by Have you ever wondered if there are any basic rules you should know when walking your dog on the beach?
There are many basic rules and an expected etiquette for dog walkers on the beach, many of which are common sense. Unfortunately, there are some people who are lazy, not self-aware, or just don’t care, making for bad experiences from dogs with other beachgoers – you don’t want to be that person.
Not necessarily the Top 10 rules for when walking your dog on the beach, the list below definitely includes some of the most important rules.
1. Always pick up your dog’s poop
This is common sense, though people constantly fail to follow what is probably the top rule when walking your dog on the beach.
Common courtesy and keeping our beaches clean for everyone’s enjoyment is enough of a reason why you should pickup your dog’s poop while walking your dog at the beach.
Always come prepared with more then one bag for emergencies. Some public beaches even have stations at the entrance of the path to the beach that offers free doggie poop bags and trash cans to throw the waste away.
A great option is the extra plastic bags we all have from shopping at the grocery store, and you can also buy dog poop bags on Amazon or from online stores like Chewy.
In the worst-case scenario that you’ve forgotten a bag to pick up the dog’s mess or you’ve used all your bags, dig a small hole, push the poop into it and cover it up. At least make that effort.
2. Do not let your dog go near beachgoer’s personal items
We all know that dogs like to sniff new smells and when walking your dog on the beach they will try to walk over to beachgoers towels, chairs, and other items.
Besides the fact that people don’t necessarily want a dog around them or invading their personal space, they surely don’t want a dog to pee on them or their towel.
This is something that really happens and is very likely to happen, particularly if your dog smells another dog on the beachgoer’s personal items. Dogs can’t help themselves when it comes to marking their territory or peeing over another dog’s urine. If they smell another dog, they will probably pee.
Besides your dog peeing, your dog might get into the beachgoer’s food or make a mess with their stuff if it walks all over it.
Keep your dog away from beachgoers items and respect their personal space.
3. Keep your dog leashed
Some beaches have leash laws while other beaches don’t. Regardless, you should always have a leash with you every time you go to walk your dog on the beach.
If you are at a beach that does not require leashes or leashes are not required after a certain time of the day, make sure to keep your dog under control. This means at times you may still need to put your dog on a leash to keep it under control or to avoid a bad situation.
In the cases that your dog is an aggressive breed or has aggressive tendencies, it’s advisable to always keep your dog on a leash. Remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
If you are walking your dog off leash, make sure to put them back on the leash if you are coming up on a congested area with beachgoers or when you will soon be passing another dog.
4. Don’t let your dog continue to bark
There is nothing more annoying and that can ruin a great day at the beach then a dog that is barking non-stop.
No one wants to hear a dog continue to bark, not even their own dog, and because the beach is so open with no trees to block the sound – the barking sound carries a longer distance.
If your dog starts to bark, get them to stop as quick as you can. If you’re walking your dog near something that is causing them to bark, move as quickly away from it as you can so they will stop barking.
If your dog is having one of those days that it can’t stop barking, take it home, and don’t make the rest of the beachgoers have to suffer through it.
Also keep in mind, if you continue to let your dog bark when walking your dog on the beach, you might be accidentally giving it positive reinforcement that it’s okay to bark at the beach.
This is something you’ve got to keep under control when walking your dog at the beach.
5. Pay attention when passing by other dogs
Not all dogs like other dogs and not all dog owners want someone else’s dog coming up to them. Remember, when walking your dog keep your dog close to you when passing by other dogs.
Other dogs might seem fine and not aggressive, but when another dog gets close to them, they might just snap or quickly escalate the situation. We’ve seen this happen when two female dogs who seemed to be okay with each other, and one suddenly turned and bit the other female.
Also, you might terrify a smaller dog when you let your dog get too close to another dog when passing them. Smaller dogs always seem to be big, bad, and tough from afar, but when a larger dog gets close to them it actually scares the heck out of them sometimes.
Regardless, always be careful when letting dogs get close together who are unfamiliar with each other and be ready to quickly pull the leash back to get the dogs apart or to control your dog.
6. Pay attention when passing by people
Very similar to when passing by other dogs, don’t let your dog approach people while walking your dog on the beach unless they approach first, and then remain aware of your dog’s reactions and be prepared to quickly react.
Some people absolutely don’t care for dogs at all – which we don’t understand why – nevertheless, you shouldn’t let your dog near people when passing by them. In addition, some people are petrified of dogs and a dog simply approaching them can scare the heck out of them.
Keep your dog to yourself when walking your dog and be careful when people, particularly children, approach your dog. It’s the courteous thing to do.
7. Do not let your dog play with toys that are not theirs
You might find it cute when your dog begins to play with other dogs’ toys while you’re walking your dog on the beach, but you need to look at it from other people’s perspectives.
First off, the toys aren’t yours, so you shouldn’t assume it’s okay for your dog to play or chew on them. Your dog might even damage the toys, and if so, do you plan on reimbursing the owner of the toys?
Secondly, the toy might not even be a dog toy and instead be a young child’s toy. Besides the point that your dog may traumatize a child by taking their toy, they might also damage or destroy it and ruin the child’s visit to the beach.
If the toys are not yours, then leave them alone unless you find them while walking your dog on the beach and no one is in sight, like at the end of the day, and the toy is basically a lost and found situation.
8. Prevent your dog from getting near children
Because most dog owners love dogs and feel their dog wouldn’t harm anyone, they often let their dog go up to children. This is extremely dangerous and a big no-no for many different reasons.
There are many children, particularly younger aged ones, that may never have seen or been near a dog other than their own dog. When a strange dog comes up to them, it may really scare them causing the child to run off screaming and shrieking.
Besides terrifying the child, some dogs might think that the child running away shrieking wants to play and might start chasing them, further terrifying the child. A playful dog might circle the child and even jump up on them as they try to get away, scaring the child even more.
A more aggressive dog may chase after the child as if were prey or a threat and try to harm the child.
Regardless, no dog should be able to get close to a child on the beach without full supervision and approval from the child’s parents – and even then, you must be very careful as the child pets your dog while your walking your dog on the beach.
9. Keep your dog away from the trash cans
There’ve been times when we’ve all seen the trash cans at the beach overflowing or there are trash bags or trash on the ground next to the cans. This can be unsightly, and we don’t want to make it any worse.
Keep your dogs away from the trash, otherwise they will only make the situation worse by breaking open trash bags and spreading the trash around even more.
It’s important to not only keep your dog out of the trash, but to also make sure you’re throwing any trash away into the can so that other dogs can’t get to it.
10. Do not disturb any endangered wildlife
At many beaches across the world there are sea turtles who come up onto the shore late at night laying on average 110 eggs in a nest. They dig a hole, in which they leave the eggs, covering them up before they reenter the ocean.
When walking your dog on the beach, you are very likely to come across a nest that was marked by conservationists or volunteers with stakes and caution tape. Other times you might see what looks like a drag mark in the sand leading out of the ocean up onto the shore. These are all sea turtle nesting areas.
Keep your dog away from these nests, and definitely avoid the area with your dog if you see a sea turtle or it’s hatched babies making their way to the ocean.
Under no circumstances should you let your dog dig on or near a sea turtles’ nest. There are state and federal laws in the U.S. protecting sea turtles and you will quickly find yourself in trouble as a result of your dog’s actions.
Conclusion
We all enjoy our walks on the beach with our dog because it’s a peaceful and enjoyable time to take in the fresh air and ocean sounds. Be respectful when walking your dog on the beach and don’t ruin the experience for everyone else.
