Any changes to behavior after boarding?

[darren-uk]

My 2 yr old girl is going into boarding kennels on saturday for a fortnight. Im wondering if there are usually any changes in a dogs behavior after there first spell of boarding.

[moz205]

Rommel was very quiet for a few days after bringing him home. This only happened at a kennel where he didn't do very well. It was rare I left him and I don't think they gave much attention although he was not the type for "playtime" etc. I took him to another kennel and he actually gained weight where as in the first kennel he lost. He was soooo sad it broke my heart. He did so well in the new place where were no changes at all. He actually let one guy there leash him and walk him. This was a dog that no stranger could come near. I did call and check on him daily while I was away though.
I am actually thinking of boarding Buddy (super friendly) for a day or two to get him used to this kennel. It may come in handy if the time comes when I HAVE to board.

[alfie07]

i have boarded Alfie a couple times since he was 8 months old - once for a week and once for 3 days.I'm happy to say he loved it! He came home both times with his stump wagging, a shiny coat and I swear a smile...!
I re-searched long and hard to find the kennel. A few I contacted said 'oh!' when I said Alfie is a Rottie and they also wanted me to make an appointment to see the kennels :( The one Alfie goes to love Rotties and invited me to visit when I wanted as their standards didn't change just because of visitors. They even reduced their daily rate when I explained I wanted to supply Alfies food and treats.
I always make sure that Alfie takes his own food and water bowl, toys, blanket etc. My kennels is a godsend and I only wished I found them years ago for my other Rotties, and I am also glad that I started Alfie in Kennels young. When he sees his 'stuff' going in the car he actually gets excited - bless!
I do hope you find a kennels just as good and accomodating to Rotties. x

[whatasmartpuppy]

Just a note. My dog was a monster after he was boarded where the runs were open fencing and he could see other dogs and exhibited high stress every time we got near the place. We found a kennel with solid runs and he pulls us in there. I think he felt very vulnerable in the open like that with other dogs around. All my Rotts have hated open wire crates too.

[Shelby427]

I have had a bad experience with boarding my poodle. I have never boarded again because of that - Snowball came home, wouldn't talk to us, wouldn't eat, slept for two full days, and he was only there for 3 days! The only thing he'd eat was chicking broth. Poor guy. So since then (14 years ago) I haven't been able to board. I will have to board Hudson in May, and I have found one boarding kennel that deals with large dogs, takes them out to play twice a day either with other dogs or alone if specified, heated floors, etc. I have to go there and check it out though. They also have cameras that you can access online to watch while they play. They will also call you daily if you want to give you an update on how fido is doing.

[observer]

I think it depends on the place. When I had to board Missy, I did it usually at the vets (where they spoil her rotten) and once at a kennel when I had not had her very long and the vet did not have room (mistake on my part -- she acted like she had done something wrong to make me leave her there, but she got over that quickly). Mostly, she just slept more when she got home. She does that even now when she comes home from my friends' house after they take care of her...they have other dogs, and she keeps busier) I don't think they get as much good sleep as they do at home.

[sweetlee]

I haven't had to board Dodge but we did leave him home with my youngest son and his GF staying over at our house for 10 days in November.
He seemed a little clingy when we came home. But he settled down pretty quickly after a couple of days of normal routine.
I think if you can swing it, having someone come to the house to stay with the dog is ideal rather than taking them somewhere, but I know that's not possible in alot of cases.


Sharon

[jonesjoyful]

i just recently boarded my new rottie out of absolutely having no other choice..it was for 2 nights..the one thing that was different was she came home and barked quite a bit at first...she NEVER barked prior to her boarding (i was wondering if she even COULD bark)...other than that, she was her same loving self....

[damp]

Originally Posted by darren-uk

My 2 yr old girl is going into boarding kennels on saturday for a fortnight. Im wondering if there are usually any changes in a dogs behavior after there first spell of boarding.

Probably she will be tired and she will sleep a lot the next 1-2 days after being home again.

[IJF1]

Originally Posted by damp

Probably she will be tired and she will sleep a lot the next 1-2 days after being home again.

My experience also. The kenneling environment can be quite stimulating (always something going on), so my bitch did not rest like she normally would.

[hokisteph5]

Originally Posted by moz205

Rommel was very quiet for a few days after bringing him home. This only happened at a kennel where he didn't do very well. It was rare I left him and I don't think they gave much attention although he was not the type for "playtime" etc. I took him to another kennel and he actually gained weight where as in the first kennel he lost. He was soooo sad it broke my heart. He did so well in the new place where were no changes at all. He actually let one guy there leash him and walk him. This was a dog that no stranger could come near. I did call and check on him daily while I was away though.
I am actually thinking of boarding Buddy (super friendly) for a day or two to get him used to this kennel. It may come in handy if the time comes when I HAVE to board.

moz, I just had to write and thank you for your suggestion about doing what I call a test boarding. Samson and Gretchen had only ever been boarded once, which when I attended my brother's wedding out of state. Although the kennel had no issues with them, I didn't like Samson's behavior when he got home. He was mouthy, acted like he had no training, etc.

I'm using a timeshare in Florida, in mid-March for a week and they have a no pets policy. I thought of taking the dogs with me and finding a kennel near the timeshare, but it's a long drive and that's not really fair to the dogs.

The pet resort I use occassionally for taking the dogs swimming also boards dogs. The owners have Rottie mixes and used to breed Rottweilers so they aren't put off by Samson or Gretchen.

In January I discussed the possibility of doing a test boarding and explained that Samson's not fond of other dogs. I told them Gretchen seems uninterested in other dogs when we're in class. I even said my top priority was 'safety.' I wanted Samson and Gretchen safe, the other dogs to be safe, and the humans to be safe.

They just did their test boarding last Thursday and it went well. The owner said she's glad I did it because Gretchen was much happier on Friday than she was on Thursday. They worked with Samson by introducing him to the most submissive female they know, a yellow lab by the name of Marley. They then introduced him to a male that's submissive, but won't tolerate bad behavior. That went well too.

I've been working on his reactiveness to other dogs on our walks in town and he's doing better. My comfort level when I actually need to board them later this month is going to be a lot higher. Thanks again!

ETA: I must say their behavior when they got home on Friday was a 180 from last time. They slept the day away...

[lgslgs]

Guinness used to always come home very tired and happy.

When he was boarded, we'd pay for "fun and games" time every other day, where they'd take him out for individual time in the big fenced yard and play ball with him.

He was so bouncy and had so much fun playing ball that the staff would take him out much more than the fun and game times we had paid for.

We used to refer to boarding as "taking Guinness to the resort", and he recognized the turn off the highway and could always tell when he was getting close to the place.


I do think it was a good idea for us to pay for some fun and game sessions - those allowed Guinness to form a relationship with the staff so that he could recognize them as individual friends.

Lynda

[Shelby427]

We just boarded Hudson a few weeks back...we found a different place that was much nicer and way more expensive, but it was well worth it. He stayed for 3 nights and i was sooo worried just because we had never boarded him before. They took him out 6 times per day for play time and potty breaks. They called when he had the runs to check to see if they could give him something for it, they were wonderful, you could tell they loved all the animals there. They have a 10,000 square foot arena just for training and agility classes, it really looked so awesome.

When he got home though, he just slept for almost 2 full days. He ate just fine, didn't want to play as much, but seemed ok. Just tired. He'll be going there for OB training classes March 22 for 8 weeks. I'm really excited about that.

[Nishasmom]

I have never "boarded" Nisha; she does however go to "doggy day-care". She LOVES it there.

When people board their dogs there, they get to join the daycare dogs every day (playing together in the yards). Maybe you can find a kennel like this; that way your dog will have fun while you are gone, instead of being "stuck" in a kennel