Doggy Holiday's: Let the Adventures Begin

The Doggy Holiday: a perfect opportunity to spend quality time with your special canine companion and other people who love dogs too. Not only this but train in a wide variety of environments and situations with a professional Animal Behaviourist and Trainer by your side.

I can’t overestimate the important role of doggy holiday.

We usually go to Italy but sometimes further afield and also within France.

Socialisation is so vital for your dog’s ongoing development, in terms of being confident around stimuli, adaptable to change and a little bit of chaos time to time and able to relax and know what is expected of them in certain scenarios, whether it be in a restaurant, café or heeling on a walk or a visit to somewhere.

Although routines can be very helpful for dogs, particularly puppies, it’s also important that we get them used to the order of the day changing and them knowing they have their time exclusively for running around and doing doggy things whilst of course being obedient and knowing their boundaries but also there are times when their owner has their own time with other things to attend to and they must behave a certain way.

It is easy to anthropomorphise our doggy friends but it is important to know they are doggies and they need to know where their boundaries are.

Your dog needs to behave in a good manner because they want to please you, not because they are forced or in fear to. It’s all about building a cooperative relationship though clicker and reinforcement training plus applying the correct techniques to negative reinforce unwanted behaviour.

In general, it is easy to forget all the desirable behaviours our dogs carry out and focus on the negative behaviours, the big one plus with being on the doggy holiday is you have lots of other owners and their dogs to encourage you and they, as well as myself can give you an insight into all the progress you are making with your dog and all the improvements: training your dog is an evolution, there are no quick fixes, it’s about time and patience and of course fun! Which there are bucket loads of in this holiday! I think we still talk about all the funny moments we have had on past doggy holidays.

Well besides the fact it’s truffle season in Piedmont when we usually plan to go on our holiday and of course you couldn’t pass up the chance to eat scrumptious truffles, travel really is one of the best experiences you can give your dog, from travelling in the car, passing dogs at busy venues, meeting different people, walking in large towns and villages, going on boats, running in the vineyards, doing obedience training and agility, going on trains, visiting hotels and staying in hotel rooms, visiting historical sites, markets, restaurants and cafes, gardens, castles, going in shops, walking on different surfaces (maybe going up strange stairs where maybe the surface feels a bit new and they have not experienced before), lifts, going in other vehicles, music and bands, learning to sit at tables with other dogs, meeting other animals, such as goats and birds and much more.

These types of experiences can be invaluable for your dog and really help to prepare them for any future holiday you and your family may take with them and it is such fun seeing the wonderful scenery and exploring a new area.

Dog owners can learn so much and find out about Piedmont, learn about their specialities, meet the people, taste the gorgeous wine (well someone must do it!) and local products, learn about the history and enjoy amazing food!

In addition, I spend much time researching the areas we visit, meeting producers and seeing what trips we can take and what we can visit so we can see some special places and create wonderful memories together with our doggies.

It really is a doggy family and I know many have made great friends through the process of attending classes and the holidays which is fantastic!

The most important aspect of this holiday is it is dog friendly, you know you can enjoy a lovely doggy holiday without excluding your dog and it can give you so many ideas that maybe you might want to bring the rest of the family to visit.

We hope you can join us! It’s going to be amazing so get that car packed and everyone onboard and get those tunes playing - off we go!!

Testimonials

Melanie, Mohamed and Milo, Ospedaletti, Italy

''The holiday was a fantastic opportunity for intensive training in lots of real-life situations under Victoria's calm and expert guidance. Our dog Milo got much-needed practice in restaurant and hotel manners while the humans enjoyed fabulous food, wine and scenery. It's a brilliant way to combine training and travel.''

Severine, Sospel

“A big thank you to Victoria for organizing this great “doggy weekend” in Piedmont! I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it, especially the outings with all the dogs in different places. I learned a lot in dog’s behaviour. It was also a big pleasure to meet Anna, all the participants and their fabulous dogs! Thanks Victoria for sharing all your experiences and knowledge with us. “

Lola’s Owner

“the dog training trip was a wonderful opportunity to explore beautiful surroundings, meet dog lovers with whom to share experiences and tips and a great way to engage your dog in a social setting. Victoria excels in the art of organizing beautiful dog training trips full of fun activities for doggies and masters.”

Sue and Phil, Cannes

''One of the highlights of our doggy holiday in piedmont was the training session in the vineyards. a beautiful location for a group of people to get together with their dogs, lots of fun, with all kinds of challenges including joggers, cyclists, agricultural vehicles and victoria’s quiz!''

Natalie Cap d'ail

''My lovely little Coton de Tulear called Bella and I went on Victoria's doggie holiday to Piemonte in Italy. We both had such a wonderful time. Upon arrival we were given goody bags and fairy cakes (even the dogs had their own Chicken and carrot cakes which they woofed down!) it made for a very nice start to what was a fabulous holiday. We visited vineyards where the dogs had training lessons and off the lead classes. They ran and played and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The adults were not left out either, we had fabulous lunches, visited old Italian villages and even went wine tasting! What really made the holiday special was being able to take the dogs where ever we went and Victoria was always on hand to correct any wayward behaviour! My Bella had an absolute ball! she loved every minute of it.....and I know this for a fact as she slept nearly continuously for 2 days once we got back home!''