#209 Finding Balance at the Beach

Send us a message - we can't reply but we are listening

Have you ever found yourself hurrying your dog along, only to realize they're experiencing an entirely different world than you are? This week at the beach, my thrice-daily walks with Scooter across the sand dunes became an unexpected masterclass in perspective and patience.

Support the show

🎙️ Have a topic you'd like us to cover?
Submit your suggestion at fiveminutedog.com using the contact form.

📚 Join our online training platform:
Dog training courses from Personable Pets

👩‍💻 Need one-on-one help?
Book a virtual session with a Family Dog expert: personablepets.com/virtual-sessions

📱Follow us for daily tips and updates:
TikTok | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
So I've been at the beach this week and here's the
routine Three times a day.
I end up walking over the sanddunes to visit the beach,
Morning coffee with the ocean,an afternoon visit and then back
again in the evening to, youknow, kind of say goodnight.

(00:24):
And here's where it getsinteresting, Because while I am
practically jogging up the dunesready to see the ocean Scooter,
my dog is stopping, Sniffing,exploring every single thing.

(00:45):
Now, on one hand, I know thisis exactly what dogs are meant
to do.
Their nose is how theyexperience the world, and that
little stretch of dune grassprobably tells him who else has
been there, what time of day,maybe even what they had for
breakfast For him.
That's the point of the walk.

(01:09):
But here's the honest part.
I found myself gettingimpatient.
I want to see the waves, I wantto hear the surf, feel that
ocean air, and so it's a goodreminder for me that patience is
part of life.
When you have a dog, SometimesI need to slow down and let him

(01:29):
do his thing, but at the sametime, it's okay that I have my
own goals on these walks as well.
There's nothing wrong withtelling my dog hey, buddy, we're
not going to sniff every bladeof grass.
Right now let's keep moving,Because not every outing has to

(01:49):
be 100% about him.
I make sure he gets two tothree scooter walks a day when
we're out at the park orexploring trails, where it
really is all about him and hecan sniff to his heart's content
.
So at the beach it becomes moreabout balance A few minutes to

(02:11):
let him gather his news and thenmoving forward so I can enjoy
what I came for.
And once we're finally sittingin the sand together, he gets to
practice just being there withme Calm, relaxed part of the
moment, and that's kind of thebeauty of it.
All Dogs teach us to slow down,but they can also learn to

(02:37):
share our pace, and somewherebetween his nose and my ocean
view, we both get what we camefor.