Taking Harry to the beach for the first time

First have a great time!

Just some thoughts:

Bring plenty of fresh clean water for him - salt water is bad for htem to ingest too much (they'll vomit)

Make sure there is someplace for him to cool off if you are out with him all day

I would do the Frontline before - I just took my boy to the mountains with a week of the previous application left and he came back with fleas.  Never seen one before so I will never take mine somewhere 'on the cusp' of protection again.  Others may have more informed opinions - that is just mine

The life vest is your call - does he swim? do you think he will go too deep for his skills/strength? 

Thanks for the advice!

That's cool about doing the Frontline before we leave.  Maybe a week ahead of time?  How long does it take to fully absorb?  I've heard you shouldn't bathe after an application, but I've never heard how long, and we really don't bathe Harry much (only twice in the 6 months we've had him), so it's never been something I've worried about until now.

Harry's never swam before, so I don't know if he does.  His only pool experience to date was at a friend's house, but it was February, and so they had the cover on the pool.  He walked out on it not knowing there was water under there, but once the water came up above the cover, we couldn't stop him from running around and splashing it everywhere, lol.  It was pretty funny.  He won't be allowed near the pool unless we are in it, so we could get to him quickly if he starts to struggle (I know the mommy instincts will be strong and I probably will stick to him like glue while he's in the water).  But I'm thinking I'd rather have the life vest, just in case.  If he doesn't need it, great, but better to be safe, I suppose. 

I'm sure others will chime in but as long as the Frontline dries - someone said as littles as a few hours - you are fine.  I think 24 hrs before water is fine - but that is an opinion not knowledge

Ah if you don't know if or how well he swims I would do the live jacket.  My beast loves water but rarely swims and is ungainly when he does.  So I have a life vest for him.  We discovered on our recent trip that he is a better swimmer than we had previously seen so I feel better about not using the vest, but prior to this trip it went with us. 

I would do the Frontline 3 days before you leave. My vet has told me that it's ok to do Frontline as often as every two weeks (our fleas are HORRENDOUS here). I'm sure you could call the vet's office and ask if you're unsure.

I wouldn't get him a lifejacket until you think he needs one. Pirate's first times at the beach, he wore his harness and a long line, so that if he tried to swim away, I had a way to reel him in! He's allowed off-leash now, and at the end of the summer I'll get him a lifejacket, although not because he'll swim, because we take him on the boat and I'd hate for him to bounce out! He generally won't swim in water over his chest. He likes to wade :)

For a first beach experience, I'd just try to let it happen. Don't *force* him to swim, or be in the water, if he doesn't want to. Pirate is actually scared of the waves, but he'll wander in the water between sets.

Make sure you take *LOTS* of water. I generally take a liter bottle for Pirate, specifically. I also grab my traveling first aid kit - I keep one packed for 'going places' like the beach or the boat. It has benedryl, a few band-aids for humans, a few 4x4's for the dog, tape, an ace bandage...it's kind of a hodgepodge of stuff. I usually take a few dog cookies too. You never know when hunger will strike!

This is more great advice, thank you!  He does have very little hair on his belly around his "boy part" (sheath, I guess would be best term).  I need to buy more sunscreen anyway, because BF uses it (I'm terrible...I don't use sunscreen ever, yes, I know...shame, shame), so I'll look for one for sensitive skin that BF and Harry can both use. 

I have a great soft-type cooler that I can take with us to the beach to keep water bottles in.  I have several ice packs that I can also bring so if we're out for a few hours, the water will stay cold.  The cooler also has pockets I can keep the first-aid items in, so that should work really well.  Pool time will be easier, because the pool is at his brother's house, so there will be plenty of fresh water right there.  I was thinking the same thing as you suggested about just "letting it happen" at the beach.  I have a harness, and a 30-foot lead, so I can use them and we can just "go for a walk" at the beach and see what he thinks of it.  Actually, I need to ask his brother if there's a dog-friendly beach near his house....  Also, if he's on lead (and he will be, because he's not yet trust-worthy off leash outside of a fence), then he might not need the life vest for the beach, I was thinking it would be more for the pool.

Ok, I've started a list now of things I need to bring.  Thanks you guys, and keep it coming!  I'll probably bring more stuff for Harry than for myself, haha!

Introduce him to the pool at the steps and be careful that he doesn't fall in accidentally.  This has happened to one of my dogs.  I was at a friend's house who has a pool and we were walking around looking at her flowers.  My dog, Belle, was trying to go around us and she slipped and fell in the water. She popped back up, of course, and was dog paddling furiously toward me.  I called her to the edge and hauled her out.  She's a very bold pup and was no worse for wear but some dogs could become scared of the water from an experience like this.  I felt terrible for not being more aware of where she was. 

Have fun at the beach, all of our dogs love to go!  My JRT won't go in very far but he loves to chase the shorebirds.  Rinse off the salt water when you get back to your brother's house. 

aerial1313

BF and I are going to the beach for a week in September

Well, you can't pack this, but you need good "leave it" and "drop it" commands.  You never know what Harry will find at the beach.

Dogs have been know to eat fish hooks and even sand.  Eating sand can produce very painful sand colic.

Thank, yes, we have those down pat.  But it's good to know the dangers so I can keep my eye on him to make sure he doesn't accidentally get something while I'm not looking.