The dog days of summer are upon us and there’s no better place to beat the heat than the beach. Wag is here with some helpful tips to make sure that your visit to the beach turns out to be a memorable day for you and your pup.

First, many town ordinances state that dogs can only be on the beach during certain times of the day or certain times of the year, so make sure your dog is welcome. Next up, sunscreen. Did you know that dogs can get sunburn too? There are specialty sunscreens on the market for dogs that are especially useful if they have a light or pink skin coat. Lifevests are always a good choice even if your dog is a great swimmer — tides and currents can be strong and swimming is an exhausting sport for even the fittest of pups.

We all know dogs love to run and that exercise is essential, but it’s important to keep in mind if your dog isn’t in the best shape, running on the sand can actually hurt their ligaments or tendons. If the sand is wet, their paws can get blistered, so you’ll need to monitor their activity. You’ll also want to set up a shady place for your dog to rest and have lots of cool drinking water available — trust us, you don’t want your dog to drink seawater, it can make them pretty sick. Lastly, have an excellent time and take lots of pictures!