What to look for in a dog friendly cottage (and what to ask before you book)

"Dog friendly" is a tick box. On most listings it means the owner will not refuse your booking. It says nothing about whether the garden holds a dog, whether there is a fee waiting at checkout, or whether you will arrive to find a list of places the dog cannot go that nobody mentioned when you paid.

We run two stables at Aylburton on the southern edge of the Forest of Dean, and we built them around dogs, so we have opinions about this. Here are the ten questions we would ask before booking anywhere, and our own answer to each, so you can hold us to the same standard.

1. Is there a fee for the dog?

Ask, because it is often buried. A per-dog, per-night charge can add a surprising amount to a week.

Here: none. Two dogs per stable, always free. No dog fee, no per-night charge, nothing added at the end.

2. How many dogs, and what size?

Plenty of places take one small dog and call it dog friendly. If you have two, or one big one, ask before you fall in love with the photos.

Here: two per stable, any size, and up to four if you take both stables as the whole place. One of our favourite reviews was from a St Bernard.

3. Is the garden secure, or just enclosed?

This is the one that matters most and the one listings are vaguest about. Enclosed means there is a boundary. Secure means it holds your dog. Ask what the fence is made of, how the gate fastens and what is on the other side.

Here: each stable has its own enclosed grass paddock, fenced with wooden post and wire, private to your booking. Beyond it there is a field gate, and beyond that automated gates at the road. Three boundaries between your dog and traffic.

4. Is everything stated before you pay?

The worst dog-friendly surprise is the one at the door: no dogs upstairs, no dogs on the furniture, dogs in the utility room only. Read the small print before booking, and if there is no small print, ask what the house notes say.

Here: everything is on the site before you book. Where dogs can go, what is provided, what we ask of you. If you find something at the gate we did not tell you, we have got it wrong and we want to know.

5. Can you leave the dog for a while?

Many places say never. That shapes the whole holiday around the dog's schedule. Ask what the policy actually is, and whether there is any flexibility.

Here: for a quick errand, yes, by arrangement with us first. We keep absences short, and anything damaged while you are out is yours to put right. It is a holiday with the dogs, not dog-sitting, and we say so up front.

6. Are there other dogs on site?

A resident dog can be a joy or a problem depending on yours. Either way, you should know before you arrive.

Here: yes. This is our home, our own dog lives here, and family visit with theirs. None of them can get into the stables or your paddock, and if your dog needs a quiet arrival, we will plan it with you.

7. Where does the wet, muddy dog get washed?

Forest holidays mean mud. Ask whether there is somewhere to deal with it other than your bathroom and your towels.

Here: a dog wash station with a stainless steel tub, shower hoses and a blow drier. Free, and use it as often as you like. Guests who never needed it have still told us they were glad it was there.

8. Stairs, floors and older dogs

If your dog is getting on, a cottage with the bedroom up a steep staircase is a week of lifting. Ask about levels and floors.

Here: everything is on the ground floor, which guests tell us is easy on older dogs. There is a dog bed in each stable.

9. Walks and pubs from the door

Driving to every walk gets old. Ask what you can reach on foot, and where the nearest pub that takes dogs is.

Here: the lane runs down from the stables to The Cross at Aylburton, the village pub. Taurus Crafts is about half a mile, Lydney about a mile. The Forest's woodland walks are a fifteen to twenty minute drive, and we give you nineteen of them rated for mud.

10. What is actually provided for the dog?

Bowls, bed, towels, treats: ask what is there so you know what to pack.

Here: a dog bed in each stable, a welcome pack made up by name for each dog with treats waiting on arrival, and a question before you come about their name, what they love and what they cannot have, so the treats are the right ones.

The honest extras

Two things we will say because you would want to know. We are adults-only, so the dogs are the youngest guests here. And our own garden is ours; the dog's ground is the paddock, the patio and the lead walk down the drive, because the robot mower lives in the main garden and some dogs take it personally.

That is the whole list. Ask every place these ten questions and you will find out quickly whether "dog friendly" means a tick box or a plan. Ours is a plan, and it is all written down before you book. Enquiries are welcome for any dates.