Leaving my pup for 2 weeks!

[Briggs]

We are headed to vacation tomorrow and are leaving our puppy of 10 months for the first time. We are headed to florida to take our just turned 5 son to disney and to the beach. We are sending Briggs to a really cool farm where he will play with other pups and swim in a pond, and have 5 fenced in acres to run and play. But I am wondering if anyone has had this experience, will he remember us? or miss us? i feel silly asking, as he is a dog, but we have been his whole life since he was 8 weeks old and he comes with me to work practically everyday, so from going to that to not seeing us for 2 weeks, i am worried. Any encouraging words would be appreciated! i am going to miss him so much!

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

He will miss at first.   Then he will be in a new routine and having a lot of fun which is what you want him to have.  So when you pick him up he is going to be very reluctant to leave but will settle back into his home routine quickly.  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

It really doesn't matter whether he temporarily 'forgets' you ( I don't think he will) simply because you will re-establish your relationship when you return.  I would be more concerned about his exposure to diseases since I assume he isn't fully immunized yet.  Duh!!! - 10 months not 10 weeks.  I need glasses!  My total answer was wrong!  He will NOT forget you, might be 'mad' at you for a while when you get back, but it will pass.  Sometimes when you are gone from them, they are more reluctant to eat, but, again, it will be fine. 

[Briggs]

he is 10 months old and fully vaccinated. i am actually worried about him getting to be allowed on the couch more than anything as we dont allow him to come up but the farm has a 'dog' couch!

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

You may just have to teach him that the couch is still off limits when he gets home.  No biggie. Just a refresher course.

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

I have to leave mine this summer for two weeks @ 4.5 months old. Our friends may keep her instead of boarding her, and I will be relieved about that. It is so tough to leave, but they really do bounce back!

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Friends vs boarding... absolutely.  Another option for longer stays away is to find a house sitter with strong recommendations.  You have to do your homework but it's well worth it.  Yarrow hasn't experienced house sitters yet, but we've left our home and pets in the capable, responsible and loving hands of people from Australia and New Zealand.  Couples who are semi-retired and looking for new experiences.  Our man from New Zealand was a retired shepherd and his wife a cat whisperer.  The couple from Australia were business owners house sitting their way around the world.  These people have become lifelong friends.

Some sites offer housesitters who charge but most international sites offer people who will do the house sit in exchange for the accommodations and experience.  That's the route we like.  For years we've relied on a site called housecarers.com.  Some people house sit a lot and have many good recommendations.

[Linda And Loo]

Not to worry! We just returned from a 10 day trip! They do not forget you! The dogs gave us a wild welcome home! They were as happy to see us as we were to see them! They are sleeping on my lap as I write this note! Have fun on your trip and don't worry!

[Kris and Sawyer]

We left Sawyer when he was 7 months old for two weeks. He had a blast! We found a trainer who boards only about 4 dogs at a time. He never slept in a crate (he doesn't at home either). Once she knew he was house trained and a good boy he slept in the house with her. He loved it there. He remembered us as soon as we picked him up... But when we left, he jumped in the far back seat of the car, put his paws up on the seat edge and watched from the back window as we left. You could tell he was sad to leave! I won't hesitate leaving him again.