This is Cooper, he is a 5-year-old Vizslador and our first reactive dog. He the reason we moved to rural Wales and he is our inspiration behind Red Dog Retreat. 

We realise now that as dog owners we were a bit clueless! Our first dog, Barkley, a miniature labradoodle, is one of those dogs who you can take anywhere, introduce him to anyone (dog and human) and he is fine with everything. We thought most dogs were like that. Along came our gorgeous Cooper and in addition to being a COVID lockdown puppy he had a couple of bad experiences with dogs and people at the wrong age which led him to become more and more anxious and reactive. Realising we were out of our league we contacted a wonderful local behaviourist, who swept in to help. She taught us so much about positive reinforcement, how to help Cooper live his best life and how we needed to adapt as owners. It wasn’t about changing him so he would fit into our life, it was about us changing to fit into his and to allow him to lead as happy and stress-free life as possible. We soon learnt that normal life can be challenging with a very big reactive dog but we were determined to still enjoy holidays together with him. We found that true reactive dog friendly holiday locations are few and far between but when you find one that works it is pure magic and the joy they brought us as a family was truly special. We relocated to Mid-Wales in March 2024 to ensure Cooper had as much access as possible to quiet, rural, trigger free walks and with the dream of starting our own reactive dog holiday cottage.

 Planning permission was finally granted in Summer 2025 so we would love you to follow our journey as we get ready to share this wonderful slice of heaven with you. We are hoping our first guests will be able to book from Autumn/Winter 2025.

Nikki and Chris