How to help my nervous dog go into kennels

[Holidayworries]

Due to a family illness I need to travel and cannot take my lovely dog. He's a 5 year old entire male who is very bonded with me and gets separation anxiety when I leave the house. He is scared of visitors to my house and barks at them, although has never been aggressive with anyone.

The lady he normally boards with is away and cannot have him, and all the other home boarders are full.

I've asked the vet about anti- anxiety medications but he will only give me an adaptil collar. Is there anything else I can do to help make kennels easier for him please?

I’d try a short day stint, then an overnight before your trip.

I am sorry you are in this position, it sounds like you have to travel fairly imminently? Can you take his own bed to the kennels, the food he normally has, some of your own clothing that he can have in the kennel and perhaps a favourite toy. I would try the Adaptil collar too. I am sure if the kennel staff know the situation they will do all they can for your boy to feel settled.

Unfortunately there's not much you can do if the trip is fairly imminent.

I would take his own bed/blankets and some of your clothes with him so he has some familiar smells around, as well as his favourite toys and cuddlies.

How long do you have to go for?

I wouldn’t go so I’m not much help

I wouldn’t go either, is the family member abroad? If they are in this country why can’t your dog go with you?

Can't you try to find a home board near to where you are going?

Shocked at people who would not go to be with a sick family member because of the dog ! I am a dog lover and own one but family would always come first . Take his familiar things and explain the situation to kennel staff . They will have had nervous dogs before .

Why don’t you put your dog in doggy day care in the town you are visiting while you are seeing family member, still stressful for your dog but much better than staying in kennels in your home town.

Could you use a home sitter instead?
If you check out rover.com there seem to be a few sitters on there.
I wouldn't put rookiedog in kennels and he's a pretty chilled character.

It's the summer holidays, do you know any uni students or teens that could stay with the dog at home? A few days of limited walks won't hurt.

You can be as shocked as you like, my dog is old and has heart failure, she has been by my side for 14 years, she has never been put it doggy day care or boarding kennels, I have never spent a night apart from her, if she was suddenly put in kennels and I disappeared out of her life for days or weeks on end it would literally kill her, so no I make no apologies for putting her welfare first. If I had a sick family member who I absolutely had to visit as they were going to die then my dog would come with me and I would arrange a dog sitter for the time I was visiting.

There are some great ideas here, thank you so much. I will investigate someone coming to stay in our home.

Thanks so much for all your advice. In the end, we got a sitter who stayed in our home. I was nervous, but it worked out well. Thanks again for your advice!