Heat at the beach

[RubyDoo]

We are taking out boxers with us to the beach in a few days. We're going to the Outer Banks. I"m concerned about the heat and the sand being too hot for their feets. But I figured we'd take them out in the mornings for a long walk before it gets too hot. And we're also take water for them. Does anyone have any other suggestions about this beach trip? It's a 12 hour drive for us, so it's going to be an interesting drive. We have some valium for them, but my husband doesn't want to give them any unless we need to. Any suggestions?

We are excited about taking them, but I am still worried about a few things.

Thanks!

 

[srennie]

Do they generally enjoy car rides? If so then you shouldn't need to use any sedatives. Just stop every few hours to stretch their legs and give them a potty break and a drink of water.

We take our dogs to the beach and yes, the sand can get very hot! We try to go early and set up 'camp' with a pop-up shade or umbrella and put down a mat or towel for them right away. They stay in the shade all day except for a quick tromp over to the bushes for a potty break then we run right back to the shade. They have never burnt their paws. Also, if you walk them along the shoreline the sand is wet and cool yet firmer and easier to walk on.

Have fun!

 

[samsons]

there is also something called " mushers wax " if i recall correctly ( correct me if wrong ) it also protects against heat also. Its a wax u put on the paws to protect against cold.

have a great trip !

 

[RubyDoo]

Thanks so much for your suggestions. We've only taken them for about a 2 hours drive so this is going to be interesting. Although, they like to ride w/ us. So, it will probably be fine. I'm anxious to see if they like the water, waves, sand, etc. Looking forward to it.!!

 

[laylabeans]

I am leaving for the OBX next week with my boxer. So let me know how they do and if you find anywhere neat to take them Hope you have a nice trip!

 

[Kilby'sMum]

Oh I'm sure your babies will LOVE it I think taking plenty of water and getting to the beach early is the best way to go. My parents live at the beach so our girls spend a lot of time there and even though Kilby doesn't like to swim she LOVES chasing the frisbee in the shallows. Kona likes to have a bit of a swim every now and then but she won't go deeper than she can stand unless I'm out in the water (thank goodness because her recall is something we still have to work on her a lot with particularly when she's playing).

Kilby is flashy and has some white on her muzzle so I also put sunscreen on her before we go out because she did get burned one year (not badly but definitely pinker than usual!) and it was something I hadn't even thought about.

I haven't noticed either of our girls having a problem with hot sand but perhaps that is because we really only walk over the hot sand to get to the wet sand and water so they aren't on it for very long (I generally have bare feet too so we move pretty quickly!).

I just take a backpack with water bottles (our girls will drink straight from the pop-top type bottles too so that makes things easier), poop bags, sunscreen a frisbee and a couple of tennis balls and we have a ball!