beach

Expert shares tips to keep your dog under control at the beach

Dog owners heading to the beach this summer are being offered expert advice on how to keep their pets safe, happy, and under control.

With the weather warming up, dog training experts at ACME Kennels have shared their top training tips for keeping pets under control at the seaside.

Beaches can be a sensory overload for dogs, with roaming children, other pets, and wide-open spaces - making it essential that dogs reliably respond to their owners, for both safety and enjoyment.

I took this photo when we visited the beach after Buddy's venture into the doggy olympics.

It was a scene that made me smile then, and it does now. I like the feeling of solidarity - everyone's at the beach, even the dog, as evidenced by the scoop bag. I like the feeling it gives me of kicking off my shoes and having a run through the waves with my dog, having fun. And I love the fact that the family are being responsible, clearing up after their dog.

I meant to post these pictures of Star's weekend last week, but other subjects came up (like poor Lennox) that were more pressing so Star got bumped to this week, but I'm sure she understands. Last weekend the forecast was for the last weather resembling anything like summery so we decided to make the most of. On Saturday we headed for the beach. Both our dogs love the beach, but for different reasons. Buddy loves to chase a ball across the sand and then cool off with a paddle. Star loves to dig for all she's worth and then sit and contemplate life. I managed to capture her doing just that in the first picture here, and it's one of my favourite shots of her. She can be a little monkey, but she does have a serious side.