Hygge & Hound

Save 15% using code ‘hyggepiper15’ at the check out

We were so excited when the team at Hygge & Hound asked us if we would like to test out their September “Houndspace” box. This isn’t your typical doggy subscription box, and I’ll explain why.

Houndspace not only includes natural, ethical & healthy treats for your dog- but it also contains some goodies for you too. The aim of the box is to focus on mindfulness, by de-stressing & spending quiet, quality time with your 4 legged friend. The name Hygge & Hound demonstrates just that. (Hygge = “A quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being” a Danish ritual)

“A MINDFULLY CURATED BOX OF GOODNESS FOR HUMAN AND HOUND.”

Included in the box are 2 cards which invite you to take some “me time”. Printed on the front is a dog themed motivational message & on the reverse some guidance and instructions on how to allow yourself to relax and practice mindfulness. I LOVE the idea of this so much. So many of us live busy modern lives & often forget to take time out for ourselves. The box encourages you to take “me time” when you’re out walking with your dog, which also makes it the perfect opportunity to bond with your furry companion.

Here are the 2 different doggy treats which came in the box. The first were these Pont & Pierce sweet potato flavoured bone biscuits. They felt very light & you could tell they were a natural and healthy product just by looking at them!

They smelt amazing & Piper loved the crispness of them!

Neoh & Nobo’s Butternut x Vanilla Bean Dog Biscuits were the second treat. We’ve heard a lot about this brand & couldn’t wait to give them a try. Again, you could tell the ingredients were all natural just from looking at them. I’m so careful about what I let Piper eat, so it’s always nice when we find a treat which we both love. These are quite large biscuits, so it took her a while to crunch.

How adorable is this striped bone? It’s by The Natural Pet Toy Company & Piper was really keen to play with it. It’s fragrance with aniseed which is supposed to be really appealing to dogs, and well, so far so good. It feels really luxurious & as though it will last a long time!

Now, the “human” gifts. A ginger cookie, 5x Hoogly apple chai tea bags & a gorgeous smelling candle. All items that are perfect for helping you unwind after a busy day. I’m not a massive fan of tea, but I do have to say I enjoyed the apple chai flavour. The cookie was really yummy & the ginger flavour was subtle, not overpowering like it sometimes can be.

Myself & Piper decided to give the activity on the “forest bathing” card a go- making a natural snuffle mat. This was an ideal way to switch off & de-stress on a Friday, after a busy day at work. On our evening walk we collected what we needed, as set by the instructions. Off we went with our secateurs, foraging for 6 sticks of equal length & a variety of leaves, ferns, flowers etc. Make sure you don’t pick any poisonous ones though!

Back at home, as instructed, I made myself a cup of the apple chai tea & sat down and enjoyed my cookie. Once refueled, I got on with making the natural snuffle mat for Piper.

Firstly, you have to make the base using the sticks you collected & garden twine to secure them in place. Then you weave the foraged leaves, flowers etc through the sticks to resemble a snuffle mat.

Now this is the part where Piper started to become interested in what I was doing, bless. Hide some treats amongst the leaves of your newly made snuffle mat, then place it down for your dog to enjoy. The idea is, that the dog sniffs out the treats & therefore is mentally stimulated. I’m always looking for ways to exercise Piper’s brain & this way was perfect, as she also had all the smells of the leaves & flowers to contend with, as well as the yummy smelling treats.

As you can see, she really enjoyed sniffing out all the treats & natural smells of the plants. Look at her giving me those eyes because I made her pose for 30 seconds! The good thing about the natural snuffle mat is, that once the plants start to brown, you can pop it into your garden waste bin. Super eco-friendly!

The other card, “The Centered Breath” focuses on relaxing using different breathing techniques. Above, the photos show Piper working on her self-control, she certainly let out a couple of sighs of impatience, bless her.

The Houndspace box really is something we have fallen in love with, and would highly recommend to all our friends. It’s such an obvious high-end product with some excellent gifts in. I truly believe we should all take some time to clear our minds and focus on ourselves & our mental health, so something which encourages us to do so can only be beneficial. You can subscribe to receive your own box, or even gift one for a friend who you think may benefit.

If you think Hygge & Hound would be something you can benefit from, then you can save 15% by using code ‘hyggepiper15′ on their website. You can follow the team on Facebook & Instagram, look out for updates on when the next box is due to be dispatched!

Thank you for reading & hopefully you’ll now take some well deserved me time too?
E & P x