Dogsfevr Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Thank you for all the replies. I am starting to feel better about it and hoping she might even have fun in the kennel. Are there any specific questions I should ask at the kennels about their policies and practices? If you havent been out & visited do so. If you havent already explained your dogs issues then do so.As a kennel owner there is nothing more frustrating than being told on the day about a dog that could be special needs. We do take special needs dogs BUT its nice to now in advance just what your dealing with & even which run will best suit that dog on arrival incase it requires time to settle, I also believe a kennel should be given the right to not take any dog with issues if they feel they cant deal with it. Policies as about vet care. I would suggest dropping the dog off am & not PM so it has the day to familiarise. If you have a good rap-ore with your vet you could discuss a plain if the dog doesnt deal well with meds BUT also keep in mind some meds for stressed dogs need supervision & monitoring due to reactions etc etc. The kennel should have a contract & be able to tell you who there chosen vet is for issues . We always try to use the clients but it isnt always doable If you leave alternative contacts for emergency make sure these people are willing to assist & able to do something. We often get numbers left & the people have no clue when contacted & dont want to help. Maybe leave some other telephone numbers with the kennels (family or close friends) who they can call if needed - preferable someone your dog is very comfortable with. Is there anyone who can go in a take her out for the day or something like that ... maybe on the weekend or something ... day parole Most kennels wont allow this for various reasons . As i say a good kennel will have no issues & your dog will cope very well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ons Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 also make sure that the kennels only accept dogs that have had vacinations, a few sadly don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointees Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Unless vnv has a friend who works from home or who stays home during the day, I think a small kennel like she described is the best option. The dog will have plenty of care and attention throughout the day. The kennel should also have a daily routine that the dog can settle into.Honestly, when I worked at a kennel it was always the owners who got the most upset, not the dogs. With nervous dogs I would just spend extra time sitting quietly with them getting to know them and gaining their trust. It never took them long to settle in and relax. When I worked at one too, the owners were much more stressed. We even had dogs who would jump out of the car and drag their owners over to us (the staff) with their tails going as fast as they could! Those dogs really made my day. Your dog will be well looked after, and in a smaller boarding kennels she will be much better off. Within a day or two she will be happy and know the routine of the kennel. She will have a fun time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 also make sure that the kennels only accept dogs that have had vacinations, a few sadly don't. That wouldn't be so bad, IMO. I'd love it if kennels would see their way to accepting Titre tests as an alternative to mandatory annual vaccination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 also make sure that the kennels only accept dogs that have had vacinations, a few sadly don't. That wouldn't be so bad, IMO. I'd love it if kennels would see their way to accepting Titre tests as an alternative to mandatory annual vaccination. I accept titre tests at my kennel...... now that the AVA has accepted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2tollers Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 also make sure that the kennels only accept dogs that have had vacinations, a few sadly don't. That wouldn't be so bad, IMO. I'd love it if kennels would see their way to accepting Titre tests as an alternative to mandatory annual vaccination. Amen to that Erny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 (edited) I accept titre tests at my kennel...... now that the AVA has accepted it. I hope and actually expect that more will catch on. I believe they will. News, I think, is filtering through. And as a training school, I accept Titre tests as well. With minimum C3 requirement. Edited January 19, 2010 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 also make sure that the kennels only accept dogs that have had vacinations, a few sadly don't. That wouldn't be so bad, IMO. I'd love it if kennels would see their way to accepting Titre tests as an alternative to mandatory annual vaccination. When state laws change it may happen BUT kennels are bound by what there states law & reg are for running kennels. In some states kennels who accept titre are actually going against what the state law is & could be in a pickle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOVE GSD'S Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Unfortunately I am out of all other options an I have to put my dog in a boarding kennel for a month. It is making me sick with worry and stress. I feel so bad for her and like I've majorly let her down. She did have seperation anxiety but that has settled down now except when the routine changes (I have to go away for work 2 weekends a year and she takes a while to settle down again after) so I am worried this will be a major disruption for her and she will fret the whole time. I also got her from the pound so I am worried she will stress more and think she is back there. I've been researching kennels and things relating to leaving your dog in the kennel and have read all sorts of horror stories. A major concern I have is the tendency for weight loss. My girl is already very hard to keep weight on and she is a picky eater at the best of times. She has been unsettled lately and I am not sure why. Maybe she is picking up on my stress about the situation? She will be in the kennel from the start of Feb until the start of March. I have found a small kennel (32 or 36 dog capacity) where they are let out to run individually twice a day and get walks etc... kennels are air conditioned too.. she is an inside dog and used to sleeping on my bed with me. Will she be okay? What can I do to make it easier and less stressful for her? Is leaving your dog in a kennel as bad as it seems? I feel so horrible. I just want my doggy to be safe and happy all the time and I feel like I am letting her down majorly by having to do this.. but I have no choice. oh, poor you! I once laughed at a friend cause she would not leave her dog to go to a country wedding. Now I have Ava, I cant leave her either!! or if I do, it is only for the shortest time possible. I have no answers, just compassion.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percyk Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 we kennelled ours for a day just so we could do a family thing whilst away and dogs werent permitted it was a nice place with nice people but the dogs were upset...one wouldnt come out of the enclosure and another wouldnt come to us just after one da we felt so bad what can i say it reaLLY depends on your dog how it will take it...and even though i could lie and say it will be just fine...you dont know how they suffer or whether they just go to sleep or are distracted...they cant talk and i doubt the kennels will admit the truth if it isnt palatable do what you have to do sometimes there are no choices but no matter how nicely the kennels treat your dog...your dog can be still upset... we wont kennel our dogs unless there is just no other way... theyre all fine by the way as far as we can tell...makes you feel so yuk that they dont take it out on you lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Fox 001 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 also make sure that the kennels only accept dogs that have had vacinations, a few sadly don't. That wouldn't be so bad, IMO. I'd love it if kennels would see their way to accepting Titre tests as an alternative to mandatory annual vaccination. I accept titre tests at my kennel...... now that the AVA has accepted it. We do too, although in the past 18 months have never had anyone ask! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiekaye Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 we kennelled ours for a day just so we could do a family thing whilst away and dogs werent permittedit was a nice place with nice people but the dogs were upset...one wouldnt come out of the enclosure and another wouldnt come to us just after one da we felt so bad what can i say it reaLLY depends on your dog how it will take it...and even though i could lie and say it will be just fine...you dont know how they suffer or whether they just go to sleep or are distracted...they cant talk and i doubt the kennels will admit the truth if it isnt palatable do what you have to do sometimes there are no choices but no matter how nicely the kennels treat your dog...your dog can be still upset... we wont kennel our dogs unless there is just no other way... theyre all fine by the way as far as we can tell...makes you feel so yuk that they dont take it out on you lol I wouldnt leave my dog at kennels if I didnt trust the operators to tell me the truth. My experience working in a well run kennel was that most dogs settled in well. During the day we had closed hours between 11am-3pm. During this time the dogs who had all been excercised and fed were quiet and relaxed. The occasional dog that had seperation anxiety, owners were told. Its not a lot of fun looking after a dog that chews wires, disturbs other well adjusted dogs. Owners could do a lot to help their dogs to adjust to kenneling, eg right from the beginning crate the dog and give it time penned everyday so that when the time comes that it must go to kennels it will not be a big deal. Spoilt dogs are the hardest but often the distractions at kennels like seeing other dogs and routine overcomes any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 We do too, although in the past 18 months have never had anyone ask! And they won't until they know about it as an option. And that information needs to come down from the Vets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 (edited) Kennel stays don't have to be a bad thing from the dog's perspective. Shop around and make sure you like the kennel you use. For a longer stay, it's important that the dogs get stimulation and exercise. If your dog is dog-friendly, a kennel that sets up play groups is a good thing, especially for young energetic dogs: although the oldies often seem to get pleasure out of watching the other dogs. I would avoid a kennel that 'exercises' the dogs by letting them out for half an hour a day while their runs are cleaned and then locks them back up. We have had dogs stay for a year or more, and many stay for a few months. Many love it. I have had dogs jump out of the car and run back into the kennel (to be with their dog friends) while their owners were picking them up. Many of our regulars tell us that their dog picks up and starts looking happy when they get in range of the kennel. We get dogs that have been adopted from rescue quite often. The owners often worry that they will think they are being abandoned. In almost all cases, the dog has fit in well and had a good time. Edited January 19, 2010 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vnv Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 http://www.acacialodge.com.au/ this is the kennel that I am going to visit on Saturday (hope it's okay to post the link here). I think it looks good and the lady was very nice when I called to speak to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calypso Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Unfortunately I am out of all other options an I have to put my dog in a boarding kennel for a month. It is making me sick with worry and stress. I feel so bad for her and like I've majorly let her down. She did have seperation anxiety but that has settled down now except when the routine changes (I have to go away for work 2 weekends a year and she takes a while to settle down again after) so I am worried this will be a major disruption for her and she will fret the whole time. I also got her from the pound so I am worried she will stress more and think she is back there. I've been researching kennels and things relating to leaving your dog in the kennel and have read all sorts of horror stories. A major concern I have is the tendency for weight loss. My girl is already very hard to keep weight on and she is a picky eater at the best of times. She has been unsettled lately and I am not sure why. Maybe she is picking up on my stress about the situation? She will be in the kennel from the start of Feb until the start of March. I have found a small kennel (32 or 36 dog capacity) where they are let out to run individually twice a day and get walks etc... kennels are air conditioned too.. she is an inside dog and used to sleeping on my bed with me. Will she be okay? What can I do to make it easier and less stressful for her? Is leaving your dog in a kennel as bad as it seems? I feel so horrible. I just want my doggy to be safe and happy all the time and I feel like I am letting her down majorly by having to do this.. but I have no choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 http://www.acacialodge.com.au/ this is the kennel that I am going to visit on Saturday (hope it's okay to post the link here). I think it looks good and the lady was very nice when I called to speak to her. That place looks and sounds really good. I'm ready to move in, they seem to know what they are talking about! The indoor runs however would send my girl in to a frenzy as you can see the dogs next to you. Don't forget we also have PAX on here who runs great kennels, small numbers so heaps of one on one loving. She is towards Windsor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ons Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 also make sure that the kennels only accept dogs that have had vacinations, a few sadly don't. That wouldn't be so bad, IMO. I'd love it if kennels would see their way to accepting Titre tests as an alternative to mandatory annual vaccination. I accept titre tests at my kennel...... now that the AVA has accepted it. We do too, although in the past 18 months have never had anyone ask! I did mean this, just worded it badly! What i meant was a dog that has never had a vacination, my understanding is that dogs who are titre tested have had vacinations and have built up the immunity so don't need regular vacinations because they are immuned. I could be wrong i'm always telling my mum to get her 12 year old cavalier titre tested instead of injecting her each year. she doesn't listen though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Vnv - Clyde bet me to it in recommending PAX's kennels. She is in much the same area. I trust her implicitly with Boo. I was worried when I first boarded him as he is not a confident dog, sleeps on the bed, struggles to keep weight on, is a breed prone to bloat (which can be 'caused' by stress) etc He got lots of outdoor and play time, can take toys and own bedding and they get fed a great diet. I think it was a great sign that when we went back for the 2nd time, he bounced out of the car happy to see Pax, raced around the yard and happily went into his pen. A number of DOLers use her kennels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millie Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Acacia Lodge is very good. They have a lot of vet recommendations, repeat customers and customers travelling long distances. You should check it out and compare both places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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