Dog going to boarders for a week - am fretting - will she be the same when she comes back...

[saddowizca]

Our gorgeous girl is a one year old Vizsla, soppy, loving and very attached to us. We are going away for a week, and she is going to stay at a breed specific boarders, where she will be in with the family. ( I will take her food and bed. She is very attached to us, but will happily stay on her own for up to four hours on the weekend if we go to the cinema or similar. She calm and not nervy at all. She also loves playing with other dogs and has good social skills.)
I have met the family she will stay with, and she has met them, and they got on wonderfully, I'm just fretting a bit. Will she pine? Will she love it so much she won't want to leave? Will her behaviour change?
I feel a bit like I did when DD went to nursery... Can you put my mind at rest? 😨

My dog was fine - I felt similar to you. She didn't eat as much of her food as normal so she came back a bit thinner - she is a fussy eater anyway though and I often have to reoffer her breakfast at lunch instead so things like that I don't know if the boarder did that. She also came back matted and smelling of other dogs and her bed was covered in other dogs hair so had to go straight in the wash. But she seemed to enjoy having other dogs to run around with and now whenever we see mini daschunds she gets excited thinking it's the ones she stayed with! She is going again next week for 9 days this time, I will miss her more than she misses me I think!

Aww she sounds lovely Aria. My rational side thinks she will 'reset' when she gets there, and just fit in with the other dogs and her new surroundings, but the irrational side is having a wobble. The boarders will take her on massive walks with and she will even get some gundog training, so will probably be pretty unimpressed when she comes back.😅

Mine has had 2 long stays at the boarders now while we've been away and quite a few weekends. He loves it there and being with other dogs but is always excited and happy to see us and come home. He is always a bit quiet when he first comes back though and sleeps a lot so do prepare yourself for that as I think it's quite common. Think it's a mixture of extra long walks with the boarder and not sleeping as well in a strange environment.

Has your dog had a trial night there ?

Oh yes, meant to say that before we went away he had some time with the boarder so he was used to her. Started with a couple of hours, then a day then an overnight

My dog really does not like being away from us but she loves staying with the the guy she boards with. They have a nice bond and his home is quiet and in the countryside like ours so she doesn't get stressed. She is fine when she comes home.

Yes as PP says our dog is a bit quiet and tired (sulky?) when he gets back from a stay at the boarders' even though he goes there weekly for day care and has done for six years! (So I know he loves it). I'm sure your ddog will be fine.

My dog is just over a year old and had his first extended stay at the boarders recently, following a trial overnight. According to them he was a bit shy the first day but came out of his shell quite quickly. He had his own bed, food, and toys with him. The boarders provide a lot of enrichment and playtime which he loved. They also sent pictures every day so I could see what he was up to. When we picked him up he was thrilled to see us but he wasn't desperate to leave the boarders. By the time we arrived home it was as though we'd never been away at all, there was no adjustment period, he just slotted back into our regular life. I had also been worried beforehand that the experience would be difficult for him, so I definitely understand your concerns but in our case it worked out absolutely fine.

We're very lucky that the boarders that we use is our dogs dad's home. Wee buggers spoilt rotten and has an absolute ball. Dad's a gundog so some brilliant training done too.

Well Ddog is now home, smelling very fragrant, and just flaked out and went to sleep after a thorough snuffling around the garden.
SHe was very quiet for the first hour or so, and then jumped up for a big cuddle, licked me thoroughly and is now back to normal. She did really well and according to the boarder settled very quickly and made lots of friends. They sent daily updates and lots of pics, and she looked like she was having a ball. I think she is probably missing the other dogs, but she seems to be almost back to normal.
I feel like she needs to properly settle back at home before we even think of going away, but it was a very positive experience.
Thanks everyone :)