Cooper reviews Alcanada Beach

There is plenty of parking along the road as you leave the small village and a carpark at the end by the entrance to the golf course. It can get very busy though, especially in Summer when people camp here in their vans. My advice in Summer would be to come early to ensure parking and also because there is little shade for me once the sun warms up.
Leaving the car park follow the footpath along the seafront and right at the end is the dog beach. There is a sign there with all the rules - keep me under control, don’t let me bother other users, pick up my mess etc. There are bins so no excuse not to bag it and bin it! The beach is a bit rocky and mainly seaweed with a few sandy spots. This year they put some big rocks across the beach, I think this is meant to keep us dogs separate from other beach users.

To enter the sea it is a little rocky for the first metre or so but then it is sandy and slopes gently so good for dogs that just want to paddle. Being protected in the bay of Alcudia and with the small island the water never gets too rough here so it’s perfect all year for swimming. There is just one more thing to be aware of and that is because there are pine trees, my hoomans say to watch out for that nasty processionary caterpillar, we haven’t seen any on the path but there are dozens of nests visible in mid Winter so just be watchful.

Both rescues Sally Ashworth kindly shared these pictures of her goats Benny (white) and Billy (brown)

Sally says that their favourite treats are quelly biscuits which are doled out at the cookie dispenser window (pictured). Billy was abandoned at 3 days old and Sally took him in and raised him, he is now a year old and Benny who was given to Sally at 4 months old is now 18 months old. Joining the household that already has two dogs, 1.5 cats tortoises, turtles, fish and rabbits, Sally says the goats behave like dogs who sneak in to steal cookies if she isnt quick.

Readers Pets

Lola - the bed hog
· Rescued at ten months old Tara Skelding-Hardie says this 9 year old retriever steals all the space in the bed but is a great winter warmer.

Lana Lucy
· Julie Kelsey says that this little lady is missing her hooman big sister who has gone off to university.

Socialising our Puppy

(Joachim Sommer: FB: perrocador. info@perrocador.com)

What is meant by socialising our puppy?
There are three major issues to the socialisation process.

· One is WHAT: Exposing our puppy to all sorts of external stimuli (people, dogs and other animals, noises, surfaces, “things”…..) they may encounter in their lives as early as possible so the risk of development of fears in adult life is reduced. These experiences should be pleasant and the dog should not be forced into them. There are plenty of clues, including socialisation check lists, available on the internet on this topic.

· The second is HOW: The manner we let them be exposed, this is especially important when meeting other dogs or people. As a general rule we can say the calmer the dog when meeting dogs or people the less chance of undesired behaviour or even conflict. Remember: if the 3kg puppy looks cute when jumping up people‘s legs, the 40kg adult will not.

· The third and most overlooked, albeit equally if not more important, is HOW NOT: We have to teach our puppy to ignore dogs or people (or “things”) when the situation is not appropriate to meet them. 95%+ of all dogs or people your puppy will see in their life (especially when living in a city) they will not be able to meet. A poorly socialised dog will be anxious and overly excited to meet “everyone”, inducing stress, complicating day to day life and often necessitating a rather long desensiblisation process.