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dogs at the beach



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 17th 06, 12:59 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior,rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default dogs at the beach

This summer, Maui and Cali (toy poodles) are going with me to the Outerbanks
of NC. Taking dogs to the beach will be a first for me (and they have never
been there either). I am already looking forward to it but have much to
read about how exactly this will work and what things I need to watch out
for. So, does anyone who has taken their dog on vacation before have any
helpful tips or suggestions?

Everything I read warns against several things, two of the biggest being
heat and feet. I was wondering how best to protect the dogs' feet and pads
while walking on the rough sand, gravel, etc. The articles mostly mention
just being careful where to take them and to check the feet often but I was
wondering if this is going to be enough. And, I am trying to find a way to
protect against hot sand (I don't want them to burn). Could they wear boots
of some kind or is that totally unnecessary? As for the heat, I am
concerned about how long they can be out (I will have an umbrella for
shade)? Or if there skin could get sun burned (they will have short
haircuts for the summer)? If I should get them cooling bandanas or
something like that? I have a few good resources but I still have some
questions.

I am also a bit concerned about the car ride (its about 12 or so hours). We
will have to stop often for breaks (for the dogs and the people) but other
than that, I am not sure how to make the trip as best as can be. Will I
need to entertain the dogs? If so, any suggestions? Will they sleep most
of the way (hopefully, we will travel through the night and they will sleep
but I am not sure yet when we plan to travel)? The dogs will either be
crated or in dog seats. I plan to ask the vet what I could do about car
sickness and any other problems I should run into (Just in case, I have the
name, number, location of the Animal ER clinic nearest to where we are
staying).

So, basically, I am reading a lot but figured some first hand experience
could really benefit me this time around. Any help, as always, is very much
appreciated.


  #2  
Old January 17th 06, 01:30 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior,rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default dogs at the beach

"MauiJNP" wrote in message
...
Everything I read warns against several things, two of the biggest being
heat and feet.


On the Outer Banks, besides heat you will need to worry a great deal about
fleas and ticks. And mosquitoes. You'll need to check your dogs every day
for ticks. (My dogs haven't ever gotten one there but DH has!) Most of the
populated areas there are sprayed at least once a week for mosquitoes. But
it's still a concern.

And that sand gets hot. I don't think you can even consider taking the dogs
out on the beach in the middle of the day. And if they get into the salt
water you'll want to make sure you get them rinsed off as soon as you can.
And you'll also want to get the sand out of their coats as soon as you get
back to the house.

As for the heat, I am
concerned about how long they can be out (I will have an umbrella for
shade)? Or if there skin could get sun burned (they will have short
haircuts for the summer)? If I should get them cooling bandanas or
something like that? I have a few good resources but I still have some
questions.


If I were there in the middle of the summer (BTDT - May and September are
much nicer - and cheaper), there is no way my dogs would be anywhere but
inside in the cool house in the middle of the day. Yes they can get
sunburned. Cooling bandanas and cooling mats might stretch out the amount
of time they could be out on the beach - under the umbrella - but you'll
want to be able to get them back in the air conditioning quickly if they are
showing any signs of stress.

I am also a bit concerned about the car ride (its about 12 or so hours).


If your dogs ride well on trips of half an hour or more around home, they'll
likely be fine on a longer trip. Mine sleep almost all the time. When they
start to get antsy, it's usually because they need to stop. And by the end
of a second day of travelling, they're reaching their limits. And for all
the sleeping they do in the car, they are still tired when we get where
we're going.

Be careful at rest stops about where you walk them. Many people are not
very good about cleaning up after their dogs or themselves. I keep an eye
out for things they shouldn't be sticking their noses into.

And if you leave them in the rental house or motel room while you go out,
make sure they're crated. No matter how well they behave at home, it's not
worth risking the next person being told they aren't allowed to bring their
dogs because the last ones did some damage.

You'll want to check also for ant and roach motels on the floors. One of my
dogs just loves to crunch them so when we go someplace new I always have to
clear the corners of things like that.

Where are you staying? On the upper banks, down on Hatteras Island or
further south?

~~Judy


  #3  
Old January 17th 06, 01:44 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior,rec.pets.dogs.health
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default dogs at the beach


"MauiJNP" wrote in message
...
This summer, Maui and Cali (toy poodles) are going with me to the

Outerbanks
of NC. Taking dogs to the beach will be a first for me (and they have

never
been there either). I am already looking forward to it but have much to
read about how exactly this will work and what things I need to watch out
for. So, does anyone who has taken their dog on vacation before have any
helpful tips or suggestions?

Everything I read warns against several things, two of the biggest being
heat and feet. I was wondering how best to protect the dogs' feet and

pads
while walking on the rough sand, gravel, etc. The articles mostly mention
just being careful where to take them and to check the feet often but I

was
wondering if this is going to be enough. And, I am trying to find a way

to
protect against hot sand (I don't want them to burn). Could they wear

boots
of some kind or is that totally unnecessary? As for the heat, I am
concerned about how long they can be out (I will have an umbrella for
shade)? Or if there skin could get sun burned (they will have short
haircuts for the summer)? If I should get them cooling bandanas or
something like that? I have a few good resources but I still have some
questions.


one possible option you mentioned for their feet is the little doggie boots
they make.. i know most of them are intended for snow and ice, but i
honestly don't see why they wouldn't work just as well for the sand.. you'd
probablly want to use ones that aren't as heavily insulated, so their feet
don't get really hot in them..
i haven't tried this, (as I live in Alaska and beaches arne't that much of
an option.) but see no reason why it wouldn't work..

otherwise.. just make sure the dogs have plenty of toys, food, attention and
water and they should be fine


  #4  
Old January 17th 06, 01:44 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior,rec.pets.dogs.health
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default dogs at the beach


"MauiJNP" wrote in message
...
This summer, Maui and Cali (toy poodles) are going with me to the

Outerbanks
of NC. Taking dogs to the beach will be a first for me (and they have

never
been there either). I am already looking forward to it but have much to
read about how exactly this will work and what things I need to watch out
for. So, does anyone who has taken their dog on vacation before have any
helpful tips or suggestions?

snip

So, basically, I am reading a lot but figured some first hand experience
could really benefit me this time around. Any help, as always, is very

much
appreciated.


The beach is such fun! Atty always makes friends! Last year she met
"Alice" - who could have been her twin, except that she was twice Atty's
size! We have a place in Myrtle Beach, a 12 hour drive. We also go upstate
NY (Chateaugay Lake) with family every summer, which is a 10 hour drive.

When possible, we drive through the night - leaving around 11 pm - we stop
when we need a break, Atty is used to sleeping all night and is a great
traveler, although we do let her get out and walk a bit. Even during the
day, she sleeps in the car - it's almost like a turkey dinner syndrome. If
she's not sightseeing, she's sleeping... the first couple times, we brough
chew toys... for her it was a waste of time. She rides in the back seat
with her harness on, connected to the tether point for the child seats on
the top of the back of the seat. She spends most of the time curled up on
our pillows.

Things we've found useful for the traveling:
make sure you bring water from home for in the car (when you stop), we have
a collapsable water dish. In fact, Atty has her own travel bag - whenever
she sees it she knows she is going somewhere great.

Don't forget food, any meds and disposable pooper scoopers for the drive -
don't leave them packed where you have to empty out the trunk to get them. I
prepackage food in ziplock baggies for travel meals, then I just grab a bag
and put it in her bowl... no measuring, no muss, no fuss.

Daytime travel might warrant one of those baby shades for the back window.
We make the trips so often that we know where the rest stops are and where
good doggy places to stop are.

We have a couple of rules for the ocean -
Check what time you are going to be there - our beach has posted hours that
dogs aren't allowed. It changes depending on the time of the year. From
May 15 to September 15, dogs are allowed on the beach only before 9:00 a.m.
and after 5:00 p.m. Between September 15 and May 15, dogs are allowed on
the beach at any time of day. We aren't there in the summer, so it doesn't
matter to us. Myrtle in the summer is just too HOT and crowded. We go on
the off season and rent our place in the summer. We've only had a dog there
once in the summer.

Not sure what beach you're headed to, but here is a site that might help,
plus local vets and kennels :
http://www.outerbanks.org/visitor_se..._the_beach.asp

no dog swimming at dawn or dusk at the ocean - don't want to make it easy on
the sharks! - and stay away from the piers - they fish off the end and when
they chum, that brings the sharks in.

keep an eye on the tides and riptides - adjust swimming accordingly. She
loves to jump the waves, but I sure don't want her getting out and not being
able to get back in.... We love to walk the beach at night, she loves to
chase the laser light on the beach at night.... but if you don't have good
recall, don't risk going off leash!

we usually hose her off at the beach shower at our condo - to get the salt
and sand off her, and then wipe her down with towels when we get back home.

When we are in NY, it's a private beach, so there are no rules. We're also
close to the house, so the dogs can roam back and forth. She does tend to
run quite fast over the hot sand... but we've never done more than hurry to
the shore to put our feet in the water. Heck, yours are toys, right? so you
could carry them. Atty's 60 lbs of lab - no carrying! When we're at the
lake, she usually digs a hole behind my chair into the cool sand, of course,
that often results in my chair tipping over! We've never dealt with sun
screen or booties.

Hope this helps.... We're headed to the beach in April - and I can see
Atty salivating already!

Sue and Atty


  #5  
Old January 17th 06, 01:54 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior,rec.pets.dogs.health
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default dogs at the beach


"Judy" wrote in message
...
snip

Be careful at rest stops about where you walk them. Many people are not
very good about cleaning up after their dogs or themselves. I keep an eye
out for things they shouldn't be sticking their noses into.

And if you leave them in the rental house or motel room while you go out,
make sure they're crated. No matter how well they behave at home, it's

not
worth risking the next person being told they aren't allowed to bring

their
dogs because the last ones did some damage.

You'll want to check also for ant and roach motels on the floors. One of

my
dogs just loves to crunch them so when we go someplace new I always have

to
clear the corners of things like that.


Good points, Judy. - we always crate in the hotel rooms if we need to stay
in one - don't want some maid opening the door and letting a dog out. We
also leave our cell phone number at the front desk, in case they need to get
in touch with us.

One more thought - since we're on the topic of hotel rooms... we also take
our own bedspread. Atty sleeps on the bed and so we put our spread down so
the hotel bed doesn't get "doggy" for the next people.

We also take her mat (bascially a crate pad - but since she's not crated at
home anymore, it's turned into her portable bed) so that she has a place
that is hers in the hotel - and we can tell her to go lay down on her
"place"

Sue and Atty


  #6  
Old January 17th 06, 02:13 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior,rec.pets.dogs.health
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Default dogs at the beach


one more thought -
we have travel id's - they're cheap to make at any pet store. They hang on
a hook by the door all year, just waiting for the week I attach the
appropriate one to the collar. They have local vacation phone numbers and
our cell phone number.... if for some reason, she got lost, calling a phone
12 hours away where nobody was going to be home for a week wouldn't do much
good. The one for the lake has the camp phone number and the one for the
beach has our condo complex name, our local condo phone, and our cell
number. The HOA also has a photo of all resident dogs on file.

Sue and Atty


  #7  
Old January 17th 06, 03:20 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior,rec.pets.dogs.health
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Posts: n/a
Default dogs at the beach

This is a good point. When I traveled with the carnival I had ID's made for
my dog and cat that had my sister & my mothers number on them along with the
name of the carnival. This way if something happened and the dog or cat was
lost there would be someone on the other end of the phone who knew exactly
where we were. Also if we were still in town the person finding the dog
knew to come to the carnival grounds to return him.

We never had occasion to use them but it was reassuring to know if they were
lost that we had the bases covered.

The tag read - If found come to xxxx Carnival if we aren't in town call
xxx-xxxx to get me back home.

Celeste


"Sue and Atty" wrote in message
...

one more thought -
we have travel id's - they're cheap to make at any pet store. They hang
on
a hook by the door all year, just waiting for the week I attach the
appropriate one to the collar. They have local vacation phone numbers and
our cell phone number.... if for some reason, she got lost, calling a
phone
12 hours away where nobody was going to be home for a week wouldn't do
much
good. The one for the lake has the camp phone number and the one for the
beach has our condo complex name, our local condo phone, and our cell
number. The HOA also has a photo of all resident dogs on file.

Sue and Atty




  #8  
Old January 17th 06, 04:37 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior,rec.pets.dogs.health
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default dogs at the beach


"Judy" wrote in message
...
"MauiJNP" wrote in message
...
Everything I read warns against several things, two of the biggest being
heat and feet.


On the Outer Banks, besides heat you will need to worry a great deal about
fleas and ticks.


I will remember that so I use Frontline right before we leave.



And mosquitoes. You'll need to check your dogs every day
for ticks. (My dogs haven't ever gotten one there but DH has!) Most of
the
populated areas there are sprayed at least once a week for mosquitoes.
But
it's still a concern.


is there a such thing as bug spray for dogs?



And that sand gets hot. I don't think you can even consider taking the
dogs
out on the beach in the middle of the day.


yeah, I don't even go out at that time (I like the evening and night best).



And if they get into the salt
water you'll want to make sure you get them rinsed off as soon as you can.
And you'll also want to get the sand out of their coats as soon as you get
back to the house.


ok, thanks!


As for the heat, I am
concerned about how long they can be out (I will have an umbrella for
shade)? Or if there skin could get sun burned (they will have short
haircuts for the summer)? If I should get them cooling bandanas or
something like that? I have a few good resources but I still have some
questions.


If I were there in the middle of the summer (BTDT - May and September are
much nicer - and cheaper), there is no way my dogs would be anywhere but
inside in the cool house in the middle of the day. Yes they can get
sunburned. Cooling bandanas and cooling mats might stretch out the amount
of time they could be out on the beach - under the umbrella - but you'll
want to be able to get them back in the air conditioning quickly if they
are
showing any signs of stress.


ok, sounds good.


I am also a bit concerned about the car ride (its about 12 or so hours).


If your dogs ride well on trips of half an hour or more around home,
they'll
likely be fine on a longer trip. Mine sleep almost all the time. When
they
start to get antsy, it's usually because they need to stop. And by the
end
of a second day of travelling, they're reaching their limits. And for all
the sleeping they do in the car, they are still tired when we get where
we're going.


thanks for the warning


Be careful at rest stops about where you walk them. Many people are not
very good about cleaning up after their dogs or themselves. I keep an eye
out for things they shouldn't be sticking their noses into.

And if you leave them in the rental house or motel room while you go out,
make sure they're crated. No matter how well they behave at home, it's
not
worth risking the next person being told they aren't allowed to bring
their
dogs because the last ones did some damage.

You'll want to check also for ant and roach motels on the floors. One of
my
dogs just loves to crunch them so when we go someplace new I always have
to
clear the corners of things like that.


thanks for all the great input, I appreciate it!



Where are you staying? On the upper banks, down on Hatteras Island or
further south?



the Nags Head area


  #9  
Old January 17th 06, 04:38 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default dogs at the beach [ninnyboy] [jerry]

As usual, you make no sense.

Why not at least TRY speaking correct English sometime? You can still
be a dickhead as you like with correct grammar/spelling. I'm guessing
you are STILL attempting to be clever with your awful writing, but let
me assure you - you simply look like the idiot you are.

  #10  
Old January 17th 06, 04:39 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior,rec.pets.dogs.health
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default dogs at the beach


We
also leave our cell phone number at the front desk, in case they need to
get
in touch with us.


I will have to remember that.



One more thought - since we're on the topic of hotel rooms... we also
take
our own bedspread. Atty sleeps on the bed and so we put our spread down
so
the hotel bed doesn't get "doggy" for the next people.


We also take her mat (bascially a crate pad - but since she's not crated
at
home anymore, it's turned into her portable bed) so that she has a place
that is hers in the hotel - and we can tell her to go lay down on her
"place"



sounds good, thanks!


 




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