A few weeks ago we thought we would get out and enjoy the amazing weather we were having, so we took Denali out to Ipperwash Beach for the day and met up with some old friends of ours.
The water was beautiful (until you got off the sandbar, then it was freezing), and Denali had a blast. Although still not too graceful on his feet.
One of the problems being at the beach on a busy weekend with a 90lbs muscle head ridgeback, is that if he decides to check out another dog, or go steal a Frisbee while we are taking a nap enjoying the sun, he is going to find away to do it! Sure there are products you could purchase from the pet store, but lets face it, most of these are weak and would probably pull out if he gave it a good run.
Here is my solution: Build a Deadman Anchor!I took this technique from both my work as an engineer and my rock climbing experience. It is fast, easy to make (especially on the beach) and is no cost at all.
Total build time = 5 mins.
Step 1) Find a solid piece of drift wood on beach, approximately 2 - 4 feet long and 3" in diameter.
Step 2) Using the drift wood dig a trench slightly larger than the driftwood - long and narrow to follow the shape, approximately 1 - 2 ft into the ground (depending on the type of sand/ soil you are using you may need to go lower).
Step 3). Next decide the mostly likely direction of pull. In our case we were situated towards the back of the beach which meant that the must likely direction he would run would be towards the water. Make a second trench to the same depth, perpendicular to the previous on in Step 3. You want to try to centre this,
Step 4) Place the leashes hand loop around the piece of driftwood you have used as your shovel and centre it. Then place it in the bottom of the trench with the leash running through the perpendicular trench.Step 5) Using the sand you have just removed, fill in your trench and step on it (maybe even jump) to back fill it. Ensure that the ground is stable.
Essentially, the large drift wood gives the leash more surface area and holding power while compacted by the sand. When Denali pulls on it, he is really pulling on all the weight of the soil on the deadman, good luck moving that! (Note that this technique could be used in the snow as well)
Till next time!
