Dog proof the boat

[Mike185]

So I just picked up a 2009 moomba xlv last week. The boat is spotless. My girlfriend and I have a 1 yr old black lab who spent lots of time with us on our prev boat this year. My concern is next summer when the dog is on our (my) new boat which is much nicer than the old. Personally I would leave the dog home but if I suggested that I might be living alone next summer, therefore I need to dog proof the boat as much as possible.

I was thinking of getting some 3M clear bra (the stuff for cars) and applying it to the top deck in the 'high traffic' areas. Like the bow (where the dog likes to renact scenes from the titanic at high speeds), transom and sides.

Anyone ever done this or have any other ideas on how to prevent as much damage as possible?

[Razzman]

Lot's here take their dogs and to date i've never heard of anyone dogproofing. I pack extra weenies wherever I go ... :D I would be careful putting that 3M stuff on horizontal surfaces, it could be real slippery when wet. I put Seadek on the nose and tops of the gunwales, that would work for your purpose.

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[mmandley]

Ive taken my black lab on out boat since we got him, 2 summers now and i generaly just trim his nails, then sand them do there smooth, i use towels on the seats in the boat a lot so the pads on his paws dont scuff the seats. As for the gel coat the worst he can do is a surface scratch and it comes off with a little compound and wax.

What i will say is my custom Seadec swim pad shows all the wear of 3 summers and my dog, it got tons od scrapes and cuts in it from boards, but mostly dog claws as he had to learn how to get on the boat, and we had to learn when he trys to get on the boat you have to push his head down as hard as you can like your trying to dunk him, this makes his rear up come up and his rear paws can get on the deck. I will have to replace it eventually with a nicer looking one. I would trade that for not having my dog with me. Hes great on the boat and nothing makes me smile more then seeing him jump off the boat in the water every chance he gets, i think hes the only one in the water as much as me when boating.

http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/meandoso.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/HPIM6455.jpg
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu114/mmandley/IMG_2985.jpg

[moombadaze]

there is also a product out that glues onto the dog nails and covers them, soft paws or something like that, anyway I believe they will stay on a couple weeks and then just fall off.

[bergermaister]

I'd say as long as you can keep him/her from spazzing out during entry/exit then you'll probably be okay. But good luck with that. My labratard is 9yrs old now, been boating over half his life. Hasn't caused any damage, I just get tired of his fur getting EVERYWHERE. That seems to be worse than anything. He only comes out a few times per summer now but loves every second of it. Like Mike said - towels covering seats is probably your best bet.

Funny side note - my buddy has a yellow lab that likes to ride on the engine cover while they're out. Never been a problem and she stays put. Then one night heading home he happened to glance up in the mirror just in time to see her go skipping across the water at about 25-30. Apparently she saw something that caught her interest and decided to take a closer look....

[89PROSTAR]

how about boots....he loves them....you can see it in his face.

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[mmandley]

HAHA boots thats cool. Cept if he falls of the boat hes gonna have a lot harder time swimming.

[rdlangston13]

That's what life jackets are for

[Razzman]

The only vest for a proper boating dog! The CWB Otis vest!

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[mmandley]

The only vest for a proper boating dog! The CWB Otis vest!

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IDK who makes the one we have on the smaller white dog <Emma> but it looks pretty much like that, its velcro on the belly and has the buckle under her head. She can swim all day or just float when she gets to tired.

Oso hasnt needed one yet, he only goes in the water when we are there and if i tell him No he wont jump in. At least not in the 2 summers hes been out LOL.

He is the first one off the boat generaly when we stop to board up, as soon as he sees the gear comming out hes starts whinning and howling to get in the water, then hes like a 4 year old, jumps off the boat, swims back climbs in, jumps off the boat, does this like 15 times unless i get in and go swimming with him lol.

Normally i have to take him for a long swim to the shore, or just toss the ball with him till hes tired, then he will get in the boat lay down and relax for a couple hours lol.

[Suprahunter]

Soft Paws is the ticket. You trim the nails then glue the rubber covers on they last 4-6 weeks. The dog doesn't even know he has them on and they dont interfere with swimming.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/softpaws001.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/softpaws002.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/gooddayonthebeach7-15-08036.jpg

[Razzman]

I don't even worry about it, mine have never made a mark on the boat yet anywhere. Which is more than i can say about people on the boat.

[Mike185]

Thank you all for the tips.

Don't think the boots are an option for our lab, they will last about five minutes before she is tearing them off.

We will try it out with just trimmed/filed nails (good tip, try a dremel!) and see how it goes.

Summer is almost here, dewinterizing mid march, had the boat in the rack a few weeks ago cleaning the interior, she needs a good was tho.

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