Will my dog think ive abandoned him?

colleensims

So i am going away for just over 2 week mid June. We have a rescue dog from Spain who we have had for 6 months now. He is our best friend. He is a very well behaved dog but he gets nervous easily (he was found abandoned on a beach at 8 weeks old battered We have found a lovely kennels (30miles away) in the country, have visited it along with our dog. The staff seem nice and caring and our dog seemed at ease. But when we actually take him i am petrified he will think he is being abandoned again. I am worried he wont eat and wont be happy. I cant see how im going to enjoy our holiday with all the worrying. The staff said we could phone and check he is ok but if they tell me he wont eat and is miserable i will just want to fly home. Has anyone got any tips and tricks to make his stay better? He is going in a double kennel in a quieter section for older and dogs that are more nervous but not sure this will be enough. I am praying he will be ok

Person_one

Before leaving mine in kennels (also rescues, one quite nervous, so I had the same fears as you) I left them there overnight, and then for two nights in the months leading up to the holiday. I don't know if it helped them, but it helped me! I felt like they would know I was coming back because I came back the other two times.

Do you have any friends who could have him overnight perhaps? Then they can be honest with you about how he behaved when you were gone and hopefully put your mind at ease.

Most dogs adapt really well and don't have any problems in kennels. Take his own bed, his own food and bowls and a couple of his own toys or chewy things. He'll probably act devastated when you leave and overjoyed when you return but actually be calm and settled inbetween. That's what mine do anyway!

Mojisola

A lot of dog walkers also do boarding. Our dog always goes home with his walker when we go away.

He had been in a rehoming centre for quite a while before we got him and I didn't want him to think he'd been sent back there the first time we went away. It worked so well that we use her every time now.

Otherwise - Person_one's advice is good.

_Andy_

An alternative you could consider is home boarding - I've been doing this for a while now for my dogs (and now doing it for people's dogs) and it's so so much nicer than kennels as you know they'll get proper attention and comfort.

Generally though I know what you're going through - leaving them is tough but the time will go quickly and you'll come back to a lovely welcome

On another note it's great that you took a rescue in and it's clear from you post you love them - kudos to you!

If you happen to live near Hampshire feel free to PM me as my dog caring diary is free that time!

colleensims

_Andy_ wrote: »

An alternative you could consider is home boarding - I've been doing this for a while now for my dogs (and now doing it for people's dogs) and it's so so much nicer than kennels as you know they'll get proper attention and comfort.

Generally though I know what you're going through - leaving them is tough but the time will go quickly and you'll come back to a lovely welcome

On another note it's great that you took a rescue in and it's clear from you post you love them - kudos to you!

If you happen to live near Hampshire feel free to PM me as my dog caring diary is free that time!

Thanks for the offer, i live in Gloucestershire, so very far away! Cant imagine what i would be like with children but at the moment i feel like nobody can look after my dog better than me

UKTigerlily

I also took my rescue dog for just the one night a few times before I actually went away & she's always been fine, she's a Staffy x so very people loving & is rarely without me so I did worry alot but they said she's too busy watching other dogs, swimming, watching the tv etc to be worried. She never seems bothered when I go now but it definitely helped me at least to do a few trial runs (also helps that the Hydrotherapist takes photos & posts them onto my Facebook for me & is online alot so I can chat to her about Chaya)

krlyr

I agree with acclimatising the dog to kennels beforehand. I'm fortunate that I have lots of family members who'd either take the dogs in or move in to my house to care for them if needed, but I have a friend with a bit of a difficult dog who doesn't have many people she would trust him with. She found a local kennel that has an isolated kennel section for dogs like that, and took him in for a few hours, for the day, for an overnight stay, for three nights, etc. to build him up to it. By the third visit he was relaxed enough to pee in the kennel, by the fourth he'd eat the Kong she left, etc.

For ingraining your smell on something, I'd say buy a blanket and leave it on your bed, like a sheet, for a while - probably easier to line his bed than with something like leggings.

zaksmum

I know how you feel colleen. I just couldn't leave my dogs in kennels but then I'm lucky in that my grown up kids take a dog each when we go away.

My dog Lucy would be ok I think, but my other dog Jack is almost surgically attached to me and is quite anxious even when I'm in the shower.

Hope your dog is ok.

jumpedtheshark

OP, we have a dog sitter who stays at our house. It's more expensive than kenneling but I think it's much less disruptive for the dog - everything is the same except you're gone. Plus you get the added peace of mind that you're much less likely to be burgled while you're away. I suppose it depends on the dog's personality, but one of our two was so obviously stressed at even visiting doggy day care that we decided it was worth the peace of mind. We're in Oxford and our dog sitter is from the Banbury area; we've used him for the past four years. PM me if you want his contact details.