The Dog Retreat Swansea

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The Dog Retreat Swansea 🐾 Dog Walking Club with Home Boarding
🌊 Woodland, Beach & Adventure Walks
📝 Licensed, Insured & DBS Checked
📍 SA2 & SA3
❌ Waiting list in closed
(2)

19/10/2026

Celebrating our first born, Astrid 🫶

Our Queen Astrid will be 14 in January, but every now and then, she gives us proper puppy vibes. 🥹❤️

A little burst of energy, a roll around in the grass and a good old scratch—usually after a swim! 😂

Age is catching up with her, bless her, so seeing these playful moments means the world. That little personality comes shining through, and I absolutely love it. 👑🐾

16/10/2026

All ready for a swim. Me in my bathers, rubber balls ready, and the pack absolutely charged. 😂

This is their moment to let that excitement out, chase, swim and enjoy themselves. Then, just as we’re about to step into the sea… a massive seal pops its head up about ten metres away. 🦭

Beautiful to see, but that made the decision easy. We were staying out.

Try explaining the change of plan to Nero, though. “COME ON, MATE. BALLS OUT. SEA’S THERE. LET’S GO!” 😂

So we changed things up and practised a little heel past a seal. Quite pleased with that rhyme.

Heel work on the beach is tough. Right beside the sea? Tougher. With a pack expecting fetch, excitement through the roof AND a seal bobbing about? That’s a proper challenge. And they did amazingly well. ❤️

Fair warning: this video’s a bit barky! I’m happy with some excited barking when it’s appropriate, we’re not bothering other people or dogs, and I can get them to stop when needed (well, maybe not Nero 😂). They’re dogs, after all.

No swim today, but a beautiful encounter and a moment I’m proud of. Sharing these spaces with wildlife means knowing when to change our plans. 🌊🐾

15/10/2026

This isn’t their best attempt at posing for a photo, but there’s a little moment in here I absolutely love. ❤️

I’m trying to get Beanie to come forwards, but he can’t see the gap and gets a bit stuck. Monty seems to clock what’s happening, moves out of the way and gives Beanie a little tap on the nose, as if to say, “There you go, mate. There’s your spot.” And through comes Beanie. 🥹

A proud parent moment. Absolutely love it. 🐾

15/10/2026

Let’s see if we can get them all to sit for a photo… They’re a tad wild at the minute, but we’ve got to give it a go! 😂

They often surprise me, and oh my God, they did so well! Beanie and Floss even found time for a little smooch in the middle of it. A little romance building there, I think. 👀❤️

And then we’re off again, back on our run across the beautiful Gower coastline. 🐾🌊

14/10/2026

Pack walking is a beautiful profession, but it isn’t all sunshine, rainbows and edited reels. Behind those clips can be blood, sweat and tears. It’s hard work, and you get out what you put in.

I get lots of messages from people wanting to start pack walking, solo walkers wanting to make the move, and people who are already pack walking but simply aren’t ready for the responsibility. My advice is always the same: please slow down.

It took us one year and ten months to become fully booked. With the demand out there, we could have filled those spaces in three to six months. But having enough customers and having a compatible, settled pack are two very different things.

Seeing businesses grow rapidly, taking on seemingly any and every dog, makes me nervous—especially when I hear about dogs getting hurt or going missing. We’ve had challenges ourselves, and we’re always learning. That’s part of taking this profession seriously.

Educate yourself. Understand dog behaviour, group dynamics and your own limits. Give each new dog time to settle and give yourself time to see how their arrival affects everyone else. That might mean adding one dog every week, two weeks or three—or waiting longer.

There’s no fixed timetable for building a safe pack. But rushing to fill spaces can put dogs at risk, and the pressure to pay the bills must never outweigh their welfare.

Whether you’re starting out or already doing this: take a beat. Think about the pack you’re building and the responsibility that comes with it.

Every space you fill is a dog someone loves. Their best interests must come first. 🐾

AND THANKS FOR NOT MENTION THE GIANT SPOT ON MY NOSE 🌋

13/10/2026

The sort of antics we get up to 😂 Three Labradors and a hanging branch… apparently it’s the BEST. DAY. EVER. 🤣🐾

13/10/2026

I feel like I’ve let my Tuesday morning pack down a little — but we’ve got a plan. ❤️🐾

This time last year, I made Llangennith Beach our regular Tuesday spot. Beautiful walks, convenient pickups and very few distractions through winter and spring. Without realising it, I’d chosen the path of least resistance. Llangennith is beautiful but zero obstacles and challenges for me and the pack .

Then summer arrived, we had to move elsewhere, and the gaps in our heel work became clear. We still had amazing adventures, but I could have prepared them better.

Heel work matters because situations change in a blink. A dog appears around a corner, livestock comes into view, or we meet horse riders. I need an immediate response: everyone close, connected and moving calmly together in our little bubble. It keeps the pack under control and helps us respect everyone sharing these spaces.

They can make heel look lovely for Instagram. Now we need it reliable when it counts. Today they heeled past a dolphin carcass — a HUGE win! 👏

This winter and spring, we’re putting the work in. Me AND their mummies and daddies — there’s homework! The dogs practising every day are thriving, and that consistency makes a difference.

They can all do it. Together, we’ll get them ready to smash next summer. ❤️🐾

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Upper Killay
Swansea
SA2

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+447710509830

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