If you use a dog kennels when you are away, how long have you done it for?

[steppemum]

We have a dog, he is a rescue. At home he is fine, but he has lots of things where we would not put him in a home boarding situation.
We used to go away and have a house sitter and a dog walker. He is a big dog and can be fine on a walk but can also reacts to other dogs and then you need an experienced dog walker.
Our house sitter is now elderly.
Our dog walker is now full of regular customers so won't take one-off holiday walks. This has actually happened twice, people setting up did a great job with him, then they get a regular set of customers and can't fit him in every day over a holiday (and we had a third walker has now moved). We have tried a new walker, but it didn't work out, they were not reliable.
So last time we were away we used kennels.
He seemed very happy, was fine afterwards, so we used them again over Christmas. Happy going in, Happy coming home.

To be honest this is a huge relief, and I feel more confident doing this, as I know he is safe, and being well cared for.

BUT first time was 10 days. Second time was 3 days.
We now have the opportunity to go to SE Asia in the Autumn for work. It is to attend a conference plus travel time.
In total it would be 2.5 - 3 weeks.
The biggest obstacle is the dog. Is that too long for kennels?

It is honestly the only thing that is really stopping me from agreeing. But I don't want to be unfair to our dog, and have him think he has been abandoned.
He will go into kennels at some point in the summer for a week when we are away.

The longest I’ve put my dog in kennels for has been for has been for 10 days, but if I was going away for 3 weeks and there wasn’t the option for him to stay with family then I would put him in the kennels. Personally , I think that unless it’s a family member or somewhere they stay over frequently, then staying in someone else’s house (home boarding) is more confusing for a dog than kennels. I’m also not sure whether a dog can tell the difference between a week, a fortnight or 3 weeks. If you have found a good kennels where your dog is happy that is brilliant and takes so much worry away.

We put ours in for 2 weeks our last holiday and he came out like he had just been in over night. The kennels we use are great, we used a sitter for a weekend and our dog played up and didn't sleep, he is a dream in kennels. anyway if your dog is fine with a week 3 should be fine,

@ABeerInTheSunshineMakesMeHappy

That is interesting about the home boarding i think my dog was confused the HB wasn't a total stranger but the dog just didn't settle at all.

@steppemum we never put our dogs in kennels. One we can't, she's not good with stranger. The other he's too attached to the point if we go on holiday he’ll have to come with us.

Same here. We've always put each of our dogs into kennels - very good kennels - and been very happy with the care they've had there. Ours have all been rescues and we've got them used to the kennels and staff gradually before they've gone in for a longer stay (a couple of hours, then half a day, then a full day, then overnight and so on; each dog has also gone in for a few hours periodically between overnights, to keep.uptheir relationships with the staff).

We go on holiday next Wednesday for a fortnight. She'll drag us up the steps and go off enthusiastically with a staff member as usual. Her accommodation is heated and very cosy, with a good outside run. She gets play sessions and walks every day.

Previous dogs, like the OP'S, definitely could not have gone to a home boarder; our last dog was so damaged by her previous life of cruelty that trust had to be worked at with strangers - the kennels staff did exactly this and she loved them.

I own a small kennels, only 10 rooms.
We had one dog in for 8 months before the owner relinquished him and I got a rescue involved to re-home him.
She was amazed at not only what a great weight he was but how happy he was.
He was treated exactly the same as all our other dogs apart from we'd take him for an off-site long walk once a week.

Dogs can and regularly stay 3 - 4 weeks, our owners joke that they get more exercise with us than they do at home.

If you have used the kennels before and like and trust them, your dog will be safe and happy with them.