Your Boat Toilet Suppliers Share Great Suggestions on Which Dog Would Best Suit Your Sailing Needs
Raritan Engineering your boat toilets specialists would like to share with you this week some great tips on which dog you should breed for your sailing needs.
Over the years, we’ve encountered everything from chihuahuas to huskies (yes, huskies) living aboard sailboats, so I’m not convinced that breed matters much, but some dogs are clearly better adapted to boats and the water.
Schipperke. We encountered one of these “Belgian barge dogs” while cruising, and it seemed very happy aboard—albeit a little noisy.
Bichon frise. These fluffy little companion dogs are descendants from the water spaniel and the standard poodle. They are good travellers, and they don’t shed.
English springer spaniel. Murphy, our test dog for our doggie life jacket test was a model citizen throughout our two-day test, leading me to believe he’d be quite comfortable on a long-term cruise.
Portuguese waterdog. Before the Obama’s “Bo,” there was Ted Kennedy’s “Splash.” These dogs, originally bred to help Mediterranean net fishermen, seem well-suited for the water.
Retrievers. Labrador retriever, golden retriever, Chesapeake Bay retriever . . . any retriever seems like a great choice for a boat, so long as they get enough exercise. I was sad to learn that writer Farley Mowat’s beloved retriever, a St. John’s water dog, became extinct in the 1980s.
(1) LABRADOR RETRIEVER – POPULAR SEA DOGS
The Labrador Retriever is a very popular and reliable choice of First Mate. It loves spending time with the family and is excellent with kids. It has a reputation for loyalty and steadfastness and it’s also a great fan of the water, which is natural, given that its original purpose was to retrieve fishing nets from the sea on the Newfoundland coast.
(2) PORTUGUESE WATER DOG – A PLAYFUL COMPANION
The Portuguese Water Dog was originally bred as a fisherman’s labourer, to help with mundane chores and even herd fish into nets. As a playful companion with a shaggy waterproof coat and an insatiable desire for water, it is good with children, friendly towards other dogs and easy to train.
Your Boat Toilet Manufacturers Further Discuss the Best Canine Breeds for Sailing
(3) COCKER SPANIEL – KEEN ON THE WATER
Your boat toilets distributors talk about what you should do If you’re after an amenable dog that doesn’t give you much grief and enjoys a bit of family affection, you could do a lot worse than a Cocker Spaniel. Being a retriever of small game, he will launch happily into the water for a ‘play’ with the birds.
(4) CHESAPEAKE BAY RETRIEVER – A NOBLE HOUND
Originally bred to retrieve waterfowl, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a fine option for the Skipper in search of a ‘real dog’. It’s a noble hound with great physical prowess. It can certainly be stubborn but it will gobble up any boating adventure you can throw at it and reward you with loyalty and obedience.
(5) STANDARD POODLE – A FINE BREED
Yes, I know what you’re thinking, but take time to look past the foppish topiary and you will discover a dog that makes a top choice for the water-lover. Famed for their intelligence, friendliness and love of swimming, the Miniature version is ideal for a small boat but if you have the space, the much less yappy Standard Poodle is a better bet.
SEA DOGS – INGENIOUS ALTERNATIVES
The merging of the breeds outlined above has produced some very fashionable hybrids and if we are able to trust the genetics, they ought to make equally good boat dogs.
For those of you with particularly big boats (we’re talking 50 feet and above), you would struggle to do any better than a Newfoundland.
SEA DOGS – SUMMARY
If the dogs outlined above leave you cold, then take a look at www.purina.co.uk. It has a fantastic ‘Pet Selector’ tool that allows you to plug in your required traits and narrow down a shortlist that will really match your lifestyle.
And once you’ve found the right four-legged friend, take a moment to read our Top 10 tips for taking a dog aboard your boat.
Visit us at Raritan Engineering and see how we always take care of your marine sanitation supply needs.