Day Trip: Seal Beach & Huntington Dog Beach
First, we made a stop in Seal Beach to visit Nick's and try what Evan swears is the best breakfast burrito he's ever had. (Verdict: Very tasty, kick ass salsa, maybe not the world's best but very good.) I'm from Northern California and I've never been to Seal Beach before but it was pretty cute and very dog friendly! We spotted several businesses that had water dishes for dogs placed near their doors. Nick's had dog-friendly sidewalk seating but we decided to walk to the pier to eat. Koa was absolutely transfixed by the surfers in the water below us!
Koa's recall still needs work since she is so excitable and easily distracted, so I wasn't sure if I would let her off leash on the beach, even though I wanted her to be able to frolic in the waves and make friends. I never walk her on a retractable leash, since I think the tension is counter-productive to loose leash walking, but we brought one along so that she could have a little more freedom.
I almost expected her to be a little trepidatious about the waves, but she was immediately ecstatic, running and dashing into the waves and biting at the foam! Once we got the feel for it and got her initial zoomies out, we let her loose for a little while, and she tore up and down the beach. She did stray a little further than I would have liked her to, but it was also a great opportunity to practice some collar grabs — when she returned to me, I would grab her collar and treat her and then set her loose again. This is a great exercise because it shows her that there's no reason to dodge me when I want to grab onto her. I'm showing her that letting me snag her means good things like a tasty treat and continued play, so that it's not always associated with going back on the leash and ending playtime.
All in all, I recommend giving the Huntington Dog Beach a visit. It's fairly clean, it wasn't too crazily busy on a Friday afternoon, and there's an easily accessible (human) bathroom, which is a bit icky but convenient.
Here's my quick list for what to bring on your visit:
1. A few bucks for parking ($1.50/hour, they also offer passes)
3. Sunscreen or shade if you burn easily like me!
4. Poop bags
5. A towel and/or seat cover for your car
6. A few treats if you'd like to do some recall work! (Just be aware that other dogs may come a'sniffin and avoid this if your dog is prone to resource guarding.)
