Where to put the dog in sneak box small boat

Josh Schwenger

Josh Schwenger

Active member
So looking into a small boat sneakbox or maybe even a marsh rat or something small. So anyway where do I put my lab. He's not huge he's very well behaved and 60 pounds. I owned a Higbee years ago but never had a dog. Some say put them behind your head but in a sneak box where do they go under the spray shield on top of the deck? What about in a small marsh rat where should I put him?
 
Josh Schwenger said:
So looking into a small boat sneakbox or maybe even a marsh rat or something small. So anyway where do I put my lab. He's not huge he's very well behaved and 60 pounds. I owned a Higbee years ago but never had a dog. Some say put them behind your head but in a sneak box where do they go under the spray shield on top of the deck? What about in a small marsh rat where should I put him?
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Did you consider something like a MoMarsh dog stand that you could sit next to the boat
 
I have a 12 ft aluminum sneak box based roughly on a broadbill. I gave up on the classic spray shield and made a dodger for her. The dodger is large enough to fit a large lab under it with him sitting on the cockpit sole. I sit in front of him with my feet fit under the aft deck, my head and shoulders under the dodger, supported by a MoMarsh invisible lounger. A grass mat gets draped over me and the open cockpit. The lab is able to watch over my shoulder while my body is keeping him in place. Worked well for us. No hunting pic.s since the sneak box is a single hunter setup, but this shot was taken during a break.

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Scott
 
I have a Carstens Puddler and hunt my pup behind me. I also have a Four Rivers Refuge Runner and hunt him off the rear deck or behind my layout seat. Pirogue spudded, dog hunts behind me.

I had a marsh rat, too tight for both myself and the dog laying out in the marsh.
 
Paul Taylor said:
I have a Carstens Puddler and hunt my pup behind me. I also have a Four Rivers Refuge Runner and hunt him off the rear deck or behind my layout seat. Pirogue spudded, dog hunts behind me.

I had a marsh rat, too tight for both myself and the dog laying out in the marsh.
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Thank you all those were just the responses I was looking for. The dog currently has a dog blind portable one I grass out for him i suppose this can work in situations where he can be near by. I hunt a lot of land locked ponds we drag coffin boxes to. I use the Sanford box and bring along the dog hide. He always goes behind me. I always hunt at least two people sometimes three. These ponds to me are dangerous some are bottomless in spots and others the water is 4 inches but the mud takes you down 3 feet. I have been stuck many time picking up stool or getting a downed bird. My gunning partners have used the coffin boxes floating them to help me get out. So the point is my schedual has changed and will need to be able to hunt alone as I work Saturdays now. I figured safest way was from a sneak box or smaller boat. This has given me a lot of good ideas.
 

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Consider dragging a pirogue and small paddle, they are designed for bottomless marsh and will slide across mud and grass. I added spud holes to my pirogue so I can steady the boat when shooting in deeper water or soft mud.

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Behind me in a small box or in a dog blind on the marsh next to the box. Next to me in my Invader works best IMO because nearly every downed bird is a mark for the dog .
 

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You might want to consider dragging along a jet sled tied to your marsh boat as you traverse. Gives a separate spot for dog with a make shift or dog blind in it and can double duty as a decoy sled. In my hellbender there's just enough room for dog to sit behind me on floor and the field layout blind doors I built for it I elongated the neck /head slot to allow dog to see but be covered. Doors extent all the way to back deck. Allows myself at 6'1" to still lie out in boat against a momarsh seat with a temp back brace across gunnels. Dogs stationed behind me. That set up may or may not work for you depending on your height and boat size. In the AA Blackjack I use to have I built dodger that allowed dog to lay on front deck bordering cockpit combing. Dodger built deep enough to completely cover dog and myself. Lap curtain covered rest of cockpit.
 
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Huntindave McCann said:
My lab resided under the dodger right behind my head.
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The dodger snapped onto the slightly raised rail molded into the front deck. Plenty of room for a 60lbs Lab.
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That's my little Chuck Huff. I refurb it back in 2001. I've never hunted my dog from the Huff but really need to. She's 10 and slowing down a lot. A few pond hunts a year is all she gets these days.

Here is a pic with the dodger on and all grassed up.
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Josh Schwenger said:
So looking into a small boat sneakbox or maybe even a marsh rat or something small. So anyway where do I put my lab. He's not huge he's very well behaved and 60 pounds. I owned a Higbee years ago but never had a dog. Some say put them behind your head but in a sneak box where do they go under the spray shield on top of the deck? What about in a small marsh rat where should I put him?
Click to expand...
Going by the size of myself at 6' 1" and my 65 lb. CLF it requires about 12 ft. of boat to allow you and a dog to hunt with it sitting behind you. Of course its all dependent on cockpit size and design. The smallest marsh rats might be to small for dog to be in boat with you but I believe they make one in 12' range. If not there's other makes . You might want to get some measurements of how much space you and dog require before making a boat purchase if your plan is to hunt dog behind you.
 
roy brewington said:
Going by the size of myself at 6' 1" and my 65 lb. CLF it requires about 12 ft. of boat to allow you and a dog to hunt with it sitting behind you. Of course its all dependent on cockpit size and design. The smallest marsh rats might be to small for dog to be in boat with you but I believe they make one in 12' range. If not there's other makes . You might want to get some measurements of how much space you and dog require before making a boat purchase if your plan is to hunt dog behind you.
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Agree on that Roy. I think your right 12' in a sneakbox seems to be the size. The dog already goes in a canoe and other small boats but always hunts from his blind. I think putting him behind me will be easy transition.
 
Your best bet is to have your dog behind you or next to you. In my Aeromarine, I have my lab on my left side, as I gun on my right. It really feels like we are hunting together this way. Check out my thread on the boat build for photos.
 
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