boarding kennel or not?

[Grete123]

We will be traveling for two weeks. Usually Troy stays at a boarding kennel when we are gone. This time my brother in law will be staying at our place. The suggestion arose that Troy could stay home with him. My brother in law used to have GSDs and is an experienced dog handler, however he is less strict then I am.
How important is it for the dog to be at home even when we are not there in comparison to being at the kennel.
I fear that Troy will pick up some undesirable habits while I am gone, staying with my brother in law. I am happy to deal with these if it makes Troy feel better staying at home, but I am not sure how much it will matter to him.

Any experiences or suggestions?

[Carol Burke]

IMO dogs always prefer staying home to a boarding kennel. If you can be sure your brother in law will be responsible I would leave him home.

[Brooke&Ryan]

There are only one or two people who I would trust to stay at my house & take care of my dog. That would be our dog trainer & Ryan. That's it.

When we go out of town, I feel safe & secure knowing that Julius is in a secure boarding kennel. That's just me, though.

If you feel like he's going to pick up some undesirable habits as well...I would possibly avoid having BIL watch the dog.

[Grete123]

I am confident that Troy and BIL will do fine with eachother and no harm will come to it.
It is more that I am a bit of a control freak...well... I am a control freak and the thought of Troy getting away with all those little things he is not allowed to do with me just bugs me.
I just had a friend visit and she took him for walks and this moring I had to remind him that pulling on the leash will lead to mommy kicking his furry butt.

So it is more that I try to weight between his wellbeing and happiness and me being bothered by the thought that he might not sit before his dinner or bolting out the door when he is supposed to wait for an ok....or he might get fed from the table....or BIL might put his feet on the coffee table with his shoes on.....Argghhh.... I have to cancel the trip!

[ElsasFamily]

You are too funny!!! From one control freak to another, lighten up. As long as you can trust your BIL to not do any long lasting damage, go and have a good time.

I am like this too with leaving my children in the care of my MIL. But now I just tell myself that my kids are safe and being loved, and occasionally ignorance is bliss. However, it usually takes a day or two before my family remembers mom's way of doing things...just be prepared for an adjustment time. And enjoy yourself.