Are you searching for the best dog friendly UK holidays? Many of us love going out for a good family holiday. Dogs are among the most loved members of our families, which mean leaving them behind may seem unfair. Fortunately, it’s now easier to travel with them along as many UK holiday destinations understand the need to cater for these four-legged friends.
Plan ahead to ensure you get the best experience. Bear in mind that as a first-time pet traveller, you may find the experience challenging.
I found this great post that is a complete guide to dog friendly holidays, you can read it here:
http://www.iknow-uk.com/article/dog-friendly-holidays-uk
Here are the best tips that I adapted from there.
Familiarise Your Dog with the Travel Experience
If you’re travelling with your dog by car, the first tip is to ensure your dog is familiar with the experience. Consider taking them for short journeys to enable them to get used to the experience. Ensure they are secured down for their safety.
One way is by crating them to prevent them from distracting you when driving and restrict their movement. Dog harnesses offer another alternative, but you should ensure you position them away from airbags.
During the holiday journey, stop for every two hours to allow your dog stretch its legs. For dogs that suffer from motion sickness, keep remedies in your car and avoid feeding them when you’re about to travel.
Foreign Surroundings
Once you reach the holiday destination, take your pet for a walk to familiarise it with the new surroundings. These long walks also help to de-stress them, which makes them feel at ease.
Avoid leaving your pet alone for long periods as it unsettles them. For instance, your dog may start destroying or scratching furniture out of feeling lonely and confused, which ends up costing you.
Keep To Routine
When you’re on dog friendly UK holidays, it’s important to stick to your routine. Dogs can adapt fast to different surroundings. However, they respond differently to sudden changes.
Consider carrying your dog’s favourite blanket or toy to remind it of home, which makes it feel at ease. Keep their meal times at roughly the same time as you give them at home.
Safety
Once you’ve unpacked and your pet has acclimatised, make sure that you always remember about your dog’s safety. For instance, be cautious when taking it for walks along places you aren’t familiar with.
Avoid potential danger zones such as cliff edges, busy roads, and around other animals. Keep them on the lead to ensure you have control over them, for example, when they are around other dogs. Also, see to that they are comfortable in order to avoid unpleasant situations. While going on walks, make sure the terrain isn’t difficult for them to walk. For instance, if you are visiting during summer, hot pavements and concrete surfaces can become very sensitive to paws. Read https://walkeepaws.com/blogs/news/how-to-protect-dog-paws-from-hot-pavement or similar resources to learn about protecting your dogs’ paws from such hot surfaces.
Travelling to pet friendly UK holidays should be easier using the above informative post. Make sure you ask potential holiday destinations on their policies regarding pets such as dogs and remember to take them to your vet for health checkups before travelling.