Dog-Friendly Margaret River – 29 Bucket List Activities For You And Your Dog In Margaret River

ByDonna Hawkins Updated Margaret River, Pet-Friendly, Places To Go

Are you looking for things to do that are dog-friendly Margaret River?

 

Or maybe some dog-friendly activities in Margaret River?

 

Margaret River, located in southwest Western Australia, is well-known for its world-class wineries and stunning coastal scenery. But did you know that it’s also a great spot for dog lovers? 

 

In addition to plenty of open space to run around and explore, Margaret River has a wealth of pet-friendly activities that will make both you and your furry friend feel welcome. 

 

Having a bucket list for your dog is a great way to connect with them, spending quality time together while creating memories that will last a lifetime.  Life is precious.  It’s important to live life having fun in each other’s company.

 

When you’re happy with each other, you’re more content.  Happy dogs are less likely to display stress-based behaviors, (destructiveness or excessive barking, etc), so there are benefits to doing random things instead of living the same routine day-in-day-out.

 

I’ve made a list of some things to do with your dog while visiting Margaret River.  I hope you have fun with your pet.  Maybe even if you go with some friends and their dog, you can have a competition to see who fills it in best!

 

Don’t forget, if you use this, tag us in your photos from it on Instagram  @accommodationmargaretriver  

 

Affiliate Link Disclosure

This article contains some affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission when you click on them, at no additional cost to you. I do hope you find the information in this article helpful!

 

Related Posts

1. Make A Special Meal

My parents always told me that I had to make sure my pets were fed before I sat down to dinner. But, if you make your dog a meal, especially if it’s something meaty like steak, you can eat it together.  

 

Obviously don’t eat the steak ‘Lady and the Tramp’ style because of germs.  Turn it into a date night, and maybe follow it with a nice evening stroll along the river. 

 

Find a nice place to take your dog out for a meal here. 

 

2. Get A Family Photo

Life is fleeting.  Photos are good reminders of places we’ve been or what we looked like as we were growing up.  We often get photos of the humans in our family, but our pets are part of our family too, so they should be included in the photo as well.  

 

My young children often ask me to tell them stories of myself when I was growing up, and I often talk about all my pets.  What better way than to show them a photo of me and my animals together?  Photos also remind me of pets my family had that I was too young to remember.  

 

Margaret River has some really nice spots to have a photo taken, perhaps you could try a photo at the iconic locations of Surfers Point or the Boranup Karri Forest.

 

If you aren’t confident in your photography skills, try our friend Andrew from Live Stream Down South. If he can’t help you with a doggy portrait, he’ll know who can!

 

3. Take Photos At Places You Go And Make A Pet Calendar

If you’re like me, you can’t have enough calendars around the house.  I find it so much nicer looking at photos of my fur-child than of some random artwork.  Calendars make great mementos and Christmas presents, especially if the photos are of you and your dog. Bonus points if you theme it to your visit to Margaret River!

You can get your photos professionally made into a calendar, or, if you want a calendar on a budget, KMart is the way to go.  Not all stores have this option, so check ahead so you’re not disappointed.

 

4. Set Up A Social Media Page

If you’re really into social media, set up a Facebook or Instagram account and post pictures of things your dog gets up to on your holiday.  Photos of checking things off this bucket list is a good start.  And who knows?  Your dog might become the next Boo the Dog.  He has over 17 million Facebook fans!

 

5. Write A “Travel Diary” For Your Dog, Send It To Friends And Rellies With Your Christmas Letter

Could you start a dog-friendly Margaret River Travel Diary? I got the idea from watching Sad Dog Diary.  While the title of the video makes it sound like it would be morose, it’s actually quite funny. 

 

6. Teach Your Dog Frisbee

Frisbee is different to throwing a ball because of the way it flies, so why not liven things up?  Some dogs already know how to play this, and even if they can’t catch it, they still have fun. 

7. Try Paddleboarding 

One thing that gets people smiling is watching a dog on the front of a paddleboard, you might need a traction pad for your dog so it doesn’t slip off.  It’s also good company for you out there on the waves.  If your dog is little, or can’t swim, or even if you just want them to be that wee bit safer, you can invest in doggy life-vests.  I’ve seen many dogs on paddleboards at the beaches of Dunsborough and longed to do the same.  I really must invest in a board… 

 

8. Follow The Scent

This one used to be one of my first dog’s favorite games, especially when we took her for walks on my Uncle’s Farm.  This game is to simply let Doggo lead with his nose, following whatever smells he likes.  Just make sure the lead is long enough for him to be able to choose, but short enough that he can’t run out into the road.  Having a retractable leash is great for this. 

 

The Hairy Marron is a great place to start and stop this game.  It’s a dog-friendly Margaret River restaurant, so you can grab a coffee and cake before or after your walkabout.

 

9. Hide And Go Seek

This game is self-explanatory.  You may need two people for this game, one to keep pup distracted and the other to hide.  

 

I once hid beside a blackened stump while wearing a black coat.  My dog ran past me three times before she decided to use her nose to find me!  

 

If you don’t have someone to keep Fido distracted, hide her favorite little treats around and tell her to search.  It might take some time, so start in a small area (maybe around your campsite) until she gets the hang of it, and before you know it, they’ll turn into a bloodhound.

10. Eat The Alphabet

This is quite simple.  Just eat food beginning with the letters of the alphabet.  For example,

  •  Apple, Angus steak…
  • Biscuit, butternut squash…
  • Carrot, cheese…
  • Etc.  The list goes on.

But make sure that the foods you give aren’t accidentally poison for them, like avocado, chocolate, tomato, or sultanas.  And while Pooch is eating their way through the alphabet, maybe you could Drink Your Way Through Margaret River.

But whatever you decide to do, have fun!

 

11. Visit Every Dog Park In The District

This is good for the whole family too.  You can have picnics, meet new people and make new friends and so can your dog. There are two maps of the dog exercise areas in Margaret River, here and here, but if you want to be more adventurous, you could check out the dog parks in each town you visit too…

 

12. Take Part In A Dog Treasure Hunt

Very like ‘Hide and Seek’ but instead of little treats, hide one big one.  Like one of those massive dog bones that you can buy from the butchers that are the size of your forearm.

13. Be Photographed In Front Of 5 Famous Landmarks

Very simple.  Find 5 landmarks in Margaret River (we have some suggestions below).  The landmarks don’t have to be “world famous” or even country-wide famous.  Just famous to the locals.  Some ideas are:

 

14. Roll In The Mud And Get Really, Really, Dirty

If there was one thing I hated, it was having to wash my dog.  It would have been fine if she liked having baths, but she didn’t.  So letting her get REALLY muddy was, for her, like having all her Christmases come at once.

 

15. Visit A Luxury Dog Spa

This might be a VERY good thing to do AFTER letting the dog tick off quest 14.  This way, you also get out of having to be the one to wash the mud off!  It’s a win/win!  There’s a great Dog Spa in Busselton called Monty’s Place, open 8 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday.  

Address: 11 Trumper Drive, Busselton 6280

Phone: +61 8 9779 4005

 

16. Doggy Massage

Why don’t you make a day of it, pampering your pooch with a massage? Monty’s Place also offers massages and deep cleansing amongst other things.  (For the dog, remember, not you.  You’ll have to go elsewhere).

 

17. Make A Paw Print Stepping Stone

This is a fantastic idea to create a useful memorial of your beloved pet.  Not only is it a great reminder of your pet but if you make a bunch of them, you can use them in your garden.  Perhaps one stone per foot “walking” up to a garden seat, or their favorite spot to nap outside.  All you need is;

  • 1-4 aluminum pie tins (which you can get from Coles or Woolies – BBQ trays work fine too if you don’t mind a rectangle shape)
  • A bag of cement (Obtainable from Bunnings or hardware store)
  • Bucket to mix the cement in
  • Vaseline (again, Coles or Woolies)

Grease the pie tray (or trays if you’re making more than one) with the Vaseline, mix cement according to the instructions, and pour into the tray.  Coat the underside and sides of your dog’s paw with Vaseline, and very gently press their paw (the one coated with Vaseline), into the cement.  Wash the dog’s paw while leaving the stepping stone to dry, and Voila!

 

18. Give Your Dog A Doggy IQ Test

This idea is a little strange, but it’s quite good.  There are a number of Doggy IQ Tests that you can find online, and they’re all very simple to do.  I was curious to find out where my dog ranked.  

 

I tried this with my husky, Buddy. He had a great time discovering how stupid he was, and I had a good time laughing at him.  He thought the whole thing was just a bunch of random games and loved me more for it. 

19.  Go Bikejoring

What the heck is bikejoring?  Bikejoring is attaching your dog’s harness and leash to your bike and letting them pull you along.  Kind of like a sled dog.  This one will only work if you have a big dog (or dogs), so if your pup is a wee chihuahua, this probably isn’t for them. (Sad face).  

 

If you have a great big dog like my husky Buddy, you could get them to pull your kid’s go-cart while you run or ride beside.  You gotta get a photo of that!

 

20. Organise A Muddy Dog Challenge For Your Dog’s Friends, To Raise Money For An Animal Charity

Make an obstacle course race in a dog park or friend’s backyard and invite your friends’ dogs to join in for a fee, and donate the money to an animal charity like RSPCA.  There are lots to choose from, so pick the one that you like best.

 

21.  Play The Cup Game

This is actually one of the IQ tests.  Get three plastic cups, top-down on the floor (or table if your dog is tall enough to see that high).  Show your dog that you’re putting a treat under one of them.  Swirl them around like you’re on Penn and Teller and let your dog guess which one the treat is under.

 

22.  Make A Puzzle For Your Dog To Solve

This can be as simple as putting treats in an empty plastic bottle or tissue box and watching your dog figure out how to get them out.  Or you can be tricky and thread a string through the bottle (about 2/3 the way up) and tie each end of the bottle so it’s like a tightrope.  Your dog will then have to figure out how to spin the bottle enough so that the treats tip out.  If you want a different idea, there are heaps on the internet.  But either way, take a video and post it on social media.

 

23.  Howl With Your Dog 

If your dog likes howling, why not let them howl for a few minutes and howl with them.  I tried this with Buddy, but he didn’t like it.  He thought there was something wrong with me and kept trying to lick my face.  

 

Obviously, this should NOT be done in a caravan park or campground, or near anywhere people might be sleeping.  Go down to the beach or some other out-of-the-way place.  Why not video their reactions and post them up on Instagram?

 

24.  Make Your Own Personalised Dog Tags

Another good idea for memorabilia.  There are two ways you can do this, but both require photos.  The first one is to use a clear plastic keyring, and put a photo in.  You can buy keyring kits online too.  

 

The second way is to use a large cabochon of resin or glass and glue the photo carefully to the underneath (Onto the flat side with the picture facing up into the dome).  Once that is dry glue a magnet, or stick a magnet strip to the bottom of the picture and use it as a fridge magnet.  I Love fridge magnets.  If you get a large enough cabochon, instead of a magnet, you could use it as a paperweight.  

 

25.  Have A Pet BBQ And Invite The Other Dogs From The Campground

Most dogs love socializing.  And what better way than to have a barbeque at your campground or caravan park and invite the other resident dogs.  The humans can gather around swapping cooking tips and stories, while the dogs enjoy sniffing each other’s butts and eating any meat left unattended.

 

26. Organise A Surprise Meet-Up With One Of Your Dog’s Friends

Socialization is important, for humans and dogs.  So why don’t you organize to meet up with a friend and their dog, or go camping together?  Maybe take a video of Doggo’s reaction when they realize the dog in the dog park is a friend they already know.

 

27.  Find At Least One Geocache With Your Dog

I put this on the list because I am a huge fan of geocaching.  Essentially it’s like treasure hunting with a GPS.  Geocaching.com has a lot of information about what it is and where to find them.  

 

I used to go caching with my dad, but when he couldn’t manage the walking anymore, I didn’t want to go alone so I took my dog.  Every time I found a cache, I’d give her a treat.  On good days I could find over 50.  She loved it.  

 

Walkies AND treats, HER FAVOURITE THING!!  Well, truth be told, ANYTHING was her favorite thing.  Especially if it involved food.  Or walks.  Or mud. Or smelly socks.  Or…

 

28.  Visit Every Dog Beach In The Area

Most dogs love the beach.  The sea air, the waves, splashing in the water then running back to their owners (who are sunbaking on the sand) and shaking really hard so everyone is wet… The joys of life.  Take photos of your happy hound at each beach and find out which they like the best!

 

29. Take A Picture Of Your Dog Enjoying A Meal At A Dog Friendly Restaurant

There are HEAPS of dog-friendly restaurants around Margaret River. In fact, we have an awesome list right here. Why don’t you take a picture of you and your dog enjoying a meal from one (or two or three) of them?  Perhaps tuck a napkin into your dog’s collar for a more “cutesy” look.

Conclusion

How many quests did your dog get to tick off their dog-friendly Margaret River bucket list?  If you didn’t get them all completed this time, use it as an excuse to take more time off work for another holiday.  And while you’re at it, tell your friends about all the dog-friendly things you can do in Margaret River.  We’ll still be here!  

 

And don’t forget, tag us in your photos on Instagram! @accommodationmargaretriver. Who knows, we might even start a “doggo of the month!” 

 

 Related Posts

[WPSM_COLORBOX id=4535]