Going on vacation- house sitter or board outside of the home??

[gigi d]

Hi! At the end of August, we will be going on vacation for a week and am worrying about what to do with Graycie.  She is used to being home about 3-4 stretches the most alone (or with grandpa sitting in the room, but he does not do any caretaking of her at all)...and we have a dog walker when we are at work.

Anyway, my question is what are any of your experiences with vacations and your pup?

Probably like most, she loves to be around the family, follows me EVERYWHERE.  She has never done doggy day care...curious about other dogs but gets scared of bigger ones, loves cuddles from strangers.  I feel so bad leaving her home on a typical daily basis, let alone a whole week! :(

I know people do it all the time and I know I shouldn't stop our lives completely because of her --  my other friends with dogs don't seem to have this guilt that I feel!  HaHa!!

Any thoughts and experiences would be so appreciated!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If someone could stay in your home that would be my first choice.  If you can't find that then I vote for a stay at another person's home - perhaps your groomer or a vet tech.

[Jenn and Bogey]

I also am not comfortable boarding my dog at a kennel. We've had friends watch him and also our dog walker will take him. We have a trip planned at the end of summer and my husband tried to argue that Bogey would have so much fun staying at a daycare/boarding type place. I don't like the idea of him being alone at night. Is your dog walker an option? Mine will watch Bogey at her house and even takes him when she walks other dogs during the day. Do any of your friends have dogs? Maybe you can do dog sitting swaps with them.

[Tammy]

Check out dogvacay.com. It's individuals who offer boarding in their home, much better than a kennel!

[Missy]

The good news is Graycie is young and she will learn new adventures are FUN! 

We take 2 trips a year that require us to find boarding for pup. Different destinations results in us using different boarding facilities.  I think it is best you find what works for you and then guide the pup thru the experience. There are pros and cons to all situations, and it comes down to finding the best match you feel comfortable with. 

When we picked our boarding facility: we scheduled pup for day camp and did a short stay for practice. This let the pup get used to the people and builds trust that we would come back! lol 

Things we have learned and questions you might want to ask boarding facility/or family you leave Graycie. 

The potty breaks are key for us. Ask how they handle potty schedules.

We have a pup that does not eat and potty within 20 minutes. We no longer stay at places that potty twice a day. That yielded pup using bathroom in his crate and then having to sit in it until the next 'potty break'. 

Play time: Usually, places offer group play and individual playtime.  I always scheduled group time, but called in during the week to see how he responded and either upgraded to individual playtime or requested him moved to a different group.  (I thought the experiences were good for him either way) 

Boarding pup with a family member/ or other family is great, but be sure they will follow your rules.  

I have had pup returned with sick tummy because they fed him table food all week (pork in large quantities)

If your pup is a chewer of items, be sure to know how they intend to watch him so he doesn't eat a sock or something.

Boarding takes time to find the right solution for you! Think of it as giving your pup an experience of a life time! I worried pup would come back 'changed', but have realized pup falls right back into our routine. We are a single dog home, and I think it does him great to have exposure to other dogs. 

You will notice personality of your dog and share this with facilities and together you can figure out best practices for your pup. (ie. our dog is nosy. So we always make sure he is kenneled with open fencing so he can see what is going on.  He also is shy at first, so facility now brings him to play area first and then he is excited to greet other dogs as they enter.)  

You can do this!! And you will learn new things about your pup along the way!  Ask a ton of questions!  And have a great vacation!! 

[gigi d]

Thank you everyone for your replies!  Missy, thanks so much for the detailed suggestions and experiences you shared!  I will be meeting with a person the next town over who boards dogs in her home and does daycare as well...Graycie can try out a day or 2 before actually committing to overnights.  She's definitely got a personality and little quirks about her that I would need to prep anyone about.  

Lots to think about but I know I have to square this away because I can't live without leaving her ever! 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I also have used Dogvacay.com and have a lovely petsitter who comes to our home when we travel. I have never boarded my two and would never be able to leave them home alone night and day with just someone checking on them. I want someone in my home taking care of them. I did try the one we eventually use for all vacations on a quick overnight trip and also have her come occasionally to let the dogs out mid-day. 

[Jess]

Jack goes to a kennel here and there. i add in the splash pad as an extra add on they have and that makes me feel better. Hes going for 4 or 5 days soon and im feeling bad. 

We have a cage free kennel near us that is a huge house but its a little pricey so im just sticking with the regular one.

We have to remember that they get to come home after the vacation! They wont be there forever and at least they have a family and home!! 

[Laura and Angus]

Our pup goes to daycare 3 days a week and he LOVES it! We also board there when we need to go away and he seems to think it's extended daycare according to the people who work there. I actually feel much safer with our pup at the kennel since they know him (and his crazy behavior). When our pup was little he stayed at my parents' house and basically ran amuck lol. He seems to act very different at other peoples' houses and it always takes him a while to settle down when he's in a new place - this is even true when we take him to our parents' beach condo with us!

I think it's totally dependent on your dog and their personality. Frankly, we don't feel confident that other people can handle Angus since he's so energetic and kind of a weirdo haha.

[Kristen and Piper]

If you could do a dog sitter I would try to see if you could go that route.  We have boarded Piper and she does fine because she is super excited (and they love her there so I think she was spoiled!) but it does stress her out for a bit.  I only do weekends for her and plan on finding other options if we have to be gone longer.  I think it depends on the place and the dog.  If you could find a place that had runs in their kennel for bathroom breaks that would probably be the best.  Or a place that they only went in kennels at night and nap time.  We have one I love but it is just too far away to use.  Good luck!