How to find the perfect dog friendly holiday stay !

We LOVE going on adventures with Ida, but they do take a lot of planning to make sure the places we book are going to be great fun for Ida as well as us. 

As Ida can be quite vocal and is a big dog who loves a bog to wade in, finding the right place to stay is important for us so that we don’t worry about disturbing others or that the place we stay might not like having a big goof ball staying (I know we think this is ridiculous too, but unfortunately not everyone has the same view!) 

Here are some things I always look at to make sure the place we book and the area are right for us to have the best holiday without stress ! 

🐾 Is the holiday home really dog friendly? 

A lot of holiday lets have realised that many families want to bring their 4 legged family members with them (and rightly so). This has led to labelling their holiday home as ‘dog friendly’ as an additional selling point. But, are they really ‘dog friendly’ or are they actually ‘dog tolerant’ – there is a really big difference here. To make sure we are booking a truly dog friendly stay, I read the WHOLE description and the T’s&C’s – I know they can be a bit long and boring but it’s worth it. I then look through reviews on their website/facebook as well as an external provider such as trip advisor, specifically for reviews from dog owners.

🚩Red flags we look out for are in descriptions and reviews: 

• Dog’s not allowed on furniture, even with covers on

• Dogs only allowed in the kitchen / areas with hard floors 

• Small or well-behaved dogs only 

• High charges per night for each dog 

• Dogs to be on leash at all times when out of house (or I’ve even seen in the house) 

• Dogs to be crated in the house 

💚Green flags 

• Photos of dogs curled up on the sofa all cozy 

• Dog blankets and covers provided for the furniture 

• Treats / toys / poop bags provided 

• Recommendations of dog friendly walks 

• Recommendations of dog friendly cafes and pubs 

  
  

  

  
  

🏡 What is the house/ space like?

Things to think about: 

• Is there space? If you have a large dog is there enough room for you all to be in the space? Especially since the UK can be very soggy, could you spend a lot of time indoors and be comfortable?

• Are there lots of slippy floors that might not be great for your older or unsteady dogs or dogs with injuries?

• Toileting: Is there an enclosed outside area that you can let your dog relax in or go to the toilet? Or will your dog need to be on a lead to be out there? Is it a shared garden area? Are you and your dog happy with this?

• Is everything in the house cream? As much as we don’t mind moody paw prints and lots of hair in our home, I know I couldn’t relax in a house where everything is pristine and cream. 

• Is the holiday let on a farm? Is your dog happy around livestock or will this cause stress for you both? 

📍 Location

Have a read about the general area but also the specific place that the holiday let is located. When we find a house that looks good we take a look on google maps street view and OS maps.

Things we look out for:

• Is there a front garden or does the house sit right on the street? For dogs who are very excited to get out of the door, this may be a safety concern. For dogs who are worried about people walking past and may become anxious or vocal this can make it hard to relax. 

• Are there local walks nearby? Local walks can be great because you don’t have to spend a lot of your holiday driving around finding a good spot. Check if these walks are dog friendly with accessible stiles etc. 

• Local amenities: If your dog likes to come with you to pub’s and café’s have a look around to make sure there are some dog friendly places around that would be good for your dog.

• Neighbours: How close are your neighbours going to be? Are there other holiday lets, the owner or residents? Does it look like they are close and  will it worry your dog being this close to strangers or cause them to be unable to relax. Or will you be able to relax if your dog barks? 

• Where in the country is the holiday let? Is it in the center of a very tourist centric place that is going to be really busy. In peak holiday times some small, usually peaceful, places can fill up with holiday makers. This can cause problems like anxiety for dogs who are worried about people and crowds, higher travel times due to traffic, difficulty navigating walking around streets with your dog when they are full of people etc. Picking those lesser known places can make the holiday much more enjoyable for everyone, it’s good to think outside of the box on these ones.

• Travel to the space: Check how long it will take you to drive to the area, is this too far for your dog? Might you want to break up the drive with a nice walk half way or a stay overnight on the way to break up the travel? 

• Are there local vet practices? It’s always good to know that if you needed an emergency vet that there is one close by. 

⏰ Timing your holiday 

If you are looking for a peaceful getaway timing is important 

• Is it a bank holiday weekend or school holidays etc. ? This can be peak times for being busy and also bumps prices up. 

•  Weather: If you are going in peak summer, do you have a back up plan for hot days when it’s not safe to take your dog on long walks with you? This can be lovely because you can all relax inside, but if you are wanting to head out and about looking at a different time of year might make the holiday better for you. 

👀 How to find the perfect place.

Try booking through sites or checking out social media profiles that specialise in dog friendly holidays.

One of our favourites is @this.is.the.spot – they find, go to and review some of the best holiday stays for reactive dogs – but we think they are just great for finding lovely, relaxing and peaceful places for all dogs ! 

Another useful account is @pawsandstaytravel

Recommendations from friends and family who have been to a holiday let can also be some of the best because you know exactly what you are getting ! 

Finding the perfect holiday let can be time consuming and takes a bit of extra planning, but is so worth it ! We have had some of our best holidays when we have been able to take Ida with us, have adventures together, watch her explore and then snooze the evenings in a lovely cottage in the middle of no where.