How your dog takes to the boat depends on both the characteristics and needs of their breed but also their own personality. Large dogs are very ill-suited to long-term onboard living as they need more space and rigorous exercise. Older dogs are harder to train to adapt to boat living and will also be very restricted if their mobility is in any way impaired. A small dog is easier to bring to land, often demands less exercise and requires less food to stow (although be aware that 50/60lb dogs that may be considered small on dry land are a different story on a boat with limited space and capacity!)
Dogs, especially larger ones, need exercise to get rid of pent-up energy. While occasional trips to shore in the dinghy are preferable, they're not always feasible. Stretching exercises and physical therapy keep the blood flowing and swimming is good exercise for dogs, but water conditions and the dog's stamina must be carefully monitored (dogs won't tell you when they're tired, so you have to listen to their breathing and watch their strokes). If using swimming as your exercise technique remember to hydrate your dog BEFORE letting them in the water, otherwise they'll drink from the river, lake or bay and you'll end up with a sick dog.
Dogs do bring salt onboard and if brought to land sand and dirt are also inevitable. Also shedding will become even more pronounced and noticeable in a confined environment. A non-shedding breed or mix would be a blessing such as poodles, schnauzers, and portuguese waterdogs but otherwise you're looking at a daily vacuuming.
Animals are similar to people when it comes to boat rolling and sea sickness - most will become conditioned to the motion with time, some never will. Don't let animals take refuge in the V-berth as that's where motion is felt most. A bed or nest of secured cushions near the boat's center of motion will help skittish pets feel safe.
It is best to be prepared with sea sickness medication, dogs can often take the same medicines as humans - consult your vet for recommendations and dosage. Some sailors have recommended chewable tums wrapped in a slice of cheese of meat as the best cure. Don't feed you dog for six hours before setting off and if possible, don't give it water for two hours before. If your pet gets seasick during the cruise, wait until its stomach has calmed sufficiently to hold down liquids, then give it a small amount of milk to settle it further. Get your vet to make up a dog first aid kit for you, hopefully you won't need it but it's best to be ready as you may be days away from a veterinarian
Remember that bringing your dog may affect your travel plans as many countries simply won't allow any dog in without a 90-day quarantine. Most of the South Pacific islands do not have rabies, and thus they are unwilling to allow a dog into the country from a country that does have rabies. Keeping the dog aboard at a mooring may or may not be considered acceptable.
Get your pet an identity tag, including your boat's make and model, name, registration number, and a contact number. Some countries also require pets to have a microchip implanted that carries coded information about the pet, its vaccination history, and its owner. carry a photo of your pet to show around in the event it goes missing.
Toilet training your dog is the biggest challenge for longer journeys. Some have used a piece of astroturf with their scent on it, a box of sod or even a large cat litter box, some people simply train their dogs to go on the bow but this practice is hazardous in rough water. Whatever you try, stay with it until you find something that works. Take them on the boat and stay afloat until they learn. As long as you take them ashore at all, they will try to wait you out
Safety is paramount: waxed fiberglass decks and running dogs don't mix, also many dogs will attempt to jump in to dinghys or pounce on unsuspecting birds or dolphins. Have your pet fitted for a life-jacket or "personal flotation device" (PFD). These are available at most boating stores for $20 to $80. Regardless of how good a swimmer your pet is, a sudden dunking can cause panic, and a brightly colored life jacket with a handle on top will make the animal easier to see and retrieve, Getting a panicky animal out of the water is difficult, because their survival instinct takes over and they will claw at any solid object - which is usually you.
You can also rig a tether to keep your dog from going overboard accidentally but if the life jacket is off then a harness is a better handle than a collar - remember you could be retrieving your retriever with a boat hook!
You should also practice swimming and rescue drills with your dog but pet-overboard drills should also include what to do when your are underway - a sailboat pulling a dog overboard on a lead attached to a PFD is not quite the same as dragging a pooch two feet behind the props on a cigarette boat doing 40 knots!
Another thing to remember is that just like humans dogs are susceptible to sunburn, especially short-haired and pink-skinned breeds. Hypoallergenic sunblocks that we use also work as well on dogs but try a small test patch at home first, you don't want to deal with allergies on a cruise! Animals' eyes are extremely vulnerable to sun damage as is the thin skin of their eyelids. This is multiplied with the glare from the water and fibreglass decks. Dog sunglasses might give humans a good laugh but they provide your dog with wrap-around protection against UV rays, salt water and flying bugs. Adjustable straps hold them in place, side vents keep them from fogging up, and they float but beware of metal frames on sunglasses as these can become very hot and burn your dog.
In cool weather, if your dog spends all day on deck with you as you sail, its skin may become dry, causing the animal to itch, scratch and subsequently flake everywhere. A teaspoon of vegetable oil added daily or every second day to the food of a standard-size dog (less for miniatures) should stop the itching and make the coat shiny, but beware that this may also cause diarrhea if the dosage is too high (a small dosage is a good treatment for constipation).
Many sailors have recommended leaving your dog at home if its your first long cruise. You will have enough on your plate the first time around, once the boat drill becomes second nature, you can better deal with your four legged crew member.
For information on pet safety aboard click here
To read about life of a 40' sailboat with 2 golden retrievers click here
