We'll be going on vacation next week, and will be boarding Honey while we're gone (Sunday evening through Wednesday evening). With Abby, our previous Labby girl, we had someone come take care of her at home and it worked well. Honey has been given a little freedom (while we sleep, she stays in our room but can come and go from her crate as she chooses), but there is no way we could leave her unsupervised, even with someone coming several times a day to walk her etc. She's going to be staying at a "daycare" where the owner is a trainer and quite experienced with dogs, so I'm as ok with leaving her as I can be. I'm concerned about making sure we do everything we can to help Honey be ready and have as smooth an experience as possible, especially given that she had been in the animal shelter for a while before coming home with us. She's very attached to us and since my OH is home all day, hasn't been separated from us since coming home minus being in her kennel while we went to a doctor's appointment. We're taking her this afternoon to meet the trainer, and are going to see if she thinks that a day or two of daycare would help her adjust more easily, but I am worried about her (Honey's) being afraid that she is being left for good again. What other suggestions do you have for easing her transition to being away from us? (and for easing ours to being away from her )
I also meant to say that we'll be taking her blanket/food/toys/treats, which was the line of thinking I was in when I titled the post, then it turned into more "what else can we do to prepare her"
Could you maybe take her for a morning then pick her up and then maybe a full day. So she gets used to where she's going but she also knows you come back?
That's our plan, just hoping there's room for her to do that. I told my OH this feels like when we left our baby for the first time
Dogs don't think like that. They move on with head high and tail wagging. If there is food and love at the boarders then they are fine, much much more fine than we are! Just be sure you don't pass on your nerves to her, be upbeat and confident when you hand her over, no long farewells.
I know the feeling. Deik is currently at the breeder/trainers right now to go to Montana for the hunt test. But- I agree try to be confident and reassuring when you take her to drop her off. I'm sure she'll have fun and it's only for a few days ☺
You're absolutely right--I definitely needed that reminder. I think I'll get my husband to do the dropoff Sunday; he will miss her too but doesn't get caught up in the emotions of it.
We had to take Coco to board at the rescue we got him from for a couple of days, just 6 weeks after we got him. We had to travel suddenly and could not trust him in the car or staying with us at OH's parents house. He loved the people at the ManxSPCA - they'd looked after him for 3 months and built a bond. He doesn't really like kennels though OH did the drop off. He also did the collection - Coco went wild with joy to see him again. OH was really touched by this, that a dog we'd had 6 weeks was so excited to see him. But then Coco still does this even if he's been out for half an hour!
We ended up deciding last night that instead of boarding Honey, OH will stay home with her. She had several accidents inside yesterday which we are trying to figure out, and we just don't think she's quite ready for boarding, as she still goes outside during the night and of course that wouldn't happen where she was boarding. We decided it wasn't worth the potential short-term discomfort or worse for her, and the possible longer-term setback after she has been doing so well with house-training overall.
