In the summer I have to go with the entire family to visit my wife's family. We haven't been there in 10 years.

I have never boarded a dog before and have some questions.
1. Does anyone know of a good place in the greater Seattle, Washington area with experience in high drive dogs?
2. How do I pick a place that would have experience with working dogs?
3. Third option: train a family member how to handle the dog. This would ensure my training philosophy (no other dog contact for example) would be followed. I cringe at some of the dog boarding options where my dog would be running with a pack of dogs.

Thanks

I can appreciate the concerns you have, as we had the same concerns when faced with boarding our Mal, Bailey. She was reactive to other dogs, as well as being, well, a Mal, so finding the right place was hard. Eventually, we found a place that was a little smaller than most so they were able to give a little more individual attention. Also, they had little bigger kennels for each dog that allowed both shelter inside as well as a small run outside, giving them a little more room to move around. They also had a large yard they used as an exercise/play area, in which they let out the dogs selectively for play and exercise each day. For those dogs that are reactive, like ours, they allowed them out by themselves and played with them alone. Hopefully, you can find a kennel that offers those concessions and just a little more individualized treatment.

Not sure if your dog has issues with anxiety but ours did and it ended up with her hurting herself with all the jumping and pacing, especially when we initially dropped her off. We found having her wear a Thundershirt helped tremendously on the way and for about an hour after her arrival. Helped her calm down much faster and stopped the injuries. Anti-anxiety meds can also help them stay calmer during their stay.

Now, she actually is happy to go up to the owners and say hi when we arrive and simply goes by herself to the door leading to the kennels. After several visits, she now knows the drill.

Good luck in your search!

 Quote: Daniel.P.Hughes

1. Does anyone know of a good place in the greater Seattle, Washington area with experience in high drive dogs?
2. How do I pick a place that would have experience with working dogs?
3. Third option: train a family member how to handle the dog. This would ensure my training philosophy (no other dog contact for example) would be followed. I cringe at some of the dog boarding options where my dog would be running with a pack of dogs.

Thanks

Well, in the San Francisco bay area, LOL...

I like everything that Greg already said

My Akita was extremely dog-aggro, but the boarding kennel I've used since the late '60s worked fine for her:

Individual indoor/outdoor kennel runs; private walks & escape-proof exercise yard for play sessions with handler; never any eye-line exposure to other dogs...

Personally, I would always feel more confident leaving my dogs with TRUSTED (that's the Key word) professionals, than I ever would leaving them with some unproven friend or relative (secure facility; trained staff; on call 24-hr Vet nearby) but that's just me...

Surely with a little research, you can find some Good Recommendations for a Reliable & Responsible boarding kennel in the greater Seattle area, Daniel.

 Quote: Daniel.P.Hughes

I cringe at some of the dog boarding options where my dog would be running with a pack of dogs.

Thanks

I don't go places where that is standard like those idiotic "cage-free" places. It shows such a lack of understanding of dog behavior. I tell boarding places no playtime. If you walk in and everybody looks like they're still in high school walk back out. If they have a "trainer" who frequently handles the dog walk away. They will inevitably try to "train" the dog. There was a member a few years ago who came back to find the trainer reporting that they had found the dog was too intense about the ball for their taste and so they had "worked on" that along with letting their child walk it with a Gentle Leader. Took them a few weeks to get the dog back to normal with a ball.

I would just get a pet sitter. If any of your friends have high drive dogs and high school age or older kids you might be able to get the kids to sit for you. I occasionally sit for a few families where the dogs need special handling. One has a reactive dog who is fairly extreme(alligator rolls, screams, etc) in her reactions to dogs on the walk but still needs daily walks so they hire a sitter to stay at the house and then just have me walk their dog. It's much easier on the dogs to just have me come in for a few days and keep their routine the same. You can either just have the sitter come in and just feed the dogs or have them actually stay at your house. Some professional sitter services are good but others try and pack in as many clients as possible and routinely get caught doing a 5 minute visit when they were supposed to be there for an hour.

Personally, I would go for the sitter option just to not have to worry about getting a bordatella vaccine or picking up a nasty thing like canine influenza. The bordatella vaccine is largely ineffective and if given 2 weeks prior you might be boarding your dog right as they get some mild flu like symptoms. Not worth it in my book but boarding facilities insist so that they can me seen as "doing something". I also don't give annual vaccines and some kennels are stuck in the dark ages and want them.

Family always cares of my dogs when I'm gone.

Some kennels give you the option of no contact other then feeding and kennel cleaning, no contact with other dogs, training sessions, you name it and they can set it up.

Anything above and beyond just feeding and cleaning and the prices go way up.

Daniel, I remember you telling us the name of your breeder and that they weren't too far from you. Have you thought of contacting them to find out if there are any boarding kennels they might recommend?