Preparing Your Dog For The Pet Boarding Experience
Posted on: 9 May 2015
For many pet owners, placing their dog in a boarding kennel for even a few days can be an emotional decision. After all, it is always difficult to be away from someone that you love. However, with just a bit of planning, you can help to ensure that the time your dog spends in the kennel will be enjoyable for both of you.
Make Sure Your Dog Is Up-To-Date On Their Shots
Kennels can be a breeding ground for many illnesses that affect dogs. If you want to ensure that your pet returns home healthy at the end of their stay, you will need to begin by ensuring they are up-to-date on all of their shots. This includes vaccinations for kennel cough.
If your dog is a bit behind on their vaccinations, you will need to schedule an appointment with their vet as soon as possible. It can take several weeks for some vaccinations to reach maximum effectiveness. Therefore, this is not a task that you will want to save until the last minute.
Give Your Dog Time To Adjust To New Sleeping Arrangements
Most boarding kennels will require all dogs to sleep and eat in a crate in order to prevent any aggressive behavior. If your pet is not accustomed to this type of eating and sleeping arrangement, they could experience a great deal of stress when suddenly experiencing so many changes to their daily routine. You can help to ease this stress by giving your dog a bit of extra time to adjust.
A few weeks before you plan on boarding your pet, begin serving their meals in their crate. You can begin by leaving the door open while they eat and slowly work your way up to keeping the gate locked during feeding time.
As the date of your vacation draws closer, begin having your pet sleep in their crate as well. Adding a favorite blanket or toy to their crate can help them to feel more comfortable during this transition. Just remember to take this same favorite object with them to the kennel in order to ensure they have the same type of comfort they have become accustomed to at home.
Skip The Long Goodbye
While you may be tempted to draw out the process of saying goodbye to your pet when dropping them off at the kennel, giving into this temptation will actually make things worse for your pet. This is because dogs easily pick up on the emotions of their owner. If your pet picks up on your sadness, they will not understand what is making you sad, but only that something bad happened that upset you. This feeling will then be associated with the kennel.
In order to avoid stressing out your dog, you will want to talk in a calm voice both on the way to the boarding kennel and once you arrive. After signing your dog in, quickly say goodbye and then allow the staff to take your pet to the boarding area. While this may be harder for you, it will be better for your dog in the long run. To learn more about dog boarding, contact a company like Posh Pet Grooming Salon.
Share