Having a new dog is tiring. It can consume all your thoughts. At home with your dog, you’re constantly on alert training them to abide by the house rules. And when you aren’t with them, you are wondering if they are okay and likely looking at pictures of them, if you’re anything like me. It might be time for break to a dog friendly cabin.
Although this idea might sound like it will make everything more stressful – bare with me, and I’ll try and convince you otherwise. Here is why you should book an off-grid mini break with your new dog, and escape the stresses of being at home for a night or two.
For advice on how to choose a great dog friendly Airbnb, along with handy tips on what to pack – check out this guide!
The Joy of a Digital Detox
Modern life has us constantly connected. You can’t escape the news alerts, latest viral video, or seeing what that friend you haven’t spoken to for 10 years is doing today. Maybe it’s time for you to have a digital detox, and spend some time in nature? If so, Airbnb has some fantastic options.
I recently experienced a digital detox and can’t recommend it enough. To celebrate a new job, we booked a night away to an off-grid dog friendly cabin in the woods with our 16 week old puppy. It looked like it was straight out of a fairytale, surrounded by trees.
Staying at a property with no wifi or phone signal was not the reason we chose to stay here, but it ended up being quite a special aspect of the trip. Even when you pick up your phone out of habit, with no connectivity there isn’t much you can use it for, and you find yourself putting it straight back down. When you stay somewhere off grid, your mind has the space to calm down. You can relax with no interruptions.
Many of us say we love reading, but how often can you sit with uninterrupted time to get stuck into a book? Do you ever start to read, and then your phone pings. Then you’re texting someone back, and your mind is wandering. The moment is ruined and you can’t get back into your book. With no signal, I promise this won’t happen! You can be totally present with just your surroundings.
Bonding Time with your New Dog
For us, life was feeling a bit overwhelming with our new puppy. At this point Honey, our Springador puppy, had been in our lives for 2 months, and was only just sleeping through the night. We were adjusting to this new way of life being responsible for this high energy animal that needs a lot of attention. A break was needed!
Going for a night away, just the three of us, was a wonderful bonding experience. It was exciting to be away from home and exploring this new environment together. We were surprised and impressed by how well Honey behaved, and it gave us a glimpse of what the next ten years of holidays could be like with our new dog.
If life feels a bit busy, take some time away for yourself to unplug and just enjoy spending time with yourself, your other half, and your dog. I promise you will feel very refreshed afterwards!
The Perfect Socialisation Opportunity!
Socialisation means exposing your dog to a range of positive experiences, so they gain confidence. It involves introducing them to different types of people, animals, and vehicles, and taking them to new places. I go into more details on socialisation here.
As a ‘dinkwad’ couple (which stands for double income no kids with a dog) we planned to take our dog on lots of UK adventures. Getting a trip under our belt while she was only 4 months old was important because it was her first experience of staying away from home. Most dog experts will advise getting socialisation experiences in while your dog is younger is optimal. You can check out all the other adventures we have taken Honey on here.
Not only does the dog get to experience sleeping somewhere which isn’t our home – being somewhere new comes with a wide variety of new experiences. For example, this trip was the first time she got to meet sheep up close. We also took her to the pub with us for dinner, which is another type of great socialisation experience. Giving your puppy as many positive experiences like this as you can will help them to be confident and sociable as they grow up. For advice on taking your dog to restaurants, check out this guide!
This dog friendly cabin has everything you need for a happy pooch
Now onto the details of this perfect dog friendly cabin. The Hoot, which was the name of the cabin, is based in Warwickshire, UK. This was less than an hour drive for us, which was perfect for a one night stay.
It had everything we and our dog could need. After receiving the warmest welcome from the dog loving owner of the cabin, we were shown inside. They provided a dog bed, toys, bowls and even a towel for the dog. The woodland is completely private and fenced in, so you have no worries about letting your dog off the lead to enjoy the space.
The human amenities were even better – dressing gowns, towels, and fully equipped kitchen. The cabin is thoughtfully decorated with lots of finishing touches. There are fairylights all around the ceiling, making the cabin feel so magical.
There was an electric fire and hot water bottles for those chillier nights. We were there at the end of October, so these were definitely needed! There is a battery pack to charge devices on if needed – but as mentioned, no signal or wifi to use them! We did bring an ipad with some TV shows downloaded to enjoy in bed in the evening.
How did we choose to spend our time here?
After checking in and the host departed, we went to explore the grounds. This dog friendly cabin is set within 5 acres of woodland with an adjoining paddock. We spent an hour just walking the dog around, and as mentioned introducing her to the sheep in the field next to us! The host left a box of treats to feed to the sheep.
There is seating outside, and a BBQ area. You can also pay extra to have a wood fired hot tub too, but this feature wasn’t available when we stayed. After a walk, I relaxed on the bed reading a book with a glass of prosecco for a few hours before we headed out for dinner. When we got back from the pub, the three of us relaxed in the cabin under the magical fairy lights.
In the morning, we made sausage sandwiches, did another nice walk around the grounds before checking out. Just to caveat – we did provide our own food and prosecco!
This was a perfect little mini break. It was so relaxing to be disconnected from the outside world, which is hard to achieve at home. Honey got to experience her first trip away, and we all made a lasting memory together. Since this we’ve enjoyed lots of breaks with our pup!
