Nothing is more exhilarating that the smell of the sea and the wind in your hair as you sail carefree under a warm sun. If you enjoy boating, there’s no reason not to take your best friend with you. After all, dogs love going places with their owners.
Most dogs enjoy water, they are instinctive swimmers and very few dogs are afraid of the water (except during bath time!). Nothing beats a warm summer day out on a boat with the companionship of your dog. Dogs are an important part of most families and a holiday just isn’t a holiday if you leave your first mate at home. Safety is important on a boat and it is especially important if you take your dog along with you. There are a few simple things you can do to make sure your day out on sea (or the lake) doesn’t turn into a scene from Titanic.
Let’s start with the basics for what you need to know when taking your dog boating:
- Invest in a canine life jacket.
- Do not encourage your dog to drink water from the lake or sea.
- Consider purchasing and applying sunscreen for your dog.
- Have a plan in place when your dog needs to relieve himself or herself.
To learn more, Discover Boating is happy to provide additional information on Boating with Pets.
The first thing you should do before sailing with your dog is to get him a canine life jacket (we’ll touch more on this later). You can find doggie life jackets at most boating stores and pet shops. When buying a life jacket for your dog make sure it’s a good fit. Even though most dogs can swim, high seas or fatigue can cause drowning in even the most avid of swimmers, so don’t risk it, get your dog a life jacket. Even if your dog doesn’t drown if he goes overboard for any reason, excessive fatigue can cause numerous problems.
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