The Perfect Boat Dog

This course will help you understand how having a dog on board affects cruising. And teach you how to prepare yourself and your dog to have fun and safe adventures together, wherever you voyage.

Primarily written, the course will also include quizzes, video, checklists, and links to the resources you’ll need to outfit your vessel and train your boat dog.

Introduction

• Course Overview
• Invitation to Join FB group

Getting Ready to Cruise with a Dog

• The Ideal Boat Dog
• Adopting a New Boat Dog
• Dog Temperament Quiz
• Pre-Boat Training & Socialization

Shopping for & Equipping a Dog-Friendly Boat

• Pros and Cons of Vessels
• Gear for Getting Your Dog On & Off the Boat 
• Safety Gear Underway

Care and Feeding

• Food Options
• Onboard Storage
• Finding Food While Cruising

Health and Safety

• Routine Vet Care
• First Aid Kit
• Keeping Medical Records
• Emergencies

Exercise & Enrichment

• Keeping Your Dog Fit in a Small Space
• Training Boat Dog Skills
• Mental Stimulation

Helping a Fearful Dog

• Signs of Stress
• Confidence Building
• Aids for 'Fraidy Pups

Toilet Training

• Does Your Dog Actually Have to Potty on the Boat?
• Training Your Dog to "Go" Onboard
• Troubleshooting Toilet Training Issues

Unique Challenges for Liveaboard Dogs

• In the Boatyard
• Leaving Your Dog on the Boat
• Finding Your Lost Dog
• Shedding

Underway

• Trip Planning Considerations
• Safety in Rough Seas
• Dog Overboard!

International Cruising

• Checking In — Bahamas
• Legalities Various Ports of Call 
• Safety & Security

Private Facebook Group

You'll get access to a private Facebook group where you can ask questions of Pamela and other course participants, and where you can share your successes.

You'll also get a subscription to The Boat Galley Newsletter, a weekly email filled with information about living on a boat. Don't like it? You can unsubscribe at any time.

And no, we aren’t going to sell your email address or send you spam, because that’s not who we are.

You'll get login details onscreen immediately after purchase as well as by email a few minutes later.

Take this course whenever you want, as fast or slow as you want, in whatever order you want, and refer back to materials as often as you want. You'll have lifetime access to all, including all updates.

Everything is online; there is no shipping.

Pamela Douglas cruised for 7 years with her golden retriever, Honey, on a Pacific Seacraft 34 sailboat. Before cruising, she worked as a financial educator for over a decade. She became a member of The Boat Galley team while cruising and has contributed to the site as a virtual assistant, guest post writer and editor. 

On her website, Something Wagging This Way Comes, Pamela has written about the human-canine bond for over 13 years. Beginning in 2015, she began writing about the process of preparing Honey for boat life. Her experience with fostering and training dozens of dogs gives her a unique perspective on helping dogs succeed in a human world.