Experience days are a great way to get closer to animals we love & want to find out more about, and giving an animal lover a gift experience day can really give them something to look forward & a great day out. Among the many animal gift experiences, there are now a number which concentrate on man's best friend - the dog. So here's a round up of experience days with dogs.
Sheepdog Training Day £99.99 West Yorkshire Spend up to five hours on a farm and go back to basics, working with nature. You can really tap into the bond between man (or woman) and dog, as you find out about the special skills developed by shepherds over the centuries. Expert tuition is provided by Barbara Sykes, a shepherdess, farmer and dog trainer. Lunch is not included, but there is a pub nearby. The experience content may vary, but this is surely a great gift for any country lover who wants to try their hand at working with dogs. Find out more from Virgin Experience Days
Meet the Huskies and Entry to Eagle Heights Wildlife Foundation for Two £50.00 Head to Kent, where you'll go into the Husky Enclosure with an experienced keeper. Here you'll be able to get close to and interact with these stunning dogs! This is a great chance to take photos and discover more about the breed and meet over 30 huskies - they've all got their own personality! All the huskies at Eagle Heights are rescue. And as part of the experience, you can enjoy entry to the Wildlife Foundation which is home to many rescued animals and birds. Find out more from Virgin Experience Days
Hike with Huskies and Entry to Eagle Heights Wildlife Foundation for Two £50.00 There are miles of footpaths and private trails here in Kent, and accompanied by a group of gorgeous huskies, you'll hike for about 2 miles across the North Downs. Get your camera ready to take lots of photos as you gaze across the Derwent Valley! The keepers will share their knowledge with you, and you can enjoy entry to the Wildlife Foundation where there are a range of rescued animals including meerkats, servals and reptiles. Find out more from Virgin Experience Days
Border Collie Experience From £99.00 Leicestershire Learn to work livestock with a whistle on this fabulous Border Collie experience day! Collies make the perfect sheepdog and this session in the Leicestershire countryside gives you a great insight into how man and dog work together. By the end of the day, you'll be calling commands and maybe even getting the sheep dog to do basic moves! Courses run from 10am - 2.30pm with a break for lunch (not included).Go to Into the Blue to find out more and to buy this experience
Dog magazines Dog magazines can make great gifts and give dog lovers something to look forward to each month! isubscribe.co.uk have a range of dog magazines such as Dogs Today, Your Dog, Dog Friendly, K9, Modern Dog and Dog Friendly. They have some fantastic offers on as well :-) Go to Isubscribe.co.uk to check out their dog magazines.
Gift experience company Virgin Experience Days have a couple of Pet Photoshoot experiences which give you the chance to have a professionally taken photo of your pet. There's also a Bespoke Outdoor Photoshoot for Dogs which takes place at a pre-arranged location within 50 miles of Brighton, Exeter, and Oxford. (Within a 10 to 50 mile radius of each city there is a £0.45 per mile charge.)
Healthy Dog Treat Making Workshop, London £90.00 for two, £45.00 for one Now this is not an experience with a dog, but it gives you the chance to get creative in the kitchen. Explore a variety of organic ingredients you can use at home to make simple healthy dog treats! You get a recipe to follow but you can be as creative as you like. Half your mixture is rolled and cut during the workshop - it's dehydrated at the studio and posted to you. The other half is sent home, ready tbake in the oven. Workshops last about 90 minutes and include a healthy juice. Available from Virgin Experience Days
The National Trust has many dog friendly places Did you know that the National Trust cares for 700 miles of stunning coastline and 600,000 acres of beautiful countryside? And that many of the places they care for are dog friendly? Not all of them, obviously, but nonetheless that gives you plenty of scope for new walkies with your woof. Some National Trust places may mean your dog can have a really nice walk instead of having to endure motorway stops so you can all enjoy greater calm and beauty on your journey when you paws for a rest. Take a look anyway at the National Trust's Dog Friendly pages - there's lots of info, so if you think this would be for you or a gift for someone, you could become a member of the National Trust.
Keep your dog active with dog toys! If you've got a dog who likes to be kept active, take a look at Viovet.co.uk. They've got a range of toys for dogs. Playing with your woof is a great way to build up the relationship between you, to have fun with your dog, and really give them the chance to learn some new skills. We play Hunt the Toy with our dog in the house in the winter, for instance, when the weather is awful - we hide his toy and send him to find it! He loves it! Give your pet something to think about and something to do! Click here to bound off to Viovet
