Happy Sunday everyone - I hope you've all had a good weekend! :)
We got home from our camping trip yesterday afternoon and it was a brilliant, much-needed, week away! Luna was on her best behaviour and we all enjoyed lots of walking, cycling and even bagged a Munro - Buachaille Etive Beag in Glencoe! It was some climb but the views at the top were just stunning!
Luna has been camping several times now and I have some top tips for you if you are taking your lovely pooch on a camping trip or staycation soon... :)
Plan ahead - Find out about the area you are visiting and locate the best dog friendly places to eat/drink ;) I've listed a few of our faves below!
Locate the best walks - 'Walkhighlands' is a great website for finding a range of walks in the area you are visiting, from Munros to easy woodland walks, it has it all, and the walks are graded so that you can choose one to suit you and your dog - https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/
Create a resting place in your tent/room - Even though you are on holiday your dog still needs a quiet, safe place to rest/sleep. Take a mat/bed/travel crate with you to give them that space to chill out and not be disturbed. We had one inside the tent and outside!
Be considerate of others - Most campsites require dogs to be kept on a lead and obviously make sure you pick up your dogs mess!!
Always carry water - The weather is so changeable and can be very hot in the sun, so always make sure you have water for your dog. We also carry a 'chill out' bandana for Luna to wear to keep her cool on warm days.
Take some enrichment activities - Toys or enrichment games/activities are a must to keep your dog busy, particularly on rainy days or when you have a lot of travelling to do. It's great for problem solving and tires them out by challenging them mentally. Apart from KONGS themselves, the brand 'Kong' sell a lot of enriching toys too. One of Luna's favourite ones can be filled with treats and she has to get them out. Pic below :)
You can make some of your own enrichment games too and it costs nothing - here's a few very simple ones...
Take some empty cardboard tubes and fill with a few treats before folding over the ends, allow your dog to work out how to get them out...
Similarly cut a hole in an empty plastic bottle, pop a few treats inside and watch your dog problem solve to get the treats out...
Instead of feeding your dog their dinner from a bowl, try scatter feeding on the grass or hiding their food around the tent/room/grass for them to find...
More ideas can be found on my instagram page - brightpawsdogtraining ;)
REMEMBER - it's your dog's holiday too so be sure to make it a fun experience for them! :)
Some lovely dog friendly places we visited:
Real Food Cafe - Tyndrum
Bridge of Orchy Hotel - Bridge of Orchy
Kingshouse Hotel - Glencoe
MacDonald Hotel - Kinlochleven
Have a great week everyone - the last of the holidays already!! And for anyone going away - have a lovely time and stay safe! :)
Cheryl x
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