A girls best friend and how to get him to stay on the boat (?)

[Sly New Girl]

I'm having an unexpected problem with my dog. He'll stay on the boat when I'm free diving and come right back up. He won't stay when I scuba. We've been taking him out on the inflatables and trying to teach him to stay put and its not working at all. He'll wait a few minutes for me to come back up and then he bails even he's being held back by force in an attempt to teach him that he needs to wait. He gets really spooked and anxious.

Is anyone else taking along a dog that they've taught not to panic when you don't surface right away? If so, how did you teach him to wait? I'd really hate to have to leave him home whenever I go diving.

(I wouldn't tie him to the boat and leave him any more than I would roll up the windows on the truck and leave him so don't even suggest that)

Any other ideas?

 

[SnorkelLA]

You could do what this guy did...

 

[flots am]

I'm having an unexpected problem with my dog. He'll stay on the boat when I'm free diving and come right back up. He won't stay when I scuba. We've been taking him out on the inflatables and trying to teach him to stay put and its not working at all.

He thinks you've drowned and is looking for you.

I'd leave him home when you go diving. It's kinder.

flots.

 

[knotical]

Perhaps a conditioning period in which you start by scuba diving for the same length of time as your free dives, then do many dives of gradually increasing duration.

 

[jmneill]

Valium?

 

[vapourinthesea]

I agree with flots am. You may love your dog and want to bring him with you...but he thinks something has happened to you and is worried for you. It is kinder to just leave him at home, as well as I don't think you want to train him to stop worrying about you; that's a very good characteristic to find in a dog. Also, if its a hot day, with the fur and not being able to move...he could fry just sitting in the sun.

 

[RTee]

When you go diving, do it for you and your husband/BF and when you bring your dog with you then go out for him and let him swim around and retrieve stuff.

 

[4dawgma]

You need a bigger boat

 

[redacted]

You need a bigger boat

Or a cat.

They don't get too worried until the dish is empty.

 

[cbrich]

He is just doing his job of protecting you, and when you don't come up on scuba, he thinks you are in trouble. My only thought would be to have another person with you that could comfort him while you are diving.