One of the common questions we get about having a dog on board is “Where does he, uh, go?”.
The answer is simple: on the boat!
the “poop deck” being used for #1. (note our fancy flushing system at left aka a bucket we use to wash it off )
We are very lucky that Kemah took to it super fast: within the first few minutes of being on board, on the bow, K lifted his leg right on the anchor chain. It was awesome!
Part of our “luck” may have been that the anchor chain smelled like the mucky-canal we were docked in. But, more likely our “luck” was a result of years of impatience for Kemah’s needs to go “outside”. Basically, since he was a puppy, on walks or even in our backyard he was told to “do your business”, then rewarded for a quick job-well-done. When we moved into our in-between-house-and-boat-garage-apartment with a shared yard, he got well-versed in this routine and it has paid off well.
But, that was just #1. What about #2?
We’re happy to report it’s the same answer: he goes on the bow. But, it took a few days. Don’t worry! K “went” the first few days of life aboard. But, he waited us out for shore leaves, which were readily available from the dock as we provisioned Mother Jones for our extended cruise.
Pre-cruise, we learned other sailors prepare for potty-training on board with carpets, mats, puppy pads and more. Some even follow their dogs around, waiting for them to do their “business”, then shoving a potty place under their dog mid-stream to scent it up. Just to be on the safe-side we had a mat and puppy pads on board, but after a few days on the water – with no other option – K adjusted to christening the poop deck and using it on the reg.
Now, whenever we’re not underway and he has the urge, it’s totally usual for K to take himself “out”. His telltale overhead scramble, like a giant gerbil on a fiberglass roof, alerts us to needing to wash the deck off with a handy bucket of seawater kept nearby lest the fresh sea breeze coming in through the salon hatches turn . . . not so fresh.
When we are underway, K’s needs are more deliberately tended to: twice a day, at dawn and dusk in the calmest conditions, we walk him carefully up to the bow. By “carefully” we mean K is tethered from his Ruffwear lifejacket to the harness of whichever one of us is on doo-ty, and in turn, our harness is tethered to a jack line (a safety line running the length of the boat). This whole process takes less than 5 minutes – although K often stalls using this potty break to search for dolphins riding our bow.
Click here to jump to the next section: Kemah + his swim platform = BFF: Building a boarding ladder for your salty dog