Well..in a weeks time we are off to the in-laws in Cornwall for 3 weeks - it will be Mole's first adventure there (of many I hope!). We have waited to take him until I could be confident he had a fairly good recall. But am worried that the overload of people, kids, balls and other dogs will mean my recall will be useless! How has anyone dealt with this?!! The other difficulty is the house garden is not enclosed and opens onto the coastal path - so many escape opportunities!! With that I guess he will need to be accompanied at all times to go out and pee etc and my SIL has had success with a tether when she was sitting outside and didn't want her pup to run off all the time (not unsupervised ever). My last two were older when we took them down and they did explore a lot but always came back. I have a long halti lead which should come in handy but I have visions of him on the beach at Daymer stealing every child's ball / picnic and joining everyone else's dog walks!! I imagine I need some VERY special treats with me?! He us brilliant on a walk off lead with me at home in Hampshire thanks to the forum and always checks in, waits with me when other dogs come, runs then checks back at me. Going so well. Am dreading the chaos!! Although I know he will love it down there and it's going to be a big part of his life in the future. Any advice from you experts before we go will be great. Oh, and the 3.5 hour journey?!! How do you all cope with that - he's only ever done about an hour in a car infrequently although very good!! Sorry for the long winded post!! Thanks in advance Sam and Mole (8mo)
Daymer Bay , our favourite beach to visit and very dog friendly indeed We are fortunate that its only a short car ride away, so we visit often . To be honest , it isn't so busy , even in high season , and most visitors have dogs so will be very forgiving if Mole wants to play . I think the beach is wonderful for youngsters , great for socialisation and play , I truly wouldn't be too worried about him , just make sure that you have a good running supply of tennis balls with you , plus tasty treats of course ,I find that chopped up pieces of sausage are great for tempting them away from temptation . Re the journey, give him a run before you set off , he will most likely sleep the trip away There are Labs everywhere at Daymer , the safe beach and clean water are wonderful for them , so try to relax and have a grand time
Handsome Mole I'd just keep him on lead at first. If you find that you have an area pretty much to yourself then use the long lead. Practise lots of on-lead recalls. Once you're feeling ok about his recall in the new environment, and you think it's safe, then try off-lead. He will be ok with 3.5 hours It's not that far. Just plan a loo break, take drinking water for him and also a few nice chews for in the car.
Charlie has been travelling down to Cornwall since he was 3 months old. Both Betsy and Charlie are going on Friday. The place I stay in Cornwall has gardens that are not secure, although I've got some outside space that is secure - just a hard paving yard (which will do for Betsy to have a pee). Yes, if the garden is unsecure, then dogs can't be in it unsupervised, and if they won't stay with you, then they have to be on a lead in the garden too. Beaches, busy seaside towns, food on the floor, footballs etc are all extra challenges. It can be disappointing to imagine romps on the beach with your young dog, only to find out he is beyond excited and you have a lot of training to do before you can trust your Labrador around the kids, ice creams etc. Try starting very early in the morning, so there is not quite so much to cope with, and build up from there. Don't just let your dog off lead on a busy beach to see what happens! He will learn rapidly that there is stacks of fun to be had away from you - you don't want him to learn that (my dog did learn that, and it took months to put right). See how much control you have, and then take it from there. The first time I took Charlie (4.5 hour drive for us) he wouldn't wee in motorway service stations etc. so it was just a waste of time stopping and made the journey longer, and we just pressed on and got there. I'm not sure what Betsy will be like, but I will stop and see.
Mabel has been travelling all over England and Wales since she was 18 weeks. It has often been a huge challenge as she goes into sensory overload. Our last trip 2 weeks ago was very successful which doesn't mean the next one will be, that's the joy of dog ownership. I think all the main points of dogs on the beach have been covered so I don't have anything further to add. Mabel also won't wee at the services although we still stop. She's 19 months on Monday so we just stop a little less often. Good luck, have fun and please post some photos.
Lucky you that sounds wonderful. Maybe take a long training line and very good treats for the highly distracting beach walks. As for the journey make sure you have walked Mole before you leave, a comfy bed with frequent stops and all should be fine. We are taking Hattie & Charlie to Scotland next week which is about 9 - 10 hours drive and this is their first big journey. Also taking a long training line for Charlie until we see how he gets on in his new very exciting environment Good luck and have a lovely holiday x
Thanks everyone, great advice as always! We are very excited to take him down there as my last lovely old yellow lab was allergic to the beach/sea so we had to stop taking him. Will be lovely to see him experience the beach for the first time and Kate you are right Daymer is such a gorgeous beach for dogs. Will go early before the lunchtime picnic crowd I think Will post pics of his seaside adventure soon! Thanks again! Sam
Mole us looking so handsome and grown up. Great advice already given by Kate who knows the area very well as a local. It sounds as uf you have already thought about all the what ifs and have been working to cover those events but we all ate tested at different times, I'm sure we've already stories of other peoples Labs ignoring recalls, causing chaos on beaches, nicking balls, diving into the sea to be brought ashore by swimmers. So if you escape that you have done well with a young dog . On a long journey we usually stop at around the 2hr mark to stretch our legs and have a short break from the drive and give Juno the opportunity to have a wee but she rarely does. She managed the first stage if our drive from France to the UK, around 9.5 hours in total, with one wee enroute. Look forward to some happy holiday pics
No advice to add as I am 1000K away from the nearest beach so sadly I have no beach experience to add. Everyone has given great advice so far - I think if you keep him pretty tightly managed to start with and gradually loosen up as you see how it goes that will be helpful.
Enjoy your holiday! Mole is looking shiny and fab. The sea water will make him very soft I failed to get my two into kennels last time we took a trip to Devon so they came with us. There was a secure bit of a field to let them off in but nowhere immediately by our holiday lodge so early and lates pees were on a lead. Being boys they didn't really struggle with this, they like a bit more freedom for poos though Beaches were fine but they were on six foot leads and harnesses which made life much easier for me compared to short fixed slip leads or short leads and collars. They both got the hang of settling down and if the beach was quiet and they were allowed off they did get to have some fun. Mostly though I made sure they were walked as normal for their exercise and then settling on the beach was easier. They were always happy to shift up a gear for a swim when it was offered though
What a beautiful boy Mole is. We took Bailey to my Dad and Stepmum's at the end of May when he was 14 weeks old, they live in Devon. The car journey for us normally is about 4 hours so we planned two stops, which apart from the stretch of legs (and loo breaks for the two legged car occupants!) we really didn't need as Bailey refused to wee at service stations! To be honest he slept almost all of the journey and for those times he was awake a rice bone and an old cardboard box being ripped to pieces kept him entertained. We kept him on a long lead while we were at the beach for the day - first time there and he was very excited the whole time as here were a lot of other dogs too. We all, including my Dad and Stepmum had a fantastic time - a lovely walk, fish n chip lunch, ice cream and then Bailey meeting the sea for the first time. So memorable. I am sure you will be fine once you get there and Mole will adapt very quickly. Advice re beach already given and I can't add anything more. Just enjoy your holiday and I am looking forward to seeing the pictures! Bailey is jealous of the visit to the beach!
