My friend just doesn't understand.  We are the only couple in our group of friends that has a dog.  Before we got her we discussed all sorts including what would happen if we went abroad and the answer was simple, boarding kennels.  Now that we have booked our first (and probably last) skiing holiday for February I can't bear the thought of leaving her in kennels.  My friend thinks I am mad but I told her that my dog won't understand why she's being left and I am worried about how it might change her behaviour.

What experiences do you have with leaving your dogs in boarding kennels?

I left our boy in kennels while we took our girl to a show and when we went to pick him up the kennel girl was sat in with him and apparently she had hardly left him since 7am :D :D
He howled his darn head off (big dog big mouth) and nothing would shut him up. (He's such a baby).
He was quite withdrawn for a few days so we just left him to it and he came round.
The worst thing was he was only in kennels for the day!! 7am till 5pm

We vowed never again unless both dogs were together (he'd settle then) which would probably never happen, luckily my good neighbour heard about our predicament so she watches him when we goto shows.

Sorry thats no help at all is it
I would visit before hand to make sure you like the facilities and ask about their procedures feeding/vets etc and take him for a few visits.

I believe it depends on yours dogs personality.  I had a rescue that we put in kennels and he was miserable, when we returned he couldnt bark or make a noise as he had made himself poorly howling too much.  The girls in the kennels said they couldnt take him for his daily walk because he just wouldnt go to them to have his lead on.  The guilt I felt when I returned was immense.

Now I have 2 pups (1 year and 4 months)  I thought I would be able to board them together but now its me stopping this as I couldnt bear it so they go to their dogs walkers who charges £25 a night to have them both in his home.  They love him to bits so its a holiday for them aswell as us. 

I never see the difference to a dog between kennels and being abandoned in a rescue home, they dont understand and probably do think we have abandoned them, thats until they have been a couple of times and realise you always come back.

Chez, where are you thinking of putting her?  Just out of interest! :)

I haven't looked anywhere because I am trying to work a flanker :D

I've hinted strongly to my daughter that I would like a housesitter, however, she does work all day.  I have also discussed with my mum how much I dread putting dog in kennels and my mum has not said no.  She is a bit houseproud so won't appreciate the muddy paws but she also adores the dog and so does my dad.  Problem is they are getting on a bit now so I wouldn't expect them to walk her, in fact knowing my dog and what she's like I think I would have to fobid it.  They have a big garden.

Why ice_queen, are there horror stories to be heard around here?  I think the closest one to us is Baldock.

My two have never been boarded. I just couldn't enjoy a holiday away from them for worrying how they were coping.
It does cause difficulties sometimes, especially with family occasions like Christmas, weddings, funerals etc. but we always manage to find a way around most situations.

I haven't heard any horror stories for along time (10+ years) in this area.  When we have boarded our dogs we have used A1 boarding kennels who have been good but we knew one of the kennel maids so made it abit easier.  There's one in royston.  Met the lady once who seemed very nice although never experianced her kennels.

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HI ya

i think it definetly depends on the kennel!! my weimaraner had to be in kennels for 6 weeks when my mum and dad devorced and dad was living in rented propertie and me and mum were living at her sisters with her husband and my grandma in a 2 bed bunglow!!! we went to see him every day and took him out tho he coped fine with it but it was the best kennel where we lived he used to know wher he was going and drag me to his kennel! just find out as much as you can about the kennel and trust ur gut and ask people there what they think of it!

Hi
I have a GWP (14 mths) and he has been to the kennels twice now.  As soon as he sees theres other dogs he doesn't even turn round to see where we are.
Seems happy.

Then goes mad when we pick him up. Very pleased to see us.

So i think it really depends on your type of dog and his pesonality.

But i do agree i feel bad when first leaving him, but i think it does them good to meet other people and dogs. Bit of indepence (well so i tell myself !)

I am probably being silly but I can't imagine our dog coping that well.  She's very cautious of strangers, human and dog and I would say she can be quite sensitive.  If you tell her off she will shake from head to foot and that is without raising your voice, just being very stern and still.  If my son tells her off she comes to me and leans into me for reassurance.

If I thought the experience would do her good I would be more inclined to book her somewhere because she could do with toughening up and getting used to other dogs in close proximity.  I just dread the thought of her going the other way and being anxious about being left again.  I can leave her at home for a few hours and know that all she does is sleep.  She is given her kong and that is the only thing that is out of place when I return.

I was very nervous of leaving our older dog for the first time :) He was a Battersea stray and has GSD in him, so he is very attached to us :) However, we had no alternative to putting him in kennels. His first time was for 2 weeks. He was absolutely fine :) Our trainer runs the kennels so I knew that I would get the truth :) Now we have the two dogs, it is obviously better as they have each other - but they both love it. We go to agility at the kennels and Tara always pulls me towards the entrance to the kennels :)

Not to say that other dogs might have problems - but mine certainly don't :)

Daisy

why don't you go round a few boarding kennels and ask if they can take your baby as a day boarder? Or even a half day boarder? My friend did this with her dog, once every week for about 6 including a few overnight stays in the run up to her 2 week hols. Said dog got better and better to the point where she dragged herself into the kennels-she still loves it even now!! I'd HATE to leave mine in kennels. I would if i really had too-as a last resort, but would do a day boarding / overnighter first.

nicola

That's a good idea nicola.  It is the overnight bit I worry about the most.

You have  GSP don't you? I don't want to put you off but my GSP hates being kenneled. I have used the same kennels for the last 7 years and they are brilliant but that doesn't stop otto hating every minute of it. Unfortunately there are times when I have to put him in there but the longest I have done this is 4 days. When I pick him up he has usually lost his voice because he has been howling all day. He won't eat very well and becomes very nervous. He usually hasn't slept very well either because he  sleeps the whole day after I pick him up!  Not nice for a 9 year old dog
Thank god my new mother in law loves otto and wants to keep him so now I can leave him with her. I did so for a week this summer to go on my first holiday abroad in 9 years. I was more worried about Otto than my 2 girls!!!!! lol He loved it and I picked him up healthy and happy!!!!   

Make sure you visit a few kennels before you decide. However, in my opinion,  a housesitter will always be the better option!
Good luck!!

I think I am going to have work on the aging parents.  Daughter and her boyfriend housesitting would be good but they work fulltime.  Parents love dog to bits and she loves them just as much.  I can't believe I am worrying so much but I would hate to lose my dog's trust especially when it comes to leaving her.  She is so good about being left alone at home that I have no worries about leaving her whatsoever and I would hate for that to change

Just to redress the balance I have never yet had a dog that reacted badly to kennels at all.  In an emergency I once had to leave two overnight with a friend.  I spent the whole time worrying if she would appreciate how cuning they could be about pretending not to notice open doors or plates of biscuits at low level and she had an appalling night when they tried to convince her that, no, despite what I had told her they were not used to sleeping in their crates in the kitchen and would really prefer to be draped on her pillow snoring and dribbling and fitgeting all night.  Never again.

:D :D

I really value my freedom to travel so I never think twice about getting each dog used to kennels from early on.  You never know when an emergency will arise and the usual family or friend is not available.  Kennels are generally very well regulated these days your dog will be very safe there, peoples homes are not always as well regulated :)  I'm not heartless to my dogs needs, we do a lot of camping etc together as well and when my last oldie was growing frail my husband and I stopped taking holidays together for a couple of years so she did not have to go into the kennels but when they are in their prime I think you need to be able to continue to do some of the things you want to without them there are other things in life apart from dogs ;)

I said before I got my dog that I would have no qualms about putting one in kennels if need be, however I had to put mine in for two nights in July whilst I got married and it was certainly a different feeling when it actually came round to it, ha ha I wasn't as bold and heartless as I thought I was!

She went in quite happily, as she loves other dogs and new people and was estatic on arrival, but picking her up two days later - well everyone (i.e hubby, my mum) thought she was completely different - she virtually ignored me for two days and did nothing but sleep and just wanted to be on her own in a corner sleeping.  We all said how it had 'changed' her, but at that time we were feeling guilt etc. However a few weeks later, I thought "well really you know, it just seems like she was tired" - and reading from other comments it probably makes sense that she was just exhausted from 2 nights spent listening to other dogs howl and bark.

The couple who run the kennels were lovely, the wife being one of the senior nurses at our vets, and although I'm lucky in that I have two relatives to either take my dog or stay with her usually, if the need arose I would still put her in kennels again.  I wouldn't like leaving her, but at the end of the day she would have food, water, safety and security, a place to sleep (and biscuits at bedtime!) so although the dog might have the hump with you for a bit at the outrage of you leaving them while you go off without them, as long as they aren't coming to any harm you have to get your head around the fact that they're a dog and sometimes needs must, and they really will get over it!

Chez, there are companies that will send someone to come and stay in your house while you're away, keeping the dog in a familiar place and to a familiar routine - have you looked into those?

Whereabouts are you based?

Personally, I wouldn't use kennels because I'm afraid the kennel hands will come and tell me dogs to "shhh" if they bark, thereby just rewarding the barking.  (And guess who has to live with them again and doesn't want noisy dogs?)

Also, I'm not sure I would trust the kennel hands to keep mine out of contact with others - and I don't want my dogs meeting any other dogs if I'm not there to supervise the meeting.

Also, dogs in kennels must go on leads to and from the exercise area and at other times, and I'd be worried that the kennel hands would continue to walk forwards should the dogs pull, thereby rewarding the pulling. 

And all kinds of little things like this.  Besides the fact that I think it is very hard on a dog to be without both his owner, and his home, at the same time.  Being in a strange place with his owner is fine.  Being in a familiar place (home) without his owner is also fine.  But to be in a strange place and without his owner just sounds a bit hard on the dog to me.  For this reason I use sitter services that I know will absolutely follow my instructions to the letter and walk the dogs only on haltis, so they can't learn to pull, and never let them off lead.

I have to use kennels when I fly for work, I have no qualms about using them, they look after my dogs well, they do not have any problems going in or going out.

I am happy that they are in "maximum security prison" and so not at risk of being run over, etc etc if they were with someone else.

I don't expect my dogs to "understand" everything I do or why, I just expect them to fit in with my lifestyle and they do.

Not experienced any change in behaviour in any of my dogs that have been left in kennels over the years.

Of course you MUST do you research and choose kennels that will comply with your wishes and that will suit your dogs.

The first time I put mine in kennels it spoilt my holiday worrying about them.

When I took them in for their second stay they pulled the owner over to the kennel block and didn't give me a backwards glance.  I haven't worried about them since.

I know they are safe, I would worry leaving them with someone incase they escaped.

Hi Chez_swa,

We have all been through this dilema, the thought of leaving my dog alone for 2 weeks used to break my heart and I spent my first holiday worrying myself to death and imagining my dog pining to death. I have since had packs of dogs so do not worry any more.  But my first GSD was a lone dog............. and he was absolutely fine. Firstly make sure you find a really good kennel, break her in slowly, I don't agree with just taking your dog to a kennel and leaving for 1-2 weeks, as I worry the dog will not know you are coming back.  So take her for a day maybe twice before you leave her for real, to accustom herself to the place and realise she also comes home afterwards. Also you can gage her reaction as to whether she is happy to go back.

Remember very importantly dogs have no real concept of time, she will not know she has been left for 1-2 days or weeks.  My kennels, will take my dogs at the office, and then walk them to the kennel, when I return I collect them from the office and they probably think I have been there all along.  They are well fed, and happy. My GSD was also very well taken care of.  Remember they have lots of doggie friends to mix with on their walks and playtimes. And well trained people who will talk and play with them too. Mine have always settled straight back into home life with no worries and I have had no bad experiences.

People without dogs will never understand your worries, it does not hit home until they have one themselves, our dogs are like our children, you are not being silly to worry............. but in my experience your dog will be absolutely fine. :-)

Lots of things to consider, but feeling better about situation already.  Don't have to make a decision straight away so will mull things over. Thanks everyone :)

Good luck, remember, just because "the kennel hands do not do things the way you do" does not mean that your dog's behaviour will fall apart or that he will become a delinquent any more than  a child left at its granny's etc will "irrevocably mark" them ;)

If this were so none of us that compete  in various disciplines at the highest level would EVER leave our dogs in kennels!

At the end of the day you will do what you consider is in the best interests of your dog, that is all anyone can ask or expect.

Best of luck.

But surely, once a dog is very highly trained and competing at the highest level, it would no longer try to bark for attention or even attempt to pull on the lead when being walked to an exercise area??  Surely it is the people who are at an earlier stage of training whose training might be jeopardised by kenneling?

A Week or two in a kennel is not going to be irreparable at any stage for the vast majority of dogs that do not have any emotional problems.

Dogs are very context specific and person specific so just because they MAY behave in a particular way in another environment or behave differently for the husband say than the wife does not mean that its behaviour or training is jeopardised for life.

My dogs behave quite differently for others than myself; it is natural.

My dogs have had to be kenneled at 4 months long before they were trained to the degree they attained later on, did not do them any harm.........

We put Toby in a kennel for two weeks when we we abroad in November.  I was worried he would revert back to messing in the house etc when we got him home, but he's been as good as gold, just clearly very pleased to be back!  He was fine when I dropped him off, and wonderfully excited to see us return!  He looked well looked after (although smelt a bit ) and apart from having an 'extra-long' doze in his cage when we returned, his behaviour was exactly the same as before we went away.

mine is very keen to get in there, although equally keen to see us upon return. I prefer the kennels to leaving him with a friend because he is a big strong  dog and I know he will be safe there. I dropped him of last time and he went in without a backward glance and I cried all the way home, then I got on with the holiday, missed him like hell though.