Hello all,
my son is getting married in Mexico this Christmas and all family is going. Therefore, no one to stay with my dog Kane.
He is a GSD turing 2 in AUG. Im a new member of a SCH. club
near me and one of the members boards dogs.
my question is, if hes used to lots of attention , and living on a farm with 160 acres to play on, will he become depressed when being boarded? Also, will he be upset with me?
(he would be boarded for 2 weeks)

a solid sound dog should have no issues being boarded. he will adapt, and adjust.

just don't make any sort of production about going, or getting back. you will probably want to review OB when you get back, just as a refresher for him.

He will be fine.

The owners have the hardest time with boarding. He will have lots to see and smell! And I am sure they have “paddocks” to let him run in and play in daily.

Just make sure that you bring his normal food and maybe his bed (but it may not come back the same&hellip and perhaps a toy that he likes if they let you. Toys can very easily disappear and may cause jealous fence fighting, so some kennels won’t allow them.

He will be so happy to see you though when you come back. There is no greater joy to a dog than seeing mom after two weeks of separation!

I'm not sure what the boarding kennel situation is like but you have a few options to consider. One is to have a live in pet sitter. Usually it's a cheaper option as well.

Second is to start touring the local boarding facilities. I've worked at a couple. Trust me... tour.

If they won't let me tour the entire facility I won't use them. I don't care if it's a vet office or a private kennel. If I can't see it they're not worth using.

If they seem uncomfortable answering questions about how the dogs are cared for I won't use them.

If the facility appears insecure for dogs escaping I won't use them. Well designed facilities have at least two sets of fencing between dogs and the outside. The place I currently work has 3.

Does the facility smell like a dirty kennel? Is it clean? Is there a fly issue? Do the dogs look unreasonably stressed out and frantic? How many times a day are the dogs interacted with? For how long? Are the dogs kept in runs or in crates?

Will my dog be walked or turned out with other dogs?

Is the facility large? Trust me the care for 30 + dogs will be different than the care for 15 or less dogs.

Oh and before I forget... Congrats! Weddings are awesome :-D

Would another member at your Sch club be willing to look after him?
Just a thought but they will know him and know what a working dogs needs. They may have a spare kennel or crate etc.

I got the feel from the post that that was what she was doing.

I have not boarded Quinn since he was a pup because of his temperament. And then about four months ago, my training director decided to put up some extra runs!!!! YAY!!! My first vacation without a dog!!!

He knows my dog well, has a great bond with him, and is the only other person that can correct him if needed. And he feeds his dogs raw.

Could not have asked for a better situation for us.

Thank you for the replys,
I will definitely tour the facility and make sure Im satisfied with it. Its comforting to know he will cope ok.
and yes weddings are great!, aaaaand its our first holiday to a warm place, so Christmas will be very different!