Taking Fido to the beach can seal your status as the best pet parent ever in their eyes. The shear array of exotic scents and sounds can send them into a sensory overload of canine joy. To make sure that the experience is as safe for them as it is exhilarating, pet parents need to be cogent of a few basic safety facts and learn to recognize warning signs overheating and exhaustion.
Sun and Heat…
The message is getting out concerning the dangers of leaving a dog inside a locked car in hot weather, and many of the same dangers of that environment exist for your dog at the beach as well. Ensuring a fun, safe day requires that pet parents are aware of all aspects of their furry friend’s beach activity. Light colored dogs, short-coated breeds, and those with pink noses or hairless are particularly susceptible to sunburn just as humans are. Prior to your summer outing, you should check with your vet about getting some doggy safety approved sunscreen. Additionally, you will want to have copious quantities of fresh water for your pup and a shady place for them to rest in between bouts of frenzied activity.
Warning Signs of Overheating…
As your pet frolics in the surf or burrows down to the nether regions of Middle Earth, keep your eyes open for signs of overheating of heat exhaustion in your animal. Specifically, take note of the following symptoms of overheating:
- Coordination issues
- Excessive panting
- Drooling
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Collapse
The moment your canine companion hits the beach, he will be on sensory overload, so it is up to you to make sure that is body can keep up with that excitement and remain safe.
When he HAS to come to you EVERYTIME…
As mentioned, the smells, sights, sounds, and distractions will play havoc on your dog’s ability to stay focused on your commands, and for his safety, that is the worst possible time for her to be forgetting her basic obedience skills. Since it will be far too late to work on those recall commands as your dog hurls himself towards the edge of the cliff, it’s imperative that you practice your recall commands, so that regardless of what’s going on around him, your dog will come to you when called 100% of the time.