Houseboat Pets & Animals - best dog breeds for living on house boats?

by Chez
(St.Paul, MN)

When it comes to houseboat pets and animals, what is the best dog breeds for living on house boats?

We are looking into adding a dog to our family and are looking for recommendations. We need a small breed, one that does not shed a lot and could live aboard year around in northern climate.

I would appreciate hearing your suggestions and personal experiences.

Chez in St. Paul



Reply - Answer
Well Chez, congratulations on your decision to get a dog to live with you on board your houseboat.

When it comes to making recommendations as to what is the best breed of dog for a house boat, that is like asking for a "spaghetti sauce recipe". You will get dozens of different recipes, as you will with dog breeds.

There are small, medium and large sized dogs, some that require less exercise or attention, and some can handle time being alone.

Now, as we have two dogs, my opinion may be a little biased. I know that my wife and I wanted small dogs (@ 10 lbs), and we also wanted a hypoallergenic dog breed. It makes the shedding dog hair one less situation to handle on a boat.

We also wanted dogs that enjoy swimming, and that require an average amount of exercise. We finally decided to go with miniature poodles (I know, it doesn't sound "macho"), and we are very glad that we did.


They are smart, funny (with their little personalities), and have become my best buddies. We go everywhere and do everything together. The beauty about dogs, they always love me when I come home, no matter how late, or how dirty I am :)

There is probably a few dozen breeds that would be good on a boat, and I presume others will post their experiences and reasons for choosing their breeds.


You may find the following articles of interest:

Do Pets, Animals, Cats, or Dogs enjoy living on Houseboats?

Houseboat Dog Potty disposable portable Training Pads for Dogs


Lastly, hopefully some of our readers will share and post comments about their best houseboat dog breeds and experiences. Feel free to use the "Click here to post comments." link found near the bottom of this page.


Thanks again for sharing, IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com

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