiana says
Great tips, It will help me a lot. Thanks for sharing!
RICK ROWINSKI says
We use puppy pee pads in a rabbit tray 2′ x 2′ x 2″ tall. Easy clean up and a well defined area.
Miriam Prider says
Hi
We have just bought a large, sea going motor cruiser as a permanent live aboard home for about five yearsand are looking at ways of training our female dog to pee and poop on a pad. Your article is great, but as we know no other boaties yet, is it also the thing for us to poo as well as pee on the mat, to help her adjust, and how do you clean poo off when dipping the mat in the sea is not enough.
Cheers, Miriam
Carolyn Shearlock says
Just a little pee on the pad will give the dog the idea! And we actually pick the poo off the pad (just like you’d pick it up ashore) and put it in the toilet. We’ve never had to do anything more than dunk the pad and wiggle it around in the water to clean it off.
David VanDenburgh says
That’s exactly how we trained Leila to go on the boat, except we housetrained her as a pup to use a piece of AstroTurf in the backyard right from the beginning.
I can’t overemphasize the importance of training your dog to go on the boat. Dinghy trips to shore are a hazard you don’t want to do, for many reasons. It took our former dog, an older Lab, a while to do it the first time. He had to go so bad his knees were shaking when he finally gave in. I felt so sorry for him, but it was necessary.
Patricia B says
We have tried the astro-turf pad, as suggested, with scenting it with our urine and rubbing it with her urine. She will hold it. We can’t even get her to sniff it. Would anyone be willing to sell us there used old turf?? Please reply. Thanks
Galleygirl says
Having your dog go while cruising is one thing. If you are anchored take that dog to shore! However- to be a liveaboard in a marina and look out your window daily to see so many dogs taking a crap and peeing on the the deck is just plain gross. So often it is on the dock! Has been stepped in! Or pee on the pedestal where you get your drinking water! Take that animal to land- it’s just up the dock- you can do it!