Does this make me a bad dog owner?? :(

[hellohellooo]

Hello all

Honest opinions much appreciated

My lovely dog is a very well cared for boy
We have. Had him for 7 years and he is by my side at all times
Sleeps at my feet in the bed
Two walks per day
Lots of treats

Anyway
We are away for a week at Xmas and I'm considering a highly reputable dog boarding facility
Is this the right thing to do?
He gets really upset when I'm not around

It's 6 months away
I have paid a small deposit as they are so popular but I don't mind losing this deposit

Will send lots of treats and a blanket that smells of me

What should I do??

Have a lovely holiday. Your dog will be fine.

I think it depends by what you mean by 'he gets really upset.'

Are you talking screaming and a completely break down with barking and it's clear your dog is severely distressed to the point he might injure himself or others? Or are you talking a few cries and then he cracks on with his day?

If it's the former - and your dog is genuinely distressed, then I would say yes. Having a dog with severe SA is really hard, but that's part of the commitment you make when you have one.

If it's the latter, then no.

No! It makes you a good dog owner for thinking about your dogs care so far in advance! It’s awful leaving them and you’ll always feel guilty over the decision. But no way are you a bad owner.

Is this the first time you have been away without your dog ? Of course you are a good dog owner, my only suggestion is see if the kennels will let you and your dog visit so the dog can get the smell of the place, or see if you can get a home boarder If you don't want kennels.

He’ll be grand: I have a springer spaniel of similar closeness. She goes to a farm with a dozen or so other dogs : doesn’t love me leaving without her, but is always fine. I absolutely LOVE the welcome back I get!

Thank you all

Great ideas

So I have left him before I paid a friend to come stay with him at the house for. A week

She is not available

When we left he lay at the door waiting for me and did not want to go on many walks

No extreme crying etc

I just worry he will think I'm not coming back (very spoilt dog )

The boarding place has an excellent reputation
They allow the dogs to sleep in the house
Small number of dogs etc

That's why I selected them

Also I told them my fears
They said not to worry

Hehe brevity be the soul of wit 😝😝

How lovely

We are so lucky with wonderful dogs

I think I just feel so guilty 😳😳😳

I think it all depends on the temperament of the dog. Mine are both rescues and it would be traumatic for them to go in kennels. So I have a friend who stays at my house and looks after them while we are away.

If your dog has never been in kennels before then maybe a few days going to doggy day care will help as it will get her used to the environment a bit more easily.

Whichever option you go for you are making sure your dog is safe and cared for, which makes you a good owner.

Can you book him in for a night or two in the weeks/months before you go on holiday. That’ll allow him to get used to it and know that you come back. A bit like the settling in sessions for kids at nursery. 😅

Just do 1 or two trial runs so he knows you are coming back, we did this with our dogs never kennelled so we did a weekend so they had 2 nights away but then knew we came for them. It out my mind at rest. They were fine BTW any all accounts had a fab time.

Genious idea

You are all very kind

Thank you

Going to book a trial night 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

I actually prefer kennels to home boarding my dogs have always clicked into the kennels routine and they always come home fine, my latest dog is quite shy and I tried home boarding and he didn't settle well, so next holiday it was back to kennels and he was miles better when we got back.

Hi OP I have a clinger too. A few thoughts that may or may not apply to your dog

Can you bring him for a visit to get a sniff of the place and then do a trial night? Any decent dog business should facilitate this
Also, my dog loves going to the boarders, but he doesn't love being minded at home , because he waits for and expects me. I can now drop him off and it's out of sight out of mind.

Best of luck.

You have 6 months to desensitise him from being away from you. Build it up slowly e.g. 1 minute on day 1, 2 on day 2, 3 on day 3. Once he's got to about 30 minutes you can jump up in 5-10 minutes blocks until you get to 4 hours. Then do a trial night at the place. He'll be fine I'm sure.

Wonderful ideas

I feel so much better now

Thank you !!!!!

I used to feel like this
what type of boarding is it? I have someone live in my house ( it’s always spotless afterwards) . This means my dog is in a place she knows and she gets lots of attention and cuddles during the week . Even can sleep on bed with the sitter on f doggy likes that.
it is usually a similar cost to kennels I couldn’t do kennels where lots of doggies in a box type room most of time. My doggies need love and normal life.
my dog sitter sends photos and updates most days .
if you need to find one ask on your local nextdoor or Facebook this way you will get a local one who knows the area and can walk your doggie where you walk them. Look for dbs checked and insured people.

enjoy your hols it will fly by . ❤️

We have two rescue dogs, both tiny. As we had no one available to look after them on a recent week away we put them in the local kennels with some trepidation. Much to our surprise they really enjoyed it, played with lots of other dogs and got loads of cuddles with the kennel ladies. Since they got home they are waking up later and behaving better on walks, so it has done them some good! OP, they will be fine.

Not at all. My rescue pug was very clingy with me. I refused to put her in a kennel because of her history as a dog that was used for puppy farming,so I used a lovely lady who boarded at her house and my dog was very spoilt there. I thought of it as a little holiday for my dog too.

Can he go for a tester weekend? Then you’ll know if he is a bit mopey but will still eat etc. and he also might get the message that it’s not permanent? Don’t know if that’s how dog brains work admittedly - sure someone will be along shortly to tell us.

Our cats, when holidaying at the cat hotel, one hides the entire time and the other is very friendly. They sent us pictures of her loving life and he was just a pair of eyeballs in a fuzzy igloo. But he gets over it as soon as he’s home, whereas I’ve heard people say their cats/ dogs freak out and go weird thereafter.

My conscience bothers me about Mr Hidey but my parents had a dog that they ‘couldn’t’ leave (they decided this without ever trying it) and it meant they missed all sorts of stuff. So worth a shot? Clearly if he gets so distressed it’s going to be a problem when his stay is over, then maybe no.

Make sure you leave him a stocking....
Or you may find yourself on the Naughty List..

That sounds a bit like a set up near to me and the dogs have a wonderful time.

He'll be too interested in the other dogs and what's going on to miss you!

For sure 😝😝😝

See that is where I am going when I was turning down events or nights away as he may be too uoset

It could be really good for him