Can I enquire what your dog likes doing on the beach?

[gymmummy64]

Took Gymdog to Cornwall over half term and he went to a beach for the first time (well, first time since I've had him).

He LOVED it. We found a perfect starter beach for him, small, shingly, very few people or other dogs. Initially all he wanted to do was chase stones in the shallows which was fine and seemed like great exercise.

Then he started something else. With his paws he would feel out a large rock half-submerged in the sand under a foot or two of water. He then dug and dug at the rock and moving backwards pulled it right up to the shoreline. These rocks were HUGE! Massive things - bigger than his head. He would then attempt to fit the massive rock in his jaws, take it carefully right up the beach, drop it, immediately lose interest and go back and do it all over again. The zillions of pebbles and rocks actually on the beach were of no interest - only those monsters half submerged in the sand and under the water.

After a while I realised Gymdog could end up having no teeth left at the end of the holiday and tried either to distract him or help him carry the ludicrously large boulders. He wasn't having any of it, he was clearly on a beach clearing mission. His claws are nicely filed though!

So does your dog have any beach-specific behaviours?

I take mine to the beach fairly regularly and he likes paddling , mainly because I don't want him to. If I take him to the sandy beach he also likes to dig extremely large holes .

He chases seagulls for hours through the surf. Doesn't bother with birds normally.

My old girl used to love

1. Finding the smelliest patch of seaweed and rolling in it.
2. Locating a child with a fresh ice cream cone and going to beg for some/intimidate child into dropping said ice cream so she could lick it off the floor.
3. Stand in the water and try to catch the waves in her mouth
4. Slip the lead and refuse to recall.
5. Find a sunbather and dig next to them. Usually after slipping/ yanking the lead from my hand.
6. Chase seagulls.

I ended up refusing to walk her on the beach after 6 months of this atrocious behaviour and she had to stick to lead walks around the coast path.

Mine's the opposite lonecat - Gymdog sees seagulls as the work of the devil here in London, but didn't give them a second glance in Cornwall.

Secret and lisad, you made me laugh. I'm sure with regular exposure Gymdog would develop similarly antisocial behaviours!

My pup likes to chase seabirds, dig holes, romp through the waves and roll in the stinkiest crabby/fishy gunk she can find - yummy fish pup.

My dog spent the time licking the jelly fish that came on the beech and then eating sand (am guessing it was itchy)

We live right by a long sandy beach so are there pretty much every day

Dog loves to retrieve a ball from the sea, run up and down sand dunes, chase seagulls and run around like a loon.

Except today when I forgot to take his ball. Today he tried to desert me in favour of anyone holding a ball flinger. He kept running off when he spotted one, then sitting hopefully at their feet until I called him back

My Dachshund was only interesting in DH throwing her ball as far away as possible so she run after it and bring it back to be thrown again. She would even start running as he lifted his arm up before he threw it. Being a bloke, a decided not to throw it a couple of times and she was so funny, looking for where it was. I told him not to tease her.
She would take the ball into the tidal river and let it bob up and down going out farther and try to get it, but she never could as it went under the water. Then she'd look round at us and bark to get it for her.
My Lhasa Apso, loved running like the wind in the sand - wasn't interested in chasing and fetching a ball. Her quest was to find the stinkiest dead fish in the reeds and roll ecstatically in it and the Westies followed her.

The sensible dog chases sandpipers, miles down the beach.... The stupid one chases crows and seagulls......

They both dig on command

Younger dog likes to run in huge mad circles, wagging his tail and barking in ecstasy into the wind at the feel of sand on his paws.

Older dog likes to stand at the water's edge, gazing soulfully out at the sea in manner of bad paperback novel cover, as if waiting for someone to say, oh, that poor thoughtful tragic dog, I wonder what she's thinking.

Then the tide comes in over her paws and she has to scuttle backwards at undignified speed.

eat fish carcasses . Seemingly there is no better fare than dead fish. He loves them. I wish he didn;t, he has sensitive tummy

Arf at "starter beach".

Cheddar Dog is a Cornwall native. He likes to eat tourists seaweed. He also finds toddlers with ice creams and waits patiently for them to drop them.

It happens with unsurprising regularity.

Which bit of Cornwall did you find OP?

Running and running and running like mad round and round in circles.

OP - my dog does exactly the same.

She learned the trick at the beach.

She has now progressed to any body of water, she dives under (fully submerged) to select an appropriate rock/boulder, and then sets about getting it to the shore....where she promptly loses interest and goes back for another.

I think she was a builder in a previous life

My dads dog always finds the one dog shit on the beach then plays with it. e has an obsession with other dogs poop.

1. Digging, I am only surprised he hasn't ended up Down Under.
2. Football.
3. Swimming.
4. Rolling in sand and seaweed.

So lovely and funny and educational to read all the beach tales!! so do we conclude beach behaviour is more challenging than path and field behaviour?

Chedda it was north cornwall, Port Gaverne near Port Isaac. My mum booked it so I really wasn't really aware of where it was until we got there but it was absolutely stunning. i want to go back very soon, just such a shame it's so far.

Brian - brilliant, I'm so glad to have found a fellow rock remover owner! But why???

Arf at hipper, just needs one of those moody dog book cover talent scouts then..

at Gymdogs enthusiasm with large rocks, my childhood boxer was like that.

My wire Dachsund likes to dig, we only go to sandy beaches.

The Yorkshire terrier likes to chase seagulls even though they fly away. Its a good job he's a pretty dog because he's not the cleverest of Yorkie's

The Jack Russell likes to have a paddle and introduce herself to everybody she meets. She acts like people to do at rescue places. She wants to adopt everybody

Yes, Port Gaverne is beautiful :)

Our old mistledog turned into a beach bum... once the wind break went up she would settle down on the sand and go to sleep... even to the extent of getting sand stuck on her nose. On other beaches (non day-long trips) she would pootle round looking for sticks to play with DS with, having little prances with them (we have some lovely video from last summer of her last holiday with us). It would always take about 4 days for her to remember that it was sea and that she couldn't drink it...

Mistlehound hasn't had that much beach time with us, and she'd only just been let off the lead when we did it so it was all rather new for her and us - but she really likes chasing other people's dogs' balls, and ideally finding another dog to roar around in large circles at high speed.

Much of the above re balls and digging.
Also is big into eating shellfish. Can wade through plenty of mussel shells, bit of crab claw and recently found langoustine shells delicious. I do not know how his insides are not shredded. It doesn't even make him barf.

Our 1 yr old labrador digs a hole big enough for her to stand in. She is a big labrador!!!!!

My JRT hates water. So he scampers about the beach looking for seagull shit to roll in or unpleasant, long dead stuff to investigate. He gets particularly bothered if I swim or paddle because he can't decide whether to protect me from the sea (which he views as extremely untrustworthy) or keep his dainty paws dry.

He also spends quite a while giving horrified looks to sensible dogs who enjoy a swim.