Some advice from Dave (You Me and the D):
OK, living with a dog is interesting. For the most part I would say he is a great security system, but he did just sleep through the theft of our locked outboard up on the stern of the boat while we slept with the doors open. It might possibly be our fault as he did bark but didn't go out into the cockpit. We are now convinced he is afraid of the dark.
Pros: entertainment, security, companionship (Dex spends the night watch out in the cockpit with us)
cons: dog hair everywhere ( and Dex doesn't shed much or have much hair), he barks at everyone nice guys included, he shits on the deck which means we can't collect deck water for drinking.
unknown facts:
clearing your pet into a country only has to be done if the officials come on to your boat while your quarantine flag is up. Once your in, no one is going to worry about a dog, DOGS ARE EVERYWHERE. Ex: we were so pissed off about having our motor stolen before we even got to clear into Costa Rica that we just happened to forget about our dog for the day.
In Jamaica the locals told us we could take Dex to a deserted island for walks as lots of people have done it, even though the dog has to stay on the boat. The reality is there are way more serious laws for officials to be avoiding to enforce to worry about dogs.
The other thing is look for other cruisers who have well trained boat dogs and get your dog to socialize with them. Then anchor next to them and leave your dog on the boat for a week. Our friends did this and thir 115lbs mastiff watched Dex all day and eventually started doing her business on the deck. (in the same spot as Dexter was on our boat.
Dex falls into the drink only wwhen attempting to jump from dinghy to boat, and only after a really good run on the beach.
He also loves dolphins and turtles, even the mention of either word gets him going, and don't even think about hinting at pelicans. Most of the time when sailing he sleeps in the cockpit or in the quarter berth in rough weather, and the rest of the time hanging out on the bowsprit (seriously).
medically just watch out for ticks and make sure cuts are healling well, also keep their claws well trimmed for the sake of your teak and holy sole.
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