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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

What do you do with your dog when you go on holiday???

44 replies

Duettino · 10/08/2022 15:15

Recently come back from another UK based holiday that's had the joy sapped out of it as we have had to take the dog everywhere. He is a big dog, very nervous, not good with other dogs (if they're little he thinks they're prey and if they're big he wants to ferociously play)

He's really annoying in crowds (mostly because other people and dogs come up to him) and places we can go are limited. I also worry about him out in the heat where we would normally leave him at home in the cool. We are desperate to go abroad or just a nice holiday but im not sure how well he will cope in a kennels.

His breed is aloof and wary of strangers, not good with other dogs, takes an experienced owner and he is moody. A miserable cat in a 50plus kg dogs body.

Does anyone else have a similar dog (he is well trained, it's his breed... honest) and what do you do with them and how do they handle it?

OP posts:
thesandwich · 10/08/2022 15:18

Dog sitter in your house?

Mol1628 · 10/08/2022 15:24

our dog is terrified of everything. She hates holidays in unfamiliar places.

She goes to an amazing dog boarder. She looks after her one to one in her farmhouse, big outdoor paddock away from roads (she’s scared of traffic) and has free range of the downstairs of her house. She absolutely loves it. It’s £20 a day which I think is amazing value for money.

Original poster
Duettino · 10/08/2022 15:26

We looked at that last year... all a bit odd. The local company has her son and his gf go to their normal job and then stay the night at your house. Fine, I think, but I'm a bit precious about some young lad and his gf sleeping in my bed and what not.

Also, breed means a stranger coming in the house is likely to be mauled.

OP posts:
Original poster
Duettino · 10/08/2022 15:27

@Mol1628 that is amazing value. Where in the country is she?

OP posts:
Mol1628 · 10/08/2022 15:28

@Duettino East Yorkshire. But I bet there are loads of similar businesses. Have a search on Facebook. I would never let a stranger into my house so it works great for us.

kindlyensure · 10/08/2022 15:28

What breed?

Also second Dog Sitter - there are companies that provide this service.

Or try him in a kennel. If he's not good with other dogs it might suit him to be in his own space in a boarding kennel. Try it for a night or two and see how he is when he comes back.

I mean, a kennel is probably going to be the least 'fussy' place - that is, they won't really mind if the dog is aloof or nervous because they will most probably take him out by himself and keep him in the kennel for the rest of the time, unlike a dog sitter who might struggle to manage his behaviour?

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 10/08/2022 15:29

Sounds like you need to look into dog training before anything else. Poor creature sounds mega stressed. What training have you done?

abovedecknotbelow · 10/08/2022 15:30

I pay £25 / day for our dog boarder, she is amazing, only has one at a time in her house so you have to book waaaaay in advance. She's an ex vet nurse, and my diabetic, blind old boy has a great time when he's there.

Worth asking your vets and any local groomers if they know anyone.

I also found someone a few years ago through holidays4dogs - despite the awful name they are really experienced and would only board your dog with someone who could look after him well.

BeyondMyWits · 10/08/2022 15:31

Find a decent kennels.

Our local one is run by an ex RSPCA inspector. He knows dog behaviour and has set up his kennels to be a real haven for all sorts of dogs.

Our old dog does not really enjoy the company of other dogs, so he is walked alone, up to 6 times a day as he has arthritis and needs very short walks. He has a basket in the office as he does like the company of people, so during his morning active phase, he spends time with them. We could not ask for anything better.

Costs a bomb, but it is worth it to get the same dog back that went in.

The first thing that sold me on them was the invitation on their web page to visit any time, with or without your dog. We had a trial night at about 4 places before we found out about this one... they don't advertise because word of mouth keeps them full.

Purplehonesty2 · 10/08/2022 15:32

Home boarded in the countryside and they love it

shiningstar2 · 10/08/2022 15:34

Is your dog an Akita? Your description sounds typical of the breed?

Thetractorjustmoved · 10/08/2022 15:40

Our dogs a pain in the arse socially too. Not a biter or anything but just barks like hell if anyone approaches her 'zone'.
We use a nicer dog boarding place, it only has a few dogs at a time and she seems quite happy there. It's expensive, close to 30 quid a night, but worth it for a break!

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 10/08/2022 15:41

Duettino · 10/08/2022 15:26

We looked at that last year... all a bit odd. The local company has her son and his gf go to their normal job and then stay the night at your house. Fine, I think, but I'm a bit precious about some young lad and his gf sleeping in my bed and what not.

Also, breed means a stranger coming in the house is likely to be mauled.

If that's the case I don't really think it's fair to put the dog in kennels/boarding or to employ a sitter.

I know that's incredibly restrictive for you but if you genuinely believe your dog would "maul a stranger" then it's not fair on any pet professional to be put in that position.

WhippedSoap · 10/08/2022 15:45

I was going to say kennels, but if your dog is both dog and human aggressive then I don't think you can leave them with anyone.

What appealled to you about this breed (whatever it is) if they are so unsociable and difficult to train?

mondaytosunday · 10/08/2022 16:24

This year I'm paying a friends 21 year old to come stay for a few days. I have two dogs and two cats and it would be a fortune to board them, but I've done that for two weeks at Christmas when I just had dogs. It was £50/day for two dogs and I believe two cats would be £30/day to board, double for Bank holidays. I'm paying the lad £180 for five days in my home as I checked and overnight and part day is £85/day for two dogs (SW London) and this is easy him as he can still go out for a few hours (just left uni no job yet but also it's Bank holiday weekend).
Just coming to sleep overnight is not good enough you need someone there during majority of the day who will walk them at least twice.

SOWK · 10/08/2022 16:28

@BeyondMyWits would you mind sharing the name of the kennels please?

Original poster
Duettino · 10/08/2022 16:43

@shiningstar2 yes!!!! If you were to Google Akita stereotypes, there would be a picture of him!

@sunsetsandsandybeaches he is naturally a guard dog. He has a zone (the house) and he protects it. Makes me feel very comfortable against burglars. I wouldn't ask someone that he didn't know to come in, it wouldn't be fair on either of them but then how many visits would the sitter be willing to do before hand to make him happy to let them in?!

@Thetractorjustmoved I think £30 is good. I think we were quoted £50/100.

@WhippedSoap the challenge of training him! They are fantastic dogs for a family and the people they know. We've also owned dogs for a long time.

OP posts:
Original poster
Duettino · 10/08/2022 16:45

@BeyondMyWits where is this place? It does sound lovely.

OP posts:
sunsetsandsandybeaches · 10/08/2022 16:48

@Duettino You say he would maul a stranger that came into the home, but how do you know that won't happen elsewhere as well? I mean, what would stop him guarding "his space" in a boarders' home, or his kennel area?

A kennel owner died last December when a dog mauled him, and a dog sitter got her face ripped off a few months ago when an aggressive dog dragged her into the house. If your dog is genuinely aggressive to strangers and other dogs, it's really not fair to have him in any kind of kennel or boarding environment, IMO.

I know that's a real PITA for you, but surely you knew this was a risk when you chose to get an Akita?

Fenella123 · 10/08/2022 16:52

We kennel ours now, but when we had a larger number of old / sensitive dogs, we used Animal Aunts (pet/house-sitters). Not cheap on a per-day basis, but reliable.

From little things the sitters let drop, I got the impression that we (4 or 5 dogs, suburbs) were one of the more straightforward gigs. And if you weren't sure about a sitter after the initial chat you could ask for a different one - we did do that once.

Youcancallmeirrelevant · 10/08/2022 16:52

Our dog goes to family members when we go abroad, it wasoneof the main things we thought about before we got him to make sure we had somewhere he was comfortable going so we would be able to go away. Same for evenings out or odd nights away, he always just goes to our family members house.

Original poster
Duettino · 10/08/2022 16:57

@sunsetsandsandybeaches
It is a point of concern, absolutely. He would be terrified in a kennels and I don't think he would see it as his zone but he may lash out in fear... a nervous Akita is the worst kind. I don't know how kennels work and if they can just throw food at him or something.

Yes, I knew this. It's just a bad trip, probably. We were glamping in a tiny pod rather than a chalet where he would have his own space to sleep and snore like a bear or could be left if we wanted a meal somewhere rather than eating with the flies.

My mum has looked after him for a weekend once and due to covid he doesn't know her well. He spent the whole first night sat there watching her. They were besties by the time she left but it's a huge hassle to drive her down here and back as she is disabled (obv means no walks either)

OP posts:
gogohmm · 10/08/2022 16:57

Mine goes to my parents, tried kennels twice and he was ok, managed to get the owner to let him sleep in the house both times (he's quite manipulative!)

BeyondMyWits · 10/08/2022 16:59

SOWK · 10/08/2022 16:28

@BeyondMyWits would you mind sharing the name of the kennels please?

Noooo, I'm totally being selfish because the last time I shared on here, my favourite holiday cottage, it immediately went on to a "best places to stay" website and I couldn't book for 3 bloomin years! It is already a case of booking months in advance anyhow since others went out of business over Covid lockdowns.

Would suggest asking around friends who have dogs for any local gems, that was our route.

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 10/08/2022 17:00

I don't know how kennels work and if they can just throw food at him or something.

Not really. Kennels need to be cleaned regularly for hygiene reasons - he'll also need to be taken out regularly to do his business and have a walk.

At the end of the day, you chose a breed you knew would be a challenge - so maybe you need to accept the limitations of your decision. Ultimately, there's a good reason lots of daycares, walkers etc. won't accept breeds like Akitas - it's just too big of a risk unfortunately.