Holiday with your dogs? Yes you can!

Tips & Techniques

2 Jul

After the relaxing of the regulations regarding movement within the UK many of you will be thinking about getting away on holiday. And with so many people having adopted or bought pups or dogs during the lockdown, you may be thinking about taking your dog away with you on a “staycation”.

This year, for the first time ever I decided to get away for a few days with the dogs. Usually I leave them with a family member and get a complete break from dogs and work but as I’m now on my own I thought I would bite the bullet and take them with me. How difficult could it be? So this article is a few tips about going away with your dog.

Finding a holiday rental is easier these days with lots of places accepting dogs. If you want to stay in a hotel, ask for a ground floor room and check if you can take the dog into the bar to have a meal. For self catering, you may find that you can only take two dogs with you as a maximum, not ideal if you and a friend want to both take your dogs away together and there are more than two. Some of the budget hotels charge an extra cost per night per dog so include that in your budget.

As I type, I’m sitting in a converted mill house in West Sussex and we’ve had a lovely couple of days. I found this place via booking.com and I’d recommend it to anyone. However, there were a couple of things I didn’t expect. No dogs are allowed on the furniture and a lovely clean thick carpet on the floor throughout. As my dogs sleep on my bed, that’s been a bit of an issue but I have used dog blankets everywhere. Bedlington Terriers don’t shed hair so that’s been a plus point. The carpet was a bit of a worry with dirty feet from the beach so take loads of towels with you.

Some places have an enclosed area directly attached to your property, but I knew there was no enclosed space around my place when I booked. However, there is a small grass area to play in and the owners have made everything very secure around the main complex. And there are plenty of poo bins.

I also had a good look round at local places we could visit. I would never leave the dogs in the car and, as in most places, I wouldn’t be able to leave them at the property. In the end I settled for the Weald & Downland Museum at nearby Goodwood. Booking on line was really easy and I booked to park at West Wittering beach for the next day. More on the museum visit later.

Packing was a bit more fraught than I thought it would be. With the weather looking wet and rainy, I packed the dogs coats and towelling coats if they got wet or needed drying off on the beach. For myself, I packed enough summer wear to last a month (nothing particularly warm so I’ve ended up wearing jeans and a hoodie) and forgot my own coat. A quick visit to a charity shop (with dogs in tow much to the surprise of the volunteer) and I got a “packamac” type coat for £2. Bargain!

Bearing in mind the sleeping arrangements, I should have brought the dogs beds with me. I did bring the small travel crate and they have both been in there to rest and chill out. And the blankets are going well. In my courses I always suggest taking a crate with you so your dog has somewhere familiar to settle. Both Rupert and Edie appreciated this and right now Edie is in there having a nap. Rupert is on his blanket… on the armchair.

Packing the dog food was easy. I put the Butternut Box sachets into a small cool bag fully frozen. I needed three sachets for the few days and some of their dried food as well. So that was a full bag just on the dogs food including feeding bowls, spoon and travel water bowls. However, the first night, Rupert didn’t want to eat and Edie ate just a little of hers. Next morning, Rupert refused point blank to eat so we ended up having a bacon butty in a dog friendly cafe in Selsey. I say, we… I did order extra bacon for the dogs. Back at the mill, he refused again to eat so just had some dried food. And this morning they completely ignored their breakfasts as they expected a bacon butty again. When I had lunch, I got them some extra ham to have instead. Goodness knows what they’ll be expecting for dinner.

Because of the change in food routine and, I expect, the change of the water here both of them have had rather runny poos. Edie has been particularly put out of routine and suffered for it badly on the beach. Luckily I was just by a poo bin. I know she has a weak stomach and as she gets older I think it is going to be a bit more of a problem. It doesn’t help that Rupert is on a special dry food now for his bladder and she likes eating it but it’s not good for her. The good news has been that neither of them have christened the carpet. We don’t have carpet at home and never had done since I’ve had either of them. Edie usually likes to go and have a relaxing poo on any carpet. But so far, so good. I have less than 24 hours to go before she decides it’s too much of a temptation.

Going out has been a bit of a challenge. Luckily it’s not been too warm here and I popped into a local supermarket to pick up a couple of things I forgot to bring for me to eat as well as have a look for a coat but no luck. So we went into Selsey to have a mooch in the charity shops. As above, I did get a coat and we went into three charity shops with the staff allowing the dogs in with me rather than me having to tie them up outside which I wouldn’t have done. For those of you who don’t know Selsey it’s basically a very short high street with a few shops. No more than a ten minute mooch. Five if it’s a power walk. If you have an unusual breed be prepared to stop every few steps. People were coming out of the barbers to have a look at them, old folk wanted to stroke them and it added another 30 minutes to our walk. However, the dogs were very happy to see everyone and I was relieved that they behaved.

After that we ducked into a lovely cafe called Paws with Friends. There were already three dogs in there but everyone was relaxed and no one got rowdy. Even Rupert piped down and sat calmly but that might have been more to do with the bacon butty. If you’re coming here to visit, it’s a lovely place to sit and chat with other dog owners. And it will help your dog with social skills.

After that we were off to the open air museum where they record the tv programme “The Repair Shop”. I’ve long enjoyed the programme and it was a wonderful place to take the dogs. Right from the start when we went straight into the reception, they were allowed in EVERY building (as long as they were on a short lead at all times) including the cafe. Not in the food prep areas obviously, but everywhere else.

We had a brilliant time going in and out of the Tudor, Medieval and Victorian buildings. the dogs were happy to have a look at the houses and the items inside as well as seeing sheep, pigs, horses and ducks. A lot of ducks. One duck was a little too forward but Edie gave him a stare that sent him scuttling back into the lake. There were a few other dogs around too but all of them seemed either too well behaved to bark or stunned that they were allowed in to everything. Rupert and Edie came into the gift shop and we found a staffie cross already in there. Not a sound. Nothing. I’m not sure who was more surprised… me or the other owner!

One thing I did leave in the car was their water but there were plenty of bowls around and I was able to get some fresh water from the ladies for Edie (she won’t drink water unless it’s fresh). We spent a lovely two hours there wandering around and at the end of the visit they were both ready to get back for a nap. I collected my pre-ordered cream tea and took it back to the mill so that I could relax.

Neither Rupert or Edie are bothered about very long walks but they have enjoyed being out and about with me. We found a lovely walk near a local church (as per the guide from the hosts) and today we went to West Wittering beach. Rupert had an amazing time doing zoomies on the beach and even Edie had a bit of a run. Lots of good recalls (I have proof) and they seemed to really love having a stretch and a run. Then off to Bracklesham Bay for lunch - they had the aforementioned ham - and I had a sandwich, cup of tea and an ice cream all while overlooking the sea. I wouldn’t say it was a relaxing lunch as lots of dogs came past but they were so well behaved even when two horses who had been for a swim came past. And yes, I got lots of questions about the dogs from people around.

We’re back home tomorrow and it has been a different but very nice break. My top tips for making your doggie staycation a happy adventure are as follows.

If you do decide to take your dog away make sure that your dog is social and relaxed. It’s not worth upsetting your dog just for a few days away.
Remember it’s not going to always be relaxing for you as you may be limited to where you can go and when.
Check out the accommodation rules and regulations and make sure you are prepared to compromise if things aren’t quite what you expected.
Try and be respectful of the place you are staying as they may have only recently started to allow dogs. Even if they have had dogs stay before it’s good to leave them with a positive experience rather than spoil it for those who come after you.
Own up if your dog causes any damage before you leave (Edie has marked the duvet cover despite having a blanket on there) and offer to pay for any extra costs.
Take a crate, blankets, dog beds, food and water bowls, a long line, leads and coats just in case. Plus your own towels for the dogs if you visit a beach or the weather is very wet. Some of these things are provided but check first before you leave.
Be prepared for your dog’s routine to be off - especially around eating or pooping.
Expect people to want to stop you and chat, more so if your dog is an unusual breed or colour. They are just interested and I am always aware that I am an ambassador for Bedlington Terriers. I just don’t mention I’m a dog trainer…!
Empty your car boot… I ended up taking a weekend case, a food bag for the dogs, the crate, blankets and my own food bag but if I’d taken their beds that would have been another two things to carry.
Have fun!