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Weekends (or Longer) Away?


kemmek
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Hi, I'm new here, so please go easy on me :).

My husband and I are at the stage of thinking that we might want to get a dog at some point. I tend to want to think about and plan for all the details of everything, and one thing that I've been wondering is what you all do if you want to go away for the weekend?

More specifically, we regularly go to the "big city" 2 hours away for the weekend to attend sporting and cultural events. As far as I know, there isn't anyplace to stay within cooee of the centre of town that will accommodate a dog. Nor do we have any family or friends at home that I can think of that we could ask to look after a dog at home.

So what do you all do when you go away for the weekend to someplace where it isn't convenient to take your dog(s)?

Not to mention, what about when your dog is still young? At what age will boarding kennels take puppies? Or do you just not go on holidays for a year or so?

Sorry if these seem like silly questions. I just don't want to go about planning to get a dog if it would mean changing our lives to the point that we can't do a lot of the other things that we enjoy.

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A dog does mean changing your lives & one of the biggest reason dogs get dumped or a no longer wanted because they are a commitment .

This is one area we seriously question our puppy owners about .

Most people will board there dogs for such events so people need to factor that into there budget ,if people have family or friends then they are lucky .

I guess the major question is what amount of time would a dog have with you on weekdays as generally people embrace the weekend for time spent with there dog .

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We normally take our two toy poodles with us by finding dog friendly accomodation or staying with family/friends. Our larger Schnauzer has to go to the kennel. You may find a kennel close to wherever you are going for the weekend instead of trying to find one near home? :)

We've also had house sitters for longer periods which worked out extremely well.

Edited by Ranga
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Boarding kennels should take puppies after they have all of their vaccinations (around 16 weeks old).

Once you get your dog and start going to puppy classes, obedience lessons, taking it to the dog park or just walking with it you will meet other like minded people. You may then make doggie friends who might offer look after your dog when you go away and you in turn can look after theirs when they go away.

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I've always had family around to look after dogs when I go away. Whether I drop them at their house or when I lived near my Nanna I would leave my dog at home with his food and water easy to sort out and she'd visit him a couple of times a day to make sure he was ok and feed & check water. I'm no micro-manager as long as I know the dog is safe.

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My dog goes on holidays with me. If not, I won't go. If I have to go overseas, I find someone to look after, like a house sitter, or sometimes my breeder is happy to babysit. :laugh: But those type of holidays are rare and few.. Basically I have changed my lifestyle to fit my dog, no more impulsive getaways - but I enjoy the getaways I do take with my dog much much more!

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People go away when they have dogs? Really?

Seriously, I usaually board 2 of my dogs, and my lovely neighbour is happy to feed and play with the other 2 for a few days. If it were for a longer time I'd board all 4 - but that could end up costing more than the actual holiday itself... *sigh*

The only time I've had away from my dogs in many years is when I've had to go to hospital - and 2 of those visits weren't planned... errr! I have amazing neighbours and friends who happily managed my dogs while I was laid up.

T.

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Hi, I'm new here, so please go easy on me :).

My husband and I are at the stage of thinking that we might want to get a dog at some point. I tend to want to think about and plan for all the details of everything, and one thing that I've been wondering is what you all do if you want to go away for the weekend?

More specifically, we regularly go to the "big city" 2 hours away for the weekend to attend sporting and cultural events. As far as I know, there isn't anyplace to stay within cooee of the centre of town that will accommodate a dog. Nor do we have any family or friends at home that I can think of that we could ask to look after a dog at home.

So what do you all do when you go away for the weekend to someplace where it isn't convenient to take your dog(s)?

Not to mention, what about when your dog is still young? At what age will boarding kennels take puppies? Or do you just not go on holidays for a year or so?

Sorry if these seem like silly questions. I just don't want to go about planning to get a dog if it would mean changing our lives to the point that we can't do a lot of the other things that we enjoy.

Welcome!!!! Preferable to ask now rather than do an impulse buy of a puppy and then get stuck. I have found people doing this end up having a really happy time when they eventually do get a dog/puppy.

What you may also find is a kind of a need to be near a cute puppy, weekends away drop in importance.

What we did was find a balance. Many more places are now dog friendly. You might even be able to take yours with you. If special weekends like a trip away to watch a sports match or entertainment come up, you may have enough time to find kennels near to your destination.

With the internet, heaps of options exist.

Hope this helps.

:)

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That's easy. If I they can't go with me or I can't get someone - usually their grandma - to stay over then I don't go. smile.gif .

I last went OS for three weeks in 2010. After I arrived home and after discussion with grandma who stayed over, it became apparent I wouldn't be able to go away for more than a day or two (or unless they came too) until after Mac falls off his twig. In my mind yes that is the level of commitment. Hope that helps. smile.gif

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I will be putting my boy in to boarding for a week when I go to my brothers wedding. He will be over 18 months, which I've noticed for a lot of pet friendly accommodation is the minimum age they'll take pets, and some are 2 years and have weight restrictions which basically amounts to small dogs only.

I know some people do but I would not have been comfortable boarding my boy under 1 yr of age.

When I've gone away previously he's either stayed with my Mum or had a friend stay the weekend.

My last dog was pet sitted or boarded a few times.

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My little boy goes back to "Boot Camp", to his breeder. We do not have family in Australia who could look after him. And as I am a 'helicopter' parent, and don't want him to stay with strangers/boarding kennels, he boards with the breeder, as one of the family. Perfect for all of us!

Good luck! I think it is great that you think about all that involves being a dog owner BEFORE you get one. Wish more people would do it.

Hope you get back on forum and share photos and stories of your puppy with us.

Hi, I'm new here, so please go easy on me :).

My husband and I are at the stage of thinking that we might want to get a dog at some point. I tend to want to think about and plan for all the details of everything, and one thing that I've been wondering is what you all do if you want to go away for the weekend?

More specifically, we regularly go to the "big city" 2 hours away for the weekend to attend sporting and cultural events. As far as I know, there isn't anyplace to stay within cooee of the centre of town that will accommodate a dog. Nor do we have any family or friends at home that I can think of that we could ask to look after a dog at home.

So what do you all do when you go away for the weekend to someplace where it isn't convenient to take your dog(s)?

Not to mention, what about when your dog is still young? At what age will boarding kennels take puppies? Or do you just not go on holidays for a year or so?

Sorry if these seem like silly questions. I just don't want to go about planning to get a dog if it would mean changing our lives to the point that we can't do a lot of the other things that we enjoy.

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We have used a kennel a couple of times for weekends. We're really happy with the level of care he gets there, so are starting to consider weekends away occasionally. His first visit was at about 8 months when we had to go away for family reasons. He is a very social dog though, so I think he enjoys it. Not all dogs have that kind of personality though, so it won't work for them all.

A bigger consideration for us is that we miss him like crazy when we're away :)

We recently had a longer holiday, and had a friend take care of him at home, which was great.

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We don't go anywhere we can't take our dogs, they are our lives.

If such regular trips into the city for weekends are on the cards and your week is not free to spend time with the dog, you do need to honestly assess your available time to see if a dog is really going to fit in with your lifestyle.

I get that DOL is mostly full of extremely enthusiastic down owners :D and not ever dog has to be, but all dogs do have requirements when it comes to quality time with their owners. They are a huge commitment and should be a big part of the joy of the family.

Well done with your research and questions. :)

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We enjoy going away with our dogs which means holidays away are often in summer when we can go camping and take them with us. Plus is so nice seeing them out in the elements and experiencing something new :)

If we go away and can't take the dogs they stay with the in-laws, but that's about once a year for a couple of weeks at the most.

If you are considering having a dog that you can take to a kennel you might want to factor this into your breed choice. Some breeds are known as velcro dogs and need human companionship and a home environment, these types of dogs would not do very well in a kennel environment.

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We have an arrangement where we look after our friends's dog when they go away, and they look after ours :)

For longer holidays Nana will look after them.

I have used kennels in the past, but virtually every time I've had to take them to the vet afterwards as they have been sick.

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