So you want to board your dog?

We are down to the wire on the holidays and I have been getting a lot of calls from desperate dog owners who waited to make a booking. We only do boarding for dogs in our hiking group, and even those clients started booking for holiday travel in August. It’s competitive to get the best care for your dog and smart owners (who have been burned in the past) learned the lesson to book ahead and adjust dates or cancel (with lots of notice please!) instead of scrambling days before a trip.

When I tell people I’m booked, they usually ask me for a recommendation and the truth is, I have no great ones because I haven’t been a client of any business. When I travel I have been lucky enough to always have a friend watch my sweet pup Harley or to be a client of my own business. That is wonderful because I have directly felt the value of the service we offer getting the photos of her hiking and I know I don’t need to worry about my dog because she is getting great care.

For me, step one is to train your dog!

A trained dog who is calm, obedient, and listens well to other people is going to be a much easier dog to ask someone to watch than a wild hound who jumps on people and furniture, pulls on the leash, doesn’t listen to commands, or is all around unruly.

Start building mutually beneficial relationships with your family, friends, neighbors. You can even make dog friends at neighborhood parks with the owners of dogs your dog plays well with. If you can trade off watching each other’s dogs that is a huge help! Again, people are usually more than happy to welcome an easy, well behaved dog into their home for a few days, so get your dog under control and save some money long term. All this needs to happen months and months before a big trip, not at the last minute.

If you are weeks or days away from a trip and need help, here are the pluses and minuses of all the services available. 

You almost always get what you pay for. Be wary of inexpensive services because they may make their income on quantity instead of quality. 

*Disclaimer- I haven’t used most of these services for my own dog and what is written is only my opinion from what I know and experiences of others. All circumstances vary business to business and sometimes depending what staff is on duty. The quality of the care and play time will be affected by who is on duty each day - not every staff member is equally skilled, experienced or caring. 

I like services similar to what I offer where one person cares for your dog the entire stay, but that isn’t usually possible or available. Always trust your gut and evaluate each business for yourself.

Board before you need to board

When you are first trying to find somewhere to board, it’s good to do a trial stay and see how your dog comes back. Not every environment is right for every dog and there is only one way to find out how your dog will react. 

I love switching up my dog’s routine and getting them comfortable spending time away from me.  

Are they stressed? Scratched? Overly tired in a way that indicates they didn’t rest well? Or are they comfortable and happy? For me, the mark of a good relationship with my dog and quality care is that your dog isn’t too excited to see you. That means they were comfortable where they were and would be happy to stay or to leave with you. Now let’s go over the options.

Rover, the Uber of dog care

What I like about Rover is that your dog gets to stay in someone’s home, not a kennel, which is an environment most of our pets are not used to. With Rover, there are a ton of variables. Since anyone can sign up, does the person know anything about dogs? Do they have their own dog? How many dogs will they watch at once? Where are the dogs kept? I like a situation where only one or two temperament tested dogs are there at a time, the dogs will be crated when no one is home, and where they are not left for longer than 6 hours. 

Know that during the holidays it can be tempting to overbook since so many people need help, so it’s likely that someone may take on more dogs than usual and possibly more dogs than their home and ability can handle.

Pet sitter

This can be a good option because your dog gets to stay in your home. I may prefer a college student who can stay there instead of someone who stops in, one to three times a day. Personally, my dog wouldn’t be happy spending that much time alone. If your dog is more independent, pet sitting is an option for a short trip or long day at work, just be sure your dog is getting sufficient exercise and can cope with having the house to themselves. (This is not a good fit for dogs that are crated while you are out of the house.)

Trusted Housesitter

Check out Trustedhousesitters.com as a way to find in-home and free pet care! Someone will come and stay in your home, taking care of your pets and house in exchange for a free place to stay. Use your discretion, read reviews, and have a conversation with someone before confirming the sit to make sure they can keep up with your routine, rules and boundaries and can give your dog sufficient exercise. This is the best way to keep your dog in the best possible place for them while you are way - your home!

Your vet

Please don’t leave your dog at the vet. If you went away for the weekend, would you stay in a hospital? NOPE. They smell weird and it’s not a pleasant environment.  Many times dogs are not allowed to socialize at a vet office, for obvious reasons. 

Some vets have great setups for boarding. Some offer private rooms and play areas for dogs on a whole different floor or in a different building than where the doctoring takes place. If your dog will be kept in a cage, in a kennel, or outdoors, this change in environment will be moderately unpleasant at best and traumatic at worst. This should be a last resort - depending on the set up! Ask to see where the dogs are kept before you book. 

Upside is that if your dog has health issues, or is on special medications or if your dog injures himself, they can take care of it immediately.

A kennel

Kennels are large facilities that care for many dogs at once. Their indoor setups vary,  but typically the dogs are kept in a cement floor and wired individual kennel or cage in one loud room and let out to play or walk once, twice, or several times a day. 

My dog has always been at home, so I don’t think she would be comfortable being kept in a kennel most of the day, especially in a large sterile room filled with barking dogs. That sounds like a nightmare. Especially when your hearing is as good as our dog’s is!

Pet resort

I don’t know much about these and imagine they vary from place to place, but from what I understand, dogs get their own room to stay in and have supervised play times and potty breaks. 

I like this idea for a dog’s safety and the fact that it may be more quiet in a room with walls versus an open room of crates. 

It is HARD to find any photos of facilities on the websites of local businesses. This is the only one I found for a pet resort. These rooms also often tend to have cameras so you can watch your dog. I still think my pup would be stressed and lonely here, but it seems like the best of the options so far.

Dog ranch

These could be a great fit for a larger more energetic dog. The dogs stay in kennels, sometimes in a covered outdoor area, and get to romp around a large property during the day. I wouldn’t be inclined to send a small dog here unless they have a separate area for small dogs.

Board and Train

I love board and train if you have researched the trainer and facility, gotten references of past clients and made the decision you want to dedicate 2-4 weeks and several thousand dollars to having your dog professionally trained. Ultimately how well your dog behaves in the long run will depend on how much you can keep up with the trainer’s recommendations. 

I used to get a lot of calls asking if I could ‘board and train’ for a long weekend. Someone couldn’t teach me French in 3 days, but could maybe teach me a few words and give me some basics. Same is true for our dogs and a true board and train needs to last several weeks. Board and train is expensive and not something you should rush into at the last minute because you need care and want to kill two birds with one stone. Those calls would make me really sad because it shows how our industry does a bad job of explaining how dogs learn and what different services mean.

Also- strong strong recommendation to not do board and train over a holiday. During holidays I was up to my ears in dogs and taking care of the basic needs took all my time and energy. Any dog hoping to get some extra training would be getting less than my best self and less time than I could usually dedicate. I simply wouldn’t take on this request during holiday times because I knew I couldn’t do the best job possible, but not everyone would say “no” to extra money. Please don’t  board and train over holiday times. Unless the facility’s trainers are separate from their caregivers, it’s not the best use of your dollars.

Happy traveling and best of luck!