Dog Holidays

I used to blog regularly for fun, but fell out of the habit. I’m having another go to see if I still enjoy it, and thought I’d start by writing a short post about holidaying with greyhounds.

Over the years, I have had lots of greyhound companions, typically two at a time. My youngest dog, Tigger, is three. I adopted him in January after my previous dog, Ed sadly passed away. My other dog is called Jim, and he’s nearly eight.

As a greyhound dad, I’ve learned a lot about traveling with these unique dogs, and it’s just possible my experiences can help others.

Just to be clear, I’m referring to a holidays, not ‘staycations’, which are completely different. And to be a little more specific, these holidays don’t involve packing loads of stuff into a car, either.

Preamble

I don’t drive a car, have two greyhounds (‘The Boys’), and live in rural Devon, several miles from a railway station. Most of my holidays necessarily revolve around these facts.

I have been asked countless times if The Boys need much exercise. As any greyhound parent will know, the answer is a resounding “No” as greyhounds are perfectly happy with two short (20 minute) walks a day, and will happily sleep for the rest of the day, or until next mealtime.

That said, we typically walk 8-10 miles a day – something we have built up to over time – and The Boys are quite happy to walk double that in a day.

Part of me wishes The Boys were huskies – who could carry their own stuff – instead of greyhounds, who expect me to do all the hard work. Oh well.

I tend to carry a large rucksack containing all our gear, and also a smaller pack to use for day walks from our holiday accommodation.

Greyhounds travel well, but are large dogs, and they do like their comfort, so quite a lot of our luggage is dog-related. This includes travel bedding that they can lie on at rail stations, on trains, and at our holiday accommodation.

I haven’t yet found a perfect combination of portability and comfort, and currently take two waterproof picnic blankets for The Boys, which provide just about enough comfort for them, are lightweight, and pack down to a small size.

I also take a double duvet cover which I put on top of the quilt at the accommodation to protect their bedding from paw-prints.

There’s probably a better solution, but I haven’t found it yet.

Gently does it

I mentioned earlier that greyhounds travel well, which is true, but they need a gentle introduction to new situations like travelling on a train.

For example, the first time Tigger went on a train he was really nervous, and initially struggled

1. getting on the train
2. every time the door opened or someone walked past
3. getting off the train onto the platform

Jim, on the other hand, is an old-hand at train travel, who settled down immediately and slept until we arrived at our destination.

By the third journey, Tigger had realised that there was nothing to worry about, and that train journeys typically lead to fun adventures, and he now loves rail travel.

I should add that every train ride with dogs involves a mixture of luck and judgement.

The ideal time to travel is when it’s quiet. I usually travel after 9am and look for a carriage which has space for the dogs to stretch out, preferably at the very front or very rear of the train as fewer people will need to walk past.

If people are already nearby, I will usually check that they don’t mind dogs settling down near to them.

Vittles

For eating and drinking I carry three stainless steel bowls. I’ll usually pack one day’s worth of dog food inside the bowls, and get more once we arrive at our accommodation.

After much trial-and-error, I feed The Boys a mixture of dry and wet Harringtons food, which is nutritious and doesn’t disagree with either dog.

For treats, I bring a mixture of natural meat fillet strips (they both love duck, chicken and beef).

In warm weather I carry 3-4 litres of water, and a collapsable water bowl for The Boys. It adds weight, but there’s nothing worse than having two hot and thirsty dogs and no supply of water.

The other end

I try to be a responsible dog owner, and take a large number of biodegradable poo bags. I always pick up in residential areas and on farmland or moorland, but not always in ‘deep countryside’ where nature can take its course without causing problems.

For longer walks I have waterproof ‘stuff bags’ which are airtight, and have clasps to hang from the outside of my rucksack until I can find a suitable waste bin.

Outdoor gear

In Winter The Boys usually need warm coats to wear while we are travelling, and I also take two pack-a-mac style waterproof jackets in case it pours. I’ve tried a few, and these are my favourites so far:

• Greyhound / Lurcher Blizzard Coat
• Greyhound Shower Mac with Hood by Lily Peeps
• Cosipet Greyhound Hunter, 30-inch/ 75 cm, Green

Once we arrive

Once we arrive at our destination I normally keep the dogs on the lead while we look around the house. I then give them some water and immediately take them outside again in case they need a final wee before settling down.

Usually the dogs will settle as soon as I put their blankets down as they will typically have walked a few miles and will be needing a good nap. That’s the perfect time to unpack as I won’t hear a peep from them until I prepare their food.

Speaking of food, greyhounds need to eat their food on a raised surface, as research suggests that this helps reduce the risk of bloat.

At home, The Boys eat their meals from raised feeder stands, but it isn’t practical to carry stands as well as everything else. A chair is a pretty good substitute as shown here (protected by kitchen roll!)

Also, I have found that stainless steel food bowls very often fit into upside-down wastepaper bins!

Bye for now

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to pop a comment in the box below.

Footnote

I adopted my two greyhounds from the marvellous Forever Hounds Trust:

Forever Hounds Trust is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of unwanted, abused or abandoned Greyhounds and Lurchers.”