Just need some advice really. My husband, son and I are off on holiday on Saturday. As it was a late booking - down in Cornwall - we were unable to find suitable accommodation to take our Great Dane with us. I am now left with the task of finding suitable kennels for him. He is a nervous dog (especially with men) and loves his home comforts and company. Any suggestions how we can make it an easier experience for him? He's been kennelled once before but it was when he was only 8 months old and he's 2 now. When I picked him up last time he barely remembered me and looked so sad. I'm not looking forward to the holiday as I'm feeling too guilty. We live in the Warwickshire area. If anyone knows of any decent kennels please let me know.

Hi.
You will be VERY lucky if you find a good kennel that has space at this "peak" boarding time. should you do so, I would suggest you check it out very carefully as I would wonder why.
I think I should mention that it is NOT unusual for a puppy not to recognise their owners when left at a young age for the first time.
Dawn.

Hi

To echo what Dawn has said about them recognizing you. Do be prepared for him not to know you for a minute or so. I left my boys for three weeks in June - came back expecting to be floored and they barked at me!!!! They didn't want to know us for a good minute - seemed like much longer. I was gutted, I was blubbing then they suddenly remembered who we all were - and then we got bowled over - lol:D and they wouldn;t leave me alone for a week:rolleyes:

Good luck in finding somewhere - it's a really hard thing to do.

Pam n the boys

HI there

I hate to sound negative but we had a Dane in when i worked in Kennels, and he was so miserable he also became a bit nervous aggressive (no-one blamed him as he was 5 and had never been left before) ..... they seem to just so love their human families. I felt more sorry for him than for almost any of the other dogs :(

Is there any way you could arrange for a trusted relative to take him, or to "house-sit"? There are companies such as Animal Aunts who dog and house sit. He may coope better if he is at least in his own surroundings, but with lots of company.

If you do put him in kennels, i would suggest taking his own bed (but not all kennels will allow this) fav. toys, maybe a familiar sound such as a ticking clock he knows, and an unwashed and cuddly item of clothing such as a jumper worn by you.

As has already been said, I would be very surprisd if a good kennel can be found at such short notice, it is a bit of a nightmare for you :(

I know you feel bad enough already, and please forgive me for being so blunt, but from what you have said i really don't think your dog will have a very happy time.

Best wishes
LIndsay

I'm afraid I agree with Lindsay - it doesn't sound as if he will be very happy in kennels. I don't want to add to your guilt but, if it was me, I'd be cancelling the holiday.

Hi.
It may be too late now but for the future, it is always a good idea to take a dog to kennels for a couple of days while you are at home. This gives oppertunity for the dog to see what goes on before a main stay, and, should there be a problem you will be on hand to deal with it. We always reccommend this with puppies and with dogs of a nervous disposition. There is no reason to think your dog will not settle in kennels now he is an adult, it may be the kennels you took him to previously just did not suit him, each kennel operates differently. I would suggest you look around for future reference, there may be a time you will need to use a kennel again. Hope you sort this time out ok.
Dawn.

Hi Lynne,
What happened to your Camping plans???? I hope we didn't scare you off of them. I still smile to think of your dog having his own personal human sized bed + room :) :) :) :D :D :D
toodles

We decided to give the camping trip a miss that we'd originally planned. Mainly due to the weather being a bit of a worry. My son has a bed wetting problem and the thought of wet sleeping bags (probably every night) was also not a pleasant thought.
We've been searching the internet for a holiday in Cornwall for the last week but as yet have not found anything with any vacancies that will accept us with our dog. We've also rang round all the kennels in the area and nobody has any vacancies. Think we'll be staying at home now. Maybe next year we'll be more organised!

Hi

Try http://www.cornwall-online.co.uk/forda-lodges/Welcome.html

We went to stay there 18 months ago and they have some lodges that you can have dogs with. They had two Labradors of their own and were extremely nice people.

Lucy

I would ask around and get recommendations, then I would drop in unannounced to see the kennels and see what they're reaction is. We had to do this recently as an emergency called our petsitter away a week before we had to go away. Chelsea had been in kennels before, but Savannah hadn't. I was really worried. Being whippet and whippet mix the kennel was familiar that this breed loses LOTS of weight in kennels and said they would feed 3 times a day instead of two. They invited us to call/email/fax as often as we wanted, and were honest with us the first day when they said Savvy didn't do so well the first night, but after 3rd day was doing fine and had them wrapped round her tiny little paws!! The dogs were very happy when we came back to get them and had only lost a little weight compared to what I expected.

If you're anywhere in the Dorset area I can recommend the kennels to you if you email me. Don't know if they'll have space, but they are great! Ideally I will still have friends look after them, but at least I will never be caught out in an emergency again.

Wendy

How about checking out kennels close to where you will be staying in Cornwall? If you were planning originally on taking him with you then you could board him down there with the option of taking him out of the kennels to spend the day with you.
If you say whereabouts you are going then maybe someone can help.

Just a thought....but is there anyone you know and trust who could just "live" at your residence with your dog during your vacation?
toodles

Have tried asking all our trusted family members and friends if they'll either have Shadow at their house or ours but unfortunately they all work full time and cannot get time off to help us out. Good suggestion though!

That's too bad. I forgot about the rain y'all have been having in the south. Camping in the wet is just not a lot of fun :(

I did find this site the other day. I'm browsing through it for next year's holiday. Apparently, there are some "last minute" specials on it. Perhaps you might find it helpful. It will say if dogs are allowed or not --- you can set the search engine for it.
Interhome Holiday rentals
good luck
toodles

HI

Have you taken a peek at Pets Welcome book, available from Smiths and libraries? We found a hotel in Cornwall that took dogs and there are many listed..... some seem to quite specialise in dogs now! :)

Lindsay

Hi All
Thanks for all your advice. We've had a breakthrough! My husband Stu phoned a caravan park near Minehead and they have had a cancellation for one of their static caravans. We are off to Sunnybank Holiday Caravan Park on Saturday. Shadow is included too. They have an outdoor heated pool which my son will love and plenty of coastal paths and beaches that we can walk along with Shadow. I'm so excited. This is the first time Shadow will see the sea. Will tell you all about it when we come back home. Off to start the task of washing ironing and packing now. Just hope we can fit everything in the car - including the dog!!

That's absolutely fab, Lynne. I'm so happy for you :D :D :D :D Have a wonderful time and tell us all about it when you return.
ta ta
toodles

That's really good news, Lynne, and so great that Shadow can go with you....have lots of fun and tell us all about it when youget back!!! Looks like the weather will be good to :)

Lindsay

Hi everyone
Had a brilliant holiday, weather fantastic. Shadow loved all the fuss and attention he got from everyone. Although being a greatDane we got stopped by everyone asking to take photos and fuss him etc. He still doesn't like water though. Only managed to get him to paddle up to his ankles! Had to take him to the vets while we were away too. He picked up an allergy to the carpet cleaner that was used in our static caravan. Had an antibiotic and steriod injection. Bless him - he was covered in spots from head to toe. But they soon disappeared after his treatment!
Would definately recomend a holiday like that to anyone. We even found a great sandy dog friendly beach nearby so my 5 year old son was happy too. Although not impressed when Shadow knocked down his masterpiece sandcastle. Oh well, we found it highly amusing anyway.
Thanks to everyone for all their advice and support
Lynne

Great to hear it's all worked out for you, Lynne. The north Devon coast is a lovely area with lots of good walks for both dogs and humans. Hope the weather is fine and you all have a really good holiday.
Joyce

Hi have only just picked up this thread, but the following may be of use for the future. Have you heard of Pets and People? They are based in Warwick and basically find caring family homes for your pets whilst you are away. I've just used them for the first time as I don't like putting Barney in kennels and it went really well - think he had a super time with his carer! The have a website www.petsandpeople.co.uk or are in the phone book.

HTH
Lynne

Don't forget yourself and the rest of the family, you may need your holiday and I am sure your dog will benefit from you all having a break. If you find a good place for him to stay...go and relax.
I found this site the other day when looking for training classes, it's another option.

http://www.good-dog.co.uk/