Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!

[S.S. Cruisers]

Hey Kiddo, how's the 90 degree weather?

HI! HI! HI!, I am shuddering to think what this summer will bring! It's only February and it is already "HOT" outside. I see you guys are pretty warm yourselves. :)

[Quampapetet]

The awkward part is that we're set to cruise in March of 2017, which means we'll either have my ten-year-old buffalo dog or a puppy. If I get a pup from the first litter that's going to be born in seven or so weeks, we'll be okay. If I don't get a pup until the autumn litter, though... well, I won't bring an untrained or under-trained pup with me. That wouldn't be fair to me, to the other passengers, or to the pup himself.

 

The puppy won't be going with you no matter what, as service dogs in training are not allowed on cruises. They are not covered under the ADA. So, you will have to have someone care for your puppy while you are away - your vet may do boarding, otherwise there are great boarding kennels, dog sitters, or friends/family, or you could send the puppy for board-and-train training during that time.

[Quampapetet]

Roz, I was looking on the Web site for Unleashed by Petco to see if they had a certain toy I saw in their store on their Web site and I had to come on here to show these two toys to you, as your Horton needs his own Horton Hears a Who toys!!!

 

http://www.unleashedbypetco.com/shop/en/unleashedstore/dog/dog-toys/dog-plush-toys/dr-seuss-horton-squeaker-mat-dog-toy

 

http://www.unleashedbypetco.com/shop/en/unleashedstore/dog/dog-toys/dog-plush-toys/dr-seuss-medium-horton-flat-plush-dog-toy

[Krypti]

The puppy won't be going with you no matter what, as service dogs in training are not allowed on cruises. They are not covered under the ADA. So, you will have to have someone care for your puppy while you are away - your vet may do boarding, otherwise there are great boarding kennels, dog sitters, or friends/family, or you could send the puppy for board-and-train training during that time.

 

The school I'm working with will board the puppy (and continue his training) if necessary. We're not doing scent-alert training or brace/balance work -- it's all physical positioning for PTSD -- and some pups can be ready for public access in their first year, while others take significantly longer. It all depends on temperament, training, and luck when it comes to fear periods. And it may be a moot point, if I don't get a puppy out of this very next litter. All the other litters this year will produce pups who'll be too young.

 

Either way, I'm really hoping my current SD is still willing and able to keep working, even at age ten.

[DisneyKidsDad]

Hello everyone! :)

 

Hope everyone is well wherever you are in the world - not too cold, and not too warm (speaking Californians here of course!!!)

 

Barb, adorable puppies and you will be enjoying that lovely new puppy smell with your cuddles!

 

Cindy - glad you had a good cruise, not so good you're feeling yucky - hope you're much better by the time you read this!

 

Holly - love the photos, keep them coming please!

 

Talking about photos, ah Krypti - that photo is priceless, I looked but I didn't see your dog's name? Our dogs will drink water from the tap but much prefer drinking the water from their outside bowl which is mostly rainwater! Or drinking the water out of the bird bath! Welcome to our wonderful family and thanks for that gorgeous photo,we all love photos around here!

 

Duncan's Mum - your "craziness" is absolutely normal - believe me it happens often with the puppy walking (raising) and it's not the dogs, it's us! Or we are using the wrong command when we "think" we have the correct one! If you saw what happens at our puppy workshops you would see how we are shown commands and we do exercises and even though we are shown how to do it correctly, sometimes several times, it can take a wee while to get it right! For example, We use the command "off" when dogs jump up (which they shouldn't of course but they have to learn not to do that), most people would say "get down". We use the command "down" when we want the dog to "lie down". When we go and visit my brother, Bonnie will get all excited and jump up on him, so I will be saying "off" and he will be saying "get down"! So I have to train him now as well! That's a challenge in itself! LOL!!! Thankfully like you, we have a trainer who has the patience of a saint.

 

DKD - I feel for you this weekend. It's the best of time for the new folk getting their dogs but the hardest of times for us. "Stiff upper lip darling and all that." ;):) What are Orsen's retirement plans?

 

I'm sorry if I've missed anyone's news out, just catching up with a few pages.

 

Aunty Roz - I sometimes hold Aruba's paw too, she seems to like a bit of reflexology!

 

Have a great weekend everyone, it's snowing here and cold. Planning on snuggling up in front of the fire, wait a minute, I've been beaten to that by the Fab Four! :D

 

fairbourne,

We are thinking of having Orson certified as a Therapy Dog. This way he will still be able to go out in public once in a while. It's going to be a tough transition for him either way.

[thephantomsgirl]

What a teddy bear!

 

Jagger isn't that bulky, but he is very, very long. I call him "the bus". He likes to take up all the room he can. The trainer is working with me to contain that a bit.

 

I bet Orson would love to be a Therapy Dog!

 

Still reading posts. CC hasn't been that good about notifying me about new posts. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

 

Holly

[wizard-of-roz]

By the way, does anyone have suggestions on a dual purpose human/dog first aid kit? I carry a stripped-down emergency kit in my doggie go-bag, but I want a more comprehensive kit for the cruise since medications are so expensive/may not be available. So far, I have:

 

- Bandages - gauze pads, gauze wrap, band-aids, medical tape

- Ointments & Powders - vaseline, bacitracin, aloe, Gold Bond medicated powder, styptic powder, alcohol swabs

- Tools - tweezers, emergency shears (blunt tips, blades under 4" long), small file (for broken toenails)

- OTC Medications - aspirin, Benadryl, Pepto Bismol (all in dog-safe doses)

- Prescription medications - gentamycin-betamethasone spray (fantastic for wounds & skin irritation), mometamax drops (for ear infections)

- Other - cotton balls, Q-tips, sterile gloves

 

And for people: stuff for digestive problems (both ends!), cold medication, Tylenol, vitamins

 

Anything else you suggest?

 

Good job! You've covered it all.

 

Remember; to bring extra food for your dog. You never know what can happen in being delayed in coming into port and we don't want to have to feed our dog "people food!"

[wizard-of-roz]

HI! HI! HI!, I am shuddering to think what this summer will bring! It's only February and it is already "HOT" outside. I see you guys are pretty warm yourselves. :)

 

We are definitely sweltering here!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz, I was looking on the Web site for Unleashed by Petco to see if they had a certain toy I saw in their store on their Web site and I had to come on here to show these two toys to you, as your Horton needs his own Horton Hears a Who toys!!!

 

http://www.unleashedbypetco.com/shop/en/unleashedstore/dog/dog-toys/dog-plush-toys/dr-seuss-horton-squeaker-mat-dog-toy

 

http://www.unleashedbypetco.com/shop/en/unleashedstore/dog/dog-toys/dog-plush-toys/dr-seuss-medium-horton-flat-plush-dog-toy

 

So cute, Horton's got one! He's a real toy lover. He must have a toy to play with when we travel. I AWAYS buy him a new one each travel journey. I take it out and he's a happy boy in a new cabin or hotel room!

[wizard-of-roz]

The school I'm working with will board the puppy (and continue his training) if necessary. We're not doing scent-alert training or brace/balance work -- it's all physical positioning for PTSD -- and some pups can be ready for public access in their first year, while others take significantly longer. It all depends on temperament, training, and luck when it comes to fear periods. And it may be a moot point, if I don't get a puppy out of this very next litter. All the other litters this year will produce pups who'll be too young.

 

Either way, I'm really hoping my current SD is still willing and able to keep working, even at age ten.

 

My first Service Dog, Brenda, had finished her last cruise when she was 11 years old. She was done!!! She didn't want to go into my car without a ramp and she hated walking on the ramps between the dock and the ship. But, then, she hated walking on those when she was 5 years old. She refused to walk on open stair cases and hated glass elevators. Even though, on every new ship she entered I would expose her to all of it! She begrudgingly did it all.

 

Horton doesn't mind, uneven ground, glass elevators, open staircases and even goes on escalators with ease.

 

They're all so different!

[wizard-of-roz]

fairbourne,

We are thinking of having Orson certified as a Therapy Dog. This way he will still be able to go out in public once in a while. It's going to be a tough transition for him either way.

 

Their hearts and minds are in it but their bodies can't do what they used to do!

[jameysdopey]

Has anyone had issues with breed discrimination? Looks like we won't be getting off in Nassau now since Jemma isn't allowed in. Ugh.

 

I searched their laws and found nothing excluding any breeds.

[Krypti]

My first Service Dog, Brenda, had finished her last cruise when she was 11 years old. She was done!!! She didn't want to go into my car without a ramp and she hated walking on the ramps between the dock and the ship. But, then, she hated walking on those when she was 5 years old. She refused to walk on open stair cases and hated glass elevators. Even though, on every new ship she entered I would expose her to all of it! She begrudgingly did it all.

 

Horton doesn't mind, uneven ground, glass elevators, open staircases and even goes on escalators with ease.

 

They're all so different!

Thank you!

 

Darian will go anywhere I go, but I'm lazy and love good air conditioning. I can't do glass elevators. Too high! :D

 

We haven't done escalator training yet, but he has boots (we live in AZ, so the pavement is HOT HOT HOT) so I'm not *too* worried. Still, anywhere there's an escalator, there's an elevator for my husband to use or stairs for me.

 

Darian does great with walking, as long as it's not too hot. We just got him Ruffwear's cooling vest (swamp cooler) that we're going to try if we go out this week. We were going to a charity event at a golf course for a training school outing on Wednesday, but it's going to peak at 90 here. Eww. It's February, Arizona! Get with the program!

 

Good job! You've covered it all.

 

Remember; to bring extra food for your dog. You never know what can happen in being delayed in coming into port and we don't want to have to feed our dog "people food!"

Actually, he's on a people food diet! The vet at the local Air Force base recommended it for his allergies and his ridiculously sensitive digestive system. He eats meat (beef or chicken, mainly), sometimes eggs, oatmeal, and mixed veggies. It's done wonders for his coat. Between that and weekly baths, we also have his skin allergies under control, so no more weirdly shaved spots.

 

I'm a little worried about feeding him on the cruise. He'll probably be okay if we do really good kibble for a week, but I'd prefer to keep him as close to his current diet as possible. It'd be better if we could feed him simple people food in the room, maybe from the buffet, but I'm not sure if that would be okay -- and I don't think we can bring people food on a cruise, right?

[wizard-of-roz]

Has anyone had issues with breed discrimination? Looks like we won't be getting off in Nassau now since Jemma isn't allowed in. Ugh.

 

I searched their laws and found nothing excluding any breeds.

 

I have NOT run into any type of discrimination of breeds. Although, there are some cities that have city ordinances in place that refuse to allow pit bulls.

 

I have NEVER seen a pit bull or any other bull terrier type Service Dog. They're very smart and hearty dogs. I just have not seen any in my travels.

 

We were once in a rehab facility and I had Brenda with me and we encountered a pit bull who was inside the facility visiting with a gentleman who had the dog on a huge chain with one of those poky type collars [so scary looking!] When the dog saw Brenda he immediately started to growl and act aggressively. Scared me to death. I her in the room, closed the door and went down to have a talk with the hospital administrator and the gentleman who was holding the pit bull's chain.

 

He was asked to leave and for the next two weeks I never saw the dog in the hospital again. Poor Brenda, she just stared at the dog and couldn't figure out why it was so upset!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

Thank you!

 

Darian will go anywhere I go, but I'm lazy and love good air conditioning. I can't do glass elevators. Too high! :D

 

We haven't done escalator training yet, but he has boots (we live in AZ, so the pavement is HOT HOT HOT) so I'm not *too* worried. Still, anywhere there's an escalator, there's an elevator for my husband to use or stairs for me.

 

Darian does great with walking, as long as it's not too hot. We just got him Ruffwear's cooling vest (swamp cooler) that we're going to try if we go out this week. We were going to a charity event at a golf course for a training school outing on Wednesday, but it's going to peak at 90 here. Eww. It's February, Arizona! Get with the program!

 

 

Actually, he's on a people food diet! The vet at the local Air Force base recommended it for his allergies and his ridiculously sensitive digestive system. He eats meat (beef or chicken, mainly), sometimes eggs, oatmeal, and mixed veggies. It's done wonders for his coat. Between that and weekly baths, we also have his skin allergies under control, so no more weirdly shaved spots.

 

I'm a little worried about feeding him on the cruise. He'll probably be okay if we do really good kibble for a week, but I'd prefer to keep him as close to his current diet as possible. It'd be better if we could feed him simple people food in the room, maybe from the buffet, but I'm not sure if that would be okay -- and I don't think we can bring people food on a cruise, right?

As long as he eats people food......You can make a plate for him in the buffet, take it back to your cabin and transfer it to his feeding dish. Make sure that you're feeding him in the room and not in the restaurant or buffet area. It's not good form to feed him from your hand in the restaurant areas.

 

I totally understand not changing his diet. It's enough for our dogs to put up with rough seas and a change of environment but to change the food too I think would be a bit much.

 

We had some really rough seas coming back from Mexico on our last cruise, it was bad enough to have Horton whining at me, after he woke me up in the middle of the night. I felt so bad for him. I opened up the slider and let him get a breath of fresh air. He went back to bed but he wasn't a happy boy!!!!

[jameysdopey]

it just sucks! Jemma is a pit bull service dog(hearing alert) and is wonderful at her job. Her trainer called her a diva though cause she prefers not to get dirty and loves getting her nails done. 😀

DH said no worries he will just stay on the ship with her but I would hate for him to miss out. He did email the Bahamas today to get it in writing since we couldn't find anything that stated they have any BSL, maybe we will get lucky and they will change their minds.

[wizard-of-roz]

it just sucks! Jemma is a pit bull service dog(hearing alert) and is wonderful at her job. Her trainer called her a diva though cause she prefers not to get dirty and loves getting her nails done.

DH said no worries he will just stay on the ship with her but I would hate for him to miss out. He did email the Bahamas today to get it in writing since we couldn't find anything that stated they have any BSL, maybe we will get lucky and they will change their minds.

 

Maybe once they meet Jemma and see how well behaved and gentle she is they will change their minds.

 

There's such an unfair stigma on these wonderful dogs. I'm sorry that you're facing this. Just show them how great she is.......they'll probably fall in love with her.

 

I'd love to meet her.

[jameysdopey]

We're baccck. Had a great cruise. The ship was beautiful. Ended up driving into airport at 3am as our ride didn't come. Got there as they were boarding. Told we couldn't check our luggage cuz it was to late. John threw a fit and they let us check it. Ship was very accessible except for cleaning carts in the skinny hallways. I must have moved a hundred of them.

Potty box was right down the hall in a crew area. Convenient but not accessible for John at all. The door was huge and so heavy I could barely open it. The woman in charge tried to switch us to a balcony but that didn't work out. We dealt with it. The bedding was for hampster cage and I had the fake grass. Wex hated it!!! We actually had problems getting him to go. He pooped only a few times. When we got to St Thomas they got grass and it was like he jumped for joy. Next time big balcony and grass if I have to rip it up myself. I guess Miami has no grass, not sure what the deal was.

This was our first inside cabin. It was pretty good size and we managed fine. I'll post pics at the end.

As usual the crew were the worst with the dog. Calling him, waving, making noises. John offered on next cruise to enlighten them with a demo. Toward the end we got sick of hearing about everyone's dogs, dead or alive. Lol

Good ride home. Bulkhead on American sucks!! The flight attendants were nasty. Poor Wex couldn't even curl up. Nothing but Jetblue for us.

 

Cindy,

I see you were on the NCL Escape, is there any tips you can give this newbie? We will be on the Escape in May. This is our first time traveling with a service dog so anything will help. We have 2 connecting mini-suites so I'm hoping they will put the potty box on our balcony. I'm was really hoping when they said sandbox it was going to be sand since Jemma refuses to go on anything but grass or dirt.

 

 

Roz,

If we ever make it out to Cali I would love to introduce you to Jemma. Though you might fall in love with her😍

[Krypti]

As long as he eats people food......You can make a plate for him in the buffet, take it back to your cabin and transfer it to his feeding dish. Make sure that you're feeding him in the room and not in the restaurant or buffet area. It's not good form to feed him from your hand in the restaurant areas.

 

I totally understand not changing his diet. It's enough for our dogs to put up with rough seas and a change of environment but to change the food too I think would be a bit much.

 

We had some really rough seas coming back from Mexico on our last cruise, it was bad enough to have Horton whining at me, after he woke me up in the middle of the night. I felt so bad for him. I opened up the slider and let him get a breath of fresh air. He went back to bed but he wasn't a happy boy!!!!

 

Aww, poor Horton! Did the fresh air help him?

 

Darian is really a solid, steady dog. I'm so lucky to have him. We've gone on long car rides, and he relaxes while looking out the (closed) window or naps by an AC vent with no problem. The only thing he doesn't like is when I clip his thick coat, but the vet gives me Xanax for that. Or I should say, the vet gives HIM Xanax for that, even though sometimes I think I need it more. :D

[Krypti]

it just sucks! Jemma is a pit bull service dog(hearing alert) and is wonderful at her job. Her trainer called her a diva though cause she prefers not to get dirty and loves getting her nails done. 😀

DH said no worries he will just stay on the ship with her but I would hate for him to miss out. He did email the Bahamas today to get it in writing since we couldn't find anything that stated they have any BSL, maybe we will get lucky and they will change their minds.

 

She's just precious!

[thephantomsgirl]

Update: Jagger and I are doing very well with the private classes. Yay!

 

The trainer said we are close, but not quite there yet. She invited us to audit the Partner Training which starts next week, and will last two weeks. I'm going to do it as I feel I will learn quite a bit.

 

I won't be around much for the next two weeks then. Excited cause I'll get to see a lot of Jagger. :)

[wizard-of-roz]

Cindy,

I see you were on the NCL Escape, is there any tips you can give this newbie? We will be on the Escape in May. This is our first time traveling with a service dog so anything will help. We have 2 connecting mini-suites so I'm hoping they will put the potty box on our balcony. I'm was really hoping when they said sandbox it was going to be sand since Jemma refuses to go on anything but grass or dirt.

 

 

Roz,

If we ever make it out to Cali I would love to introduce you to Jemma. Though you might fall in love with her

 

I've been lucky enough to meet a few of our CC friends. I've even cruised, in the same cabin, with one. We had so much fun!

 

If you're in CA, specifically the L.A. area, please let me know and I'll do everything I can to have a meet-up with you.

 

Horton loves dogs. My first SD Brenda was NOT much of a dog lover but Horton thinks all beings are brought into this world to be his personal plaything!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

Aww, poor Horton! Did the fresh air help him?

 

Darian is really a solid, steady dog. I'm so lucky to have him. We've gone on long car rides, and he relaxes while looking out the (closed) window or naps by an AC vent with no problem. The only thing he doesn't like is when I clip his thick coat, but the vet gives me Xanax for that. Or I should say, the vet gives HIM Xanax for that, even though sometimes I think I need it more. :D

 

Horton did feel better after I opened the door and let in some fresh, salty sea air. He stood by the door and wafted it all in for a few minutes and then went back to his bed. My suggestion: If anyone has a dog that is acting a bit queezy from the rough seas and you don't have a veranda cabin. Get up, take your dog out on deck and let him breath some fresh air for a bit.

 

That's funny, about the Xanax. Horton gets a lot of longish hair on his underbelly and I ask the groomer to shave it. He looks like he's ticklish when she starts to do it and then he stops moving and lets her finish. Labs and Golden Retrievers don't get many hair or buzz cuts.........they just shed it all over the place!!!!

[Krypti]

Since my current SD is turning nine in two days, we've been looking for a puppy to train to take over when he retires. After a lot of debating (mainly rescue dogs vs. ones from breeders), we settled on Native American Indian Dogs -- a "mutt" type dog bred from huskies, malamutes, chinooks, and GSDs. We found a breeder who's placed many NAIDs as service dogs.

 

She just emailed me today with exciting news!

 

Gem has been bred and is confirmed pregnant! Her puppies will be born at the end of March. This is Gem, who has a lush, long coat:

 

GG has been bred, and if she conceives, her puppies will be born at the end of April. This is GG, who has a standard coat, and her puppies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u7fLx-QoNo&feature=youtu.be

 

This means I could get a puppy as early as the end of May, if all goes well!! Which… will suck, because their socialization training will take place just as the weather hits a thousand degrees (YAY ARIZONA), but the puppy needs to adjust to boots anyway, so…

 

A puppy from the first litter MIGHT be trained and ready to go cruising next March, but the pup would really have to be extraordinary. In all my history, I've only ever had one pup who was ready for extended public access at such an early age. He was an Australian shepherd, and I swear if we could've taught him to hold a pencil, he could've done our taxes. :D

 

Thankfully, Darian is still in pretty good health, if a little slow and lazy. Now I get to start puppy-proofing the house!

[thephantomsgirl]

Ha ha - a tax accountant for a dog! Love it!

 

Will be fun to have a puppy, won't it?!

 

I love going to the ranch and seeing the puppies. Amazing how fast they learn!