Tennis ball.
Nothing gets Lily more excited than me picking up her tennis balls. And yes, I say tennis balls, as to throw and fetch are both things I do whilst Lily only participates in fetching and then running away.
Get yourself a ball launcher and some proper tennis balls. Invest in good quality balls so they don't collapse after few times your dog has chewed them. It is an added bonus if they squeak.
If you get your dog to retrieve the ball (I applaud you) then you can sit on the bench in the park reading the paper, enjoying your morning brew and occasionally throwing the ball very very far.
Then, uninterrupted, continue to read the next article in your paper.
When your dog brings the ball right back, throw it again as far as you can.
Oh, you brought a bacon sandwich? You are my hero.
DM me your training tips immediately and maybe one day (promise I`ll send you a present and a thank you card) I will be able to enjoy my morning coffee, paper and sandwich whilst Lily is retrieving her OWN tennis ball. Now let me visualise this for a moment. Wow.
I know Lily is tired when she willingly lays down in the grass. This marks the end of the ball games and is a clear sign that we can finally head home. Whoop whoop!
Find the treats.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Find a patch of long grass, short grass, gravel or anywhere with a decent amount of green space comfy enough to roll out your picnic blanket.
Now take the lid of the pack of cocktail sausages, crack open a bottle of Prosecco, apply some sunscreen, expose a little leg to catch some tan and open that gossip magazine.
You are in for a treat.
Oh yeah, sorry, before you get too comfy - you got to take care of your dog.
So find a large patch of grass, big enough for the dog to roam around, open a pack of really smelly and delicious treats (if your dog is of the clever breed you might want to blindfold her or let her read a bit of your gossip magazine for some distraction).
Scatter the treats everywhere around.
Now sit down, take that magazine away from your dog and wipe all the dribble of the "Man of the week"page, pour yourself a glass of Prosecco, dip the carrot stick into the hummus and get on with your reading.
Well done you, you deserve a break.
Ensure your dog has plenty of fresh water to drink so she can take short breaks in between this mindbogglingly exhausting treasure hunt.
One happy and relaxed human. One happy and mentally tired dog. Job well done.
Swimming.
OMG. We love swimming. We could swim all day.
Picnic blanket check. Sunscreen check. Tennis ball check. Dog bikini check.
Swimming is by far the most tiring activity in Lily's books.
She will not realise just how exhausted she is and will continue to swim and swim and swim; as soon as we will get home Lily will drop on the floor and will instantly fall asleep for a good few hours.
I would always bring treats when we are going swimming as Lily uses a lot of energy and need a little boost.
A tennis ball is a brilliant way to keep her focused; it is bright yellow and easy to be seen in the water so she can swim after it and bring the ball back ( I am lying here, she does not bring the ball back, I have to chase her around the water for it).
Be sure you bring enough fresh water as if the water is stagnated you will not want your dog drinking it.
If you are going to let your dog swim in the sea please ensure you bring a lot of fresh water with you. Lily has a tendency to drink some of the salty water and straight after she would get extremely thirsty and drink her body weight in fresh water. Also, the saltwater will go in her eyes and nose and will burn, Lily will end up dragging her face in the sand for relief.
Obviously, I know and you know that it's not going to work, so we have plenty of clean water ready to be able to thoroughly wash her face off all the muck.
And if you have any space left in your bag after carrying a barrel of water, bring an ice cream. Sit down at the seaside and enjoy. Take some photos. Going to the beach is one of the most incredible and joyful moments you can share with your best friend.
Feel free to send me all of your seaside snaps.