If you take your dog / s on holiday

[foxessocks]

Hi just looking for some advice or people to share their experiences. My parents have recently got 2 puppies as their old dog unfortunately passed away. The puppies are doing really well and settled in fantastically. We had a holiday booked already with my parents and my brother and sil and my dh and toddler dd. It is in this country and we're staying in a cottage who accept dogs so that's all fine. The puppies will be about 5 months when we go.

I just wondered if you go on holiday with your dogs what kind of things can you / do you do? We like walking but obviously they'll be too young to do too much of that and they will still need lots of rest too. It'll be too cold probably to eat outside. Do you leave your dogs in the car when you eat out? Can you leave them in their crates at the holiday cottage (not for too long obviously)?

Sorry if this sounds a bit waffled but my parents old dog didn't much like the car so didn't often come on holiday and when she did she was older and we just went for hours and hours of walks really!

Thanks

[nmg85]

Research pubs or cafes that allow dogs inside, we found a few nice ones when we have been away with ours.

[foxessocks]

Thank you nmg85 I didn't think that would be a possibility!

[sulee]

We always take our dogs on hols
with us and always find great pubs etc which allow dogs- in fact relatively few which don't- we probably had more probs when DC were small!

[TheoriginalLEM]

lots of pubs accept dogs. We have been known to visit castles on a rota while one of us holds the dogs outside while the other goes in with DD. Most english heritage sites allow dogs in the grounds.

5 months isn't too young for walks, unless you are planning 20 mile hikes. Walking is free and the best bit of a holiday for us, we like exploring.

i'd be lying if i said they aren't a pain sometimes but we don't really have anyone to care for them and i wont put them in kennels as one is a rescue and im a bit precious about him.

[Chattymummyhere]

Most tourist areas will have many dog friendly pubs/restaurants. We have popped ours in a crate before with water as lots of shops still won't let dogs in.

[JohnCusacksWife]

Some parts of the country are amazingly dog friendly. We go to Northumberland often and there are so many pubs, restaurants, cafes where you can take your dog. It's fantastic. There are also quite a few dog sitting services who will provide a dog sitter if you want to go somewhere where it's to possible to take your dog. Most holiday cottages will not allow you to leave a dog unattended, caged or not, so check the t&cs.

[Twowrongsdontmakearight]

We always take our dog on holiday with us. It just needs a bit of Internet research first. For example France is very dog friendly. If you go by Eurotunnel your dog stays in the car with you. If you look on Booking.com you can select dog friendly hotels. The same applies to welcome cottages or similar where you can choose dog friendly cottages.

When we went to the Loire Valley I did a bit of research and found a couple of chateaux that allowed dogs in and one garden. There were also caves and things. Lots of restaurants or cafes were quite happy for our dog to sit at our feet as we ate.

When we go to visit family in Spain we book (very early) a dog friendly cabin on Brittany Ferries to Bilbao or Santander. Spain is a little less dog friendly but you can still find places.

My recommendation is to plan early. Think about places you want to go when you are there and have a look at their websites. Quite a few places will allow a dog. If not, and your dog is crate trained you could leave your dog for a couple of hours.

I wouldn't generally leave the dog in the car. We have done once or twice in an underground, locked hotel car park when we've gone for breakfast as he does howl in a strange room!

[ArtyKitty]

Come to Scotland! You can subscribe to dugs n pubs and get a full list of dog friendly locations. We're out more with the dog than we were before and she ALWAYS gets served first!

[roastednut]

This might be the daftest question ever but to take a dog to France do they need anything special like specific vaccination or a doggie passport?!! Seriously I've no idea

[JohnCusacksWife]

Dugs n Pubs is a fab app! Love it.

[cariadisnaehappy]

Yes, if you're going abroad then they need Rabies vaccine and a passport. Our cocker spaniel spent 5 weeks last summer pootling around mainland Europe with us and got thoroughly spoiled by everyone along the way

[kansasmum]

We took our dogs with us to Scotland and it was pretty good except you could not leave them alone at all in the cottage, even in their crate. If we were going into town we gave them a good walk first then put them in the car in their crate with a chew and windows open a bit etc.
The only other issue we fad was the blurb about our cottage told us the garden was secure and completely enclosed.
It wasn't at all and the dogs escaped a couple of times before we realised that once side of the garden was not fenced at all and the dogs could actually get out on the road- although it was very quiet road.
So I would check the rules about leaving the dogs and double check any garden IS enclosed!!

We took them to pubs, on beaches etc with no problems and the dogs loved it!

[Twowrongsdontmakearight]

Yes. Dogs do need a passport. They need to be chipped first, then vaccinated against rabies. When you're coming back to the U.K. you need to visit a vet between 2-5 days beforehand to get either flea or worm treatment. I forget which but it used to be both. The whole thing is actually a lot easier than it sounds!

Our pooch is family so we don't like to leave him in kennels. Probably a rod for our own backs but too late now.

[AlpacaLypse]

If it's Cornwall, the Eden Project has specially shaded car-parks for people with dogs in their car. There's also a list of dog friendly beaches, and I've found them too for Devon and Dorset. They probably exist for other counties, but I've never needed to look.

I've also seen dog- and cat- boarders, including day care, advertising in these areas so that families can organise a day out to a place that really isn't going to work if they take the dogs too.

We've had dogs for very short overnights and occasional days from holiday makers - we're in Wiltshire in the heart of megalithic sites and crop circles so do have a small but flourishing tourist industry. Our most recent was a couple who wanted to get married in the centre of Avebury but really needed support with their very high needs rescue dog! It was lovely, we came along to handle the dog so he could still be there but they could focus on each other and their human guests

The Good Dog Guide website should be able to supply some useful names and phone numbers for dog friendly places to stay and eat.

[foxessocks]

Thank you all this is fab! Holiday is to the new forest!

[Twowrongsdontmakearight]

There are dog friendly places to stay and things to do in the Lake District too. We stayed at The Old Vicarage in Ambleside that is very dog friendly. They will book you into restaurants that will let you bring your dog. Dogs can go on the Windermere ferry and the Eskdale Ravenglass railway and probably other places too. As well as all those walks!

[slebmum1]

We always take my dog on holiday, France once a year and also uk. The only thing to be really aware of is dog friendly beaches. The main beaches in Dorset are for example not dog beaches in the summer but there's usually a doggy area.

I'd also say while they're young if you can train them not to beg it's a big plus, dog will sleep under the table of we are in a restaurant. My parents dog didn't and was a Royal pain in the arse in a food setting!

We love taking him with us, he's part of the family after all.

[Twowrongsdontmakearight]

Just looked at The Good Dog Guide and found West Lakes Adventure where you can take your dog canoeing with you too!

If you do decide to ferry from Portsmouth there's a huge expanse of grass at Southsea with a dog friendly pizzeria called Mozzarella Joes.

[foxessocks]

Thank you so much! Lots of research to do.

The dogs don't beg for food (yet!) and parents are trying to keep it that way. However as they're so young still I'm not sure how they'll be in a pub or restaurant. They go to puppy training and have quite a few more sessions before we go!

[MaynJune]

I agree with you that you'll have to limit their walks a bit if they're only five months old.

Sometimes I do leave them in the car for a short while to go and have a coffee or something, but not if the weather's warm obviously.

Someone made a good point about the garden. I've picked several cottages mainly because of the secure garden and they haven't been secure at all, or with such a low fence that it's useless, so check when you arrive.

It's sometimes a bit limiting with the dogs but on the other hand lots of people chat to you and admire them! With the big family group you can share going out/staying in to eat etc if necessary too.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it.