Moray Dog Retreat

Moray Dog Retreat Welcome to Moray Dog Retreat
Fully Licensed Dog Home Boarding Kinloss
Holidays, Overnights & Training

Hi, I'm Diane, and my Cocker Spaniel, Angus is our dog-in-residence. I founded Moray Dog Retreat after being inspired by my Mentor and friend, Jess Probst from Dundee Dog Training & Honest Hounds; learning from Jess's expertise has shown me how to provide a distinctive, quality Dog Home Boarding & Training experience. Having worked with Jess initially with horses and now dogs, I've gained invaluab

le hands-on experience. This mentorship has been instrumental in improving my dog handling skills and knowledge. I offer a unique Dog Home Boarding experience and personalised training packages to help you and your dog prepare for a holiday. Additionally, I provide 1:1 puppy training, dog behavior training, and engagement workshops and walks. I have years of expereince training in the Learning & Development Industry and I'm passionate about helping people and their dogs. I understand that Dog Training can be emotionally challenging for people and I'm fortunate to have been mentored in this area allowing me to help my clients more by understanding the emotional side of living with and working with difficult dogs. I'm continually expanding my knowledge and skills with dogs. If you're based in the Highlands or Moray areas and need assistance with any of these services, or if you're looking for a memorable holiday for your dog, please get in touch by sending me a message.

26/01/2026

Not every dog day is a walk day.

Some days are off-the-beaten-track Adventure Days!

Here’s why those days matter 👇

Real choice & agency

No rigid routes. No predictable corners. Dogs get to make decisions where to sniff, when to pause, how to move. That autonomy builds confidence and emotional balance.

Nervous system regulation

Complex smells, uneven ground, wind, water, silence. Nature does what enrichment toys can’t, it downshifts the nervous system and melts stress properly.

Movement that actually makes sense

Dogs aren’t built for straight lines. Scrambling, turning, climbing, slowing down, speeding up, this is the movement that builds real strength, coordination and joint health.

Confidence without pressure

New environments = resilience. Dogs learn they can cope with novelty without being pushed into too much overwhelm.

Stronger relationships

Shared adventures create trust. When you explore with your dog (not dragging them through routines), your bond deepens fast.
Off-track doesn’t mean reckless.

It means intentional, thoughtful, and dog-led.

Because sometimes the best thing you can give a dog isn’t obedience…

It’s an Adventure Day with Moray Dog Retreat🌲🐕

5 Reasons Why,,,Your Dog Needs Adventures!This isn’t about “tiring them out”.It’s about meeting needs that a back garden...
25/01/2026

5 Reasons Why,,,Your Dog Needs Adventures!

This isn’t about “tiring them out”.

It’s about meeting needs that a back garden and neighbourhood pavement walks never will.

1️⃣ Choice & autonomy
Adventures give dogs options, where to sniff, when to stop, which route to take. Choice builds emotional safety. A dog who gets to make decisions is calmer, more confident, and less likely to feel the need to control situations later.

2️⃣ Complex smells regulate the nervous system: Wild, layered scents (soil, water, plants, animals, weather) actively calm the brain and sniffing lowers heart rate, reduces stress hormones, and helps dogs process the world properly. This is decompression, not “distraction”.

3️⃣ Movement isn’t linear.
Dogs aren’t designed to march in straight lines at human pace.
Adventures allow climbing, weaving, pausing, sprinting, backing up, balancing: movements that support joint health, coordination, and brain-body connection.

4️⃣ Confidence building
New environments = problem-solving opportunities.
Logs, water, wind, uneven ground: each challenge teaches your dog “I can handle this.” Confidence earned this way sticks, unlike forced exposure.

5️⃣ Stronger relationships
Shared experiences build trust.
When you explore with your dog rather than directing them, you become part of their world: not just the person holding the lead.

Adventures aren’t optional extras.
They are how dogs learn, regulate, and connect.

This is why we do what we do at Moray Dog Retreat - Because dogs don’t thrive in straight lines on leads.

They thrive on Adventures!

Book a FREE 15 minute discovery call to find out how we can help you connect with your dog on Adventures!

5 Things Your Dog Needs This Year.... and here at Moray Dog Retreat we can help you out on your journey.... contact us f...
20/01/2026

5 Things Your Dog Needs This Year.... and here at Moray Dog Retreat we can help you out on your journey.... contact us for a FREE 15 minute discovery call to see how we can help you.....

1. Find routes and get out with your dog in nature. Recall training? Long line training?

2. Give your dog Quality Downtime. Sleep is super important with no noise and no interruptions, just like we need it too.

3. Make life consistent. Do daily walks and daily tasks and training... your dog expects it, take advantage of daily consistency to build your relationship and meet their needs.

4. Generic engagement can start to be un-productive. Dogs can get bored of the same games. Mix it up and focus on meeting the breed needs of your dog.... accept that collies herd, mali's bitey bite and your spaniel will thrive with sniffing out retrieves and scent work.

5. Are you off kilter? Then your dog will sence it. They can even smell it. Take time for guilt free YOU TIME and regulate your own nervous system. Walks, swimming, coffee with friends, hobbies.....but make sure its guilt free and helps you regulate your own nervous system which is always good for working with your own dog.

If you need help with anything above contact us this year!

09/01/2026

Stop Fighting Against instincts and start using them to your advantage.

Digging isn’t bad behaviour, it’s natural behaviour.

Dogs dig to use their brains, bodies, and noses. It relieves stress, burns energy, and fulfils instinctive needs. When you shut it down everywhere, the need doesn’t disappear, it leaks out as frustration.

Snow makes it even better ❄️

• low-impact
• cooling
• mentally enriching
• great emotional release

We encourage digging in the snow because a dog allowed to express natural behaviours appropriately is a calmer, more fullfilled dog.

Don’t stop the behaviour...use it!

Right place. Right time. Right outlet.

Get it get it!

Puppy Walks.... ...with Yuki. She's so a delight. Absolutely lots of fun and a great little pup out on an outing by hers...
08/01/2026

Puppy Walks....
...with Yuki. She's so a delight. Absolutely lots of fun and a great little pup out on an outing by herself. She's confident and at only 4 months she's gonna grow into a beautiful dalmation. Her owner is doing so many things in the right way and giving her the best start to life and that includes working on Walks, Markers, Manners, Balance and more.

She's very confident when she's out she explores and she likes to observe you can see her calculating whilst she looks at new things around her.

Hopefully you will all get the chance to meet her soon on one of our Neutral Walks.

If you'd like to join us... drop us a message and we'll chat.

Is he not the most handsomest boy you've ever seen? Absolutely no bias here at all.
04/01/2026

Is he not the most handsomest boy you've ever seen?

Absolutely no bias here at all.


02/01/2026

SNOW DAYS ARE PLAY DAYS

Snow days aren’t rest days....they’re play days.

When walks stop because you can't get out... dogs don’t suddenly need less… they need different.

Without an outlet, energy turns into frustration, reactivity and chaos.

Play matters because it:

Drains the brain faster than miles
Builds confidence and emotional control
Strengthens your relationship
Channels natural instincts in a healthy way

Think tug with rules, scent games, food puzzles, short training games.

You can hike in the snow. You can walk for miles and you can explore and adventure bit if you physically cant get out then remember that no walks doesn’t mean no fulfilment.

Use the snow to engage! Play with your dog on the cold and snowy days! They will appreciate it!

30/12/2025

Exciting things happening in 2026.... stay tuned.

30/12/2025

Had the cutest visitor today. Yuki came for a Sniff Around and to meet us here and to learn all about boarding for young dogs.

Yuki is so much fun and we will be seeing more of her with the crew at Moray Dog Retreat.

When you bring a new puppy for boarding we can book in trial stays, organise training, or work towards some really positive life experiences and carefully selected dog socialisation with other dogs where we do real positive meetings where we set your pup up for success whilst experiencing the world in a structured way.

Get in touch if you'd like to talk about puppy training or boarding for pups at Moray Dog Retreat.

(Pups under 6 months do not do overnight stays with other dogs 😍 until they are old enough, but we can set up great socialisation experiences).

Charlie’s Story is one of the reasons I believe so strongly in training towards boarding stays.Charlie was a lockdown do...
27/12/2025

Charlie’s Story is one of the reasons I believe so strongly in training towards boarding stays.

Charlie was a lockdown dog.
Deeply loved. Rarely separated from his owners.
Life beyond them felt unsafe.

When dogs don’t learn how to cope without their people, the world becomes very small for the dog and the owners.

No breaks. No holidays. Constant worry. Constant pressure.

Training towards a long stay isn’t about abandoning your dog.

It’s about teaching them emotional resilience and increasing their fuse and finding their motivations for play and socialisation to help meet their needs.

With a clear plan, consistency, and commitment, Charlie learned:

How to settle without his owners
How to cope in a new environment
How to feel safe, calm, and secure independently around dogs
How to play with humans and other dogs
How to settle

That work led to a successful long stay at Moray Dog Retreat and his owners finally took their first holiday in over four years, knowing Charlie was genuinely okay.

This kind of training:
✔ reduces separation stress
✔ builds confidence and adaptability
✔ gives dogs coping skills for real life
✔ gives owners freedom without guilt

It’s not always quick.
It’s not always easy.
But it’s worth it for everyone involved.

If you’re wondering whether your dog could work towards long stays, let’s talk it through properly.

📞 Book a free 15-minute discovery call.

No pressure. No judgement. Just an honest conversation about what’s realistic for your dog.

Drop me a message to book a call.

27/12/2025

As 2025 comes to a close, I just want to say thank you.

Thank you to every client who trusted me with their dog in boarding.

Thank you for the honesty, the commitment, the hard work, and for showing up even when it wasn’t easy during training.

Thank you for asking questions, challenging advice, celebrating progress, and trusting the process.

This year wasn’t about quick fixes or trends. It was about real dogs, real lives, and doing what actually works even when it’s messy & slow.

I’m proud of the dogs we helped.

And I'm honoured because of the owners that choose me to look after their family members time and time again.

I’m proud of the owners who stepped up.

And I’m genuinely grateful to do this work with people who care about thier dogs as much as I do.

Here’s to calmer homes, stronger relationships, and dogs being allowed to thrive as dogs.

Bring on 2026 🐾

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Kinloss
Kinloss

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