Tips for Taking Your Dog on the Boat

Is your pup a boating fiend? While many generally assume only retrievers are good boating dogs, we've seen a large variety of pooches out on boats over the years. Bringing your dog can be a fun addition to the day, but they do need a few more accommodations than some of your human guests. So here are our tips for bringing your dog with you on the boat.

• Set your pup up with a life jacket. If your dog knows how to swim, you might find this silly. But remember: humans can swim but still need to wear life jackets! High seas or fatigue can negatively impact your pup's ability to swim, so a life jacket ensures he wont have any issues. In addition, most dog life jackets come with a handle on top, which makes them a great tool for helping to heave your dog back aboard when he is through with swimming. Many pro shops sell life jackets, or you can easily order them online.
• Provide drinking water. Obviously, if you're out on salt water, your pooch won't be able to drink out of the water. But even freshwater can have less than desirable organisms that make drinking from a lake not a super idea either. Bring bottled or tap water and a bowl for your dog so he doesn't get dehydrated - or sick from drinking the wrong kind of water.
• Don't forget the pit stop. You might be able to train your dog to pee in the back of the boat so you can wash it down (if you have an appropriate boat). But really, it's just easier if you stop off somewhere to let your dog do his thing and stretch his legs. Don't forget to pick up after him!
• Watch the fishing lines. Some dogs might not be able to handle watching you fish - the drop of a lure into the water might prove to be too irresistable. So play it by ear. But keep your tackle box out of his reach, and watch the lines around him.

Do you bring your dog out on the boat? What part do they like the best? 

What Causes Boating Accidents?

Next week is National Safe Boating Week, a week we'll spend emphasizing how to boat safely and the importance of doing so. So we know we're a little ahead of the curve writing about it now, but we figured we'd go ahead and set up the week by writing about boating accidents. Not a fun topic, but one that must be understood in order to realize the importance of boating safety measures.

First: how do boating accidents happen?

As you can see, the top 5 types of boating accidents (in 2011) are: collission with a recreational vessel, flooding/swamping, collision with a fixed object, skier mishap and people overboard. Not that surprising, overall. But then take a look at the next list, the top 10 contributing factors to these boating accidents. #1 is operator inattention, something so easily fixable it's scary. When you're operating a boat, make like you are operating a vehicle on the road. There's really hardly any difference, besides the fact that there are no specific lanes to the water (though, of course, there are right of way rules!). Boat operators should never ever casually operate a boat - always pay full attention to your speed, surroundings and other factors. 

In fact, if boaters were to treat boating the same as driving, many of these other contributing factors might not be an issue, like excessive speed, alcohol use and rules of the road/water.

Operator inexperience, though listed as a separate contributor, is actually a factor in many of those listed here. More experienced operators have a better understanding of weather, force of wakes, rules of the road and more. So if you are new boater, not to fear - practice makes perfect, but a boating safety class will put you above many of your fellow boaters. 

Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages all next week to learn other boating safety tips (boating classes is just the tip of the iceberg!).