Willow is 7 months old and is due to go in a kennel for the first time. I am worried as she gets nurvouse when she hears dogs bark but can't see them. She will run around with her ears back and tail tucked in. The kennel said they would house her next to quiet dogs and she can see the other dogs next to her. How can I make it less stressful for her. I might be worrying over nothing but I want her stay to be a happy one not stressful. The dog next door barks a lot and if she is in the garden she will run in I have to go out with her if she needs to toilet when he is barking next door. She is friendly and plays with other dogs she meets out even ones that growl and snap at her.
Then you may just have to accept that she will be stressed and nervous and hope she is OK when you get back.
Hi @WillowA I would ask the owner whether I could visit the kennel a couple of times with my dog. Aim to have lots of fun each visit giving lots of treats when she is calm. Start with short visits building up to a longer stay. If you can manage it, let her stay for only a morning, then at another time over night only. Don't make a huge deal of leaving her or picking her up after her short visits. When she goes to stay there, take her blanket with you plus some clothing you have worn but not washed that can be left with her.
Thank you Michael I will do this. The kennel are very good I have used them a lot in the past. I don't feel comfortable leaving my dog with strange people I don't know. I know the people at the kennel they go out of their way with the dogs. My elderly deaf blind spaniel couldn't travel far in the car after years of holidays in the uk they looked after her a great gave her her water tabets and even put her in the therapy pool she loved swimming. I don't need to justify my decision I want my pup to be able to have a stress free stay in a kennel we intend to take her with us in future. I have spoken to vet they have suggested a collar impregnated with pheromones and tablets to calm her.
Okay. Try the adaptil collar at home so that she becomes habituated to it before using it at the kennel. It does not work with all dogs but it will do no harm
I agree with Michael. Take her there just for an afternoon to start with, for a few hours. If that goes ok, then for one night overnight. If she seems excessively stressed on these trial occasions, then you might need to consider alternative arrangements. I am a huge fan of well run kennels (as compared to house sitters) but it's also the case that some dogs really don't kennel well and are better with a house sitter that you take time to get to know beforehand.
I did a couple of short stays with Meg before I left her properly. She surprised me and settled quickly. I take her own bed. They fuss her and she gets to play with other dogs...she can’t wait to get in...she drags me in. I agree with home boarding....works for some but I feel safer with her in kennels.
The vet also recomended useing the adaptil plug in from now at home as she will sence there is something going on when we are packing ect. Though we are not going for a while yet.
The kennel we go to were brilliant with my spaniels we have been useing them for 15 years. I think she will be fine she doesn't suffer separation anxiety.
Willow had her first week in the kennel we put an adaptil collar on her. When we went to pick her up we could see the kennel where she was. She was sitting happily looking out then when she heard us she started to woof. The kennel people said she was fine no problems I did tell them she wouldn't eat if they just left her to it so someone stayed with her while she ate.
I'm glad she had a good time @WillowA at the kennel. Have you trained your dog to leave food if nobody is present?
The kennel put it down after a few days of staying with her then went back after a few minutes later and she had eaten it. If we go upstairs and leave her food down she waits until we are back before she eats it. My other dogs wouldn't eat treats left when we left the house until we came back. How would you train them to eat when your not there. At least she will eat her food in the kennel now. We haven't trained her not eat when we are not there I think it's a seperation issue.
@WillowA thanks for the quick reply. Will your dog eat if you have your back to her all the time? I wonder whether your face or position of your hands is giving her a cue to eat.
Yes she eats in the kitchen am in the living room with the door open its only if I leave the room to go upstairs she will stop eating.
Hi @willows Sorry for all the questions but I am trying to work out what is going on. She ate her meal in the kennel when nobody was there. No assistant. No you. But if you go upstairs she stops eating. Strange. Why does your absence in your home matter? Where are you other dogs when she is eating your meal? What happens to the other dogs when you go upstairs? Have you tried changing the location of where you place her meal? If you go out of sight of her, while you are in the living room, does she stop eating? If you went partially upstairs what would happen if you you started singing loudly?
We don't have any other dogs there is always someone in the next room when she is eating. I just let the kennel know she does this incase they thought she was off her food but as it turned out they sorted it as one of the girls stayed with her then they left her a short time to see if she ate it and she did.
Hi @WillowA Okay, clear now on the lack of other dogs. Care to reflect on my other questions? I am struggling with the following issue: How does she know you're not in the living room? I take it that wherever you are in the living room she can always see you. Do you have wooden treads on your staircase? Is it the sound of you climbing the staircase that cues stop eating?
