7 Beach Essentials For Your Dog

If there’s one thing we’ve learned since living in Hawaii with two spunky pups, it’s how to be prepared to spend the day at the beach. I don’t think a single weekend has passed where we’ve skipped an opportunity to treat these two to sun, sand and waves. Today I’m sharing the items we use that make beach trips a breeze, so stick around if we want to see our essentials 🙂

 But let me just make sure you know — as carefree as our beach photos are, there’s a bit of prep work that goes into making sure everyone has a good time.

So, what do you need in order to make sure you AND your pups have a great day?

1. If your dogs are anything like ours — they play hard. Having plenty of water to keep them hydrated is essential. We usually pack two Hydroflasks per dog (they keep the water insanely cold) and make sure to keep an eye on Judy and Bill to see when they’re panting extra hard.

2. Along with the bottles of water, we always have portable dog bowls. This is especially helpful, because neither of our pups have quite grasped lapping straight from the bottle yet (some dogs can and it amazes me). We love these for both price (less than $5!) & durability!

3. With water and bowls comes FOOD. Judy is really hard to pack snacks for because of her allergies so for her, we typically pack carrots or apple slices. For Bill, we turn to dry kibble. It’s easy to pack and knowing the amount of high-quality ingredients backed by professional canine nutritionists gives me peace of mind.

4. Floating dog toys. We learned the hard way that toys that are advertised as waterproof aren’t always floating, which is a real kick in the pants when you throw it into the ocean and your dogs swim out to something that isn’t there anymore. Look for packaging that specifically emphasizes floating! This toy is Judy + Bill’s fave and less than $6!

5. Bones, ice or other distractions. When it’s lunch time or reading time for Dane and I, the dogs need something to occupy them. For this, we turn to ice cubes or frozen KONGS that we’ve stuffed with snacks to keep them occupied. It’s such a nice distraction and gives us a little bit of time to enjoy the beach, too, without constantly running around!

6. Wipes. I cannot emphasize the importance of wipes enough! The first time we ever took Bill to the beach he did a big nose dive into the dunes and got so much sand in his eye I thought we were going to have to take him to some sort of doggy ophthalmologist. After talking it over with our vet, she recommended always having wipes on hand to immediately clear the eye, nose and ear area of pesky sand that can cause harm to your pet.

7. Waterproof beach bags, extra towels and poop bags. These all seem like no-brainers, but the first time your dog does his or her business in the sand and you’re without a poop bag, you’ll be like…DOH! I always keep a bag packed in our trunk with these essentials to avoid any mishaps and be ready for any impromptu beach adventure with our furry friends!

Do you take your dogs to the beach during the summer months?