# Puppy Boarding question- thank you in advanced! :)



## Whittyb958 (Jul 24, 2011)

Hello everyone! 

We are getting our puppy on August 20th. On October 29th we are getting married- and are going out of town for a few days for our honeymoon. 

We were weighing the different options- and I did some reading on previous threads posted here at dogsforum.com. 

I did read that if the puppy is up to date with shots- a puppy would be okay boarding around 5 months. 

My question is.. what do I ask when looking into the boarding facilities when it comes to puppies? I know of some great "puppy hotels" we used in the area for my black lab when I was younger. 

My issue is- some of them are "crate free" with about 20 dogs in each room. They are divided by size. I am just concerned that would be too overwhelming for a younger puppy.

If the boarding is not suggested- what about having a "pet sitter" come into the house and play with him twice a day? 

Thank you all!!


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## dmickle1 (Jun 19, 2011)

I think a pet sitter would be the better option. Puppies can have bad experiences in day cares and be left traumatized from the experience.

However, a pet sitter only visiting twice a day isn't enough for a young puppy. How old will the puppy be when you leave on your honeymoon? The general rule is that puppies can hold their urine for about an hour for every month they are old - so a three month old puppy could hold it for three hours, at the max. Twice a day isn't enough for a puppy to go potty and may undo any potty training you had already accomplished.

Read reviews about different day cares. Don't go with a crate free one, please! Your dog should be supervised at all times when it's interacting with other dogs. Make sure the day care you choose separates dogs by size as well as age. The day care I worked at had size groups, but also a group for puppies who were slightly less socialized than the other dogs and therefore more likely to cause trouble or be picked on.

What kind of puppy are you getting?


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## Whittyb958 (Jul 24, 2011)

Hey Dmickle! 

I am getting a Brussels Griffon  He is flipping adorable! The only reason I was thinking about a boarding facility is it would give the puppy more exposure to other dogs and socialization. I have him enrolled in puppy kindergarten and we are going to do obedience with him as well, but I thought it would be beneficial for him. BUT I don't want him overwhelmed or to have a traumatizing experience so young! 

I will look into dog sitters to come in 3x a day!

Thank you very very much! 

A picture of the little one attached so you can see


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## lisaj1354 (Feb 23, 2008)

Can you bring the puppy back to the breeder for boarding while you're gone?


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## Whittyb958 (Jul 24, 2011)

I had asked them, but sadly THEY will be out of town the first part of the week. Since it is Halloween they apparently decided to go to New Orleans and celebrate! I never thought about it before- but i'd imagine thats a fun place for Halloween. 

 Great suggestion thought 

I was thinking- with him having full run of the kitchen and his "area" with puppy pads, etc. and having a friend of mine pop in every once in awhile as well... I could get away with having a pet sitter stop by 3x a day for an hour? Maybe even then stay overnight? (though I feel really odd about that).

Will that set back his puppy training with using outside as the primary toliet- with the pads as an inside toliet until he gets bigger?


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

My puppy was boarded for a week when he was 5.5 months, but he had the company of my other dog though. I would ask them how much time they spend with the dogs, pay for extra play time and walks if available, get a room with a tv if possible (some boarding kennels have rooms with beds and tvs at extra cost). At the boarding kennel where my dogs where I paid for the most basic kennel, but because they had room, they spent a few days in a shared kennel area. It was only a little one, with a grassy area and maybe 3-4 other dogs of similar size, and they were separated at night.


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## canine nutritionist (Jul 16, 2011)

Great opportunity for socializing...I would look for a place that offers walks, swimming, hiking and lots of socialization!!!! Go for a visit first. If you are crating at home I would crate at the facility. Puppies get bored to easy for a pet sitter.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

For a puppy - I would look for someone they could actually go stay with (friends, family, etc). If that wasn't an option I would do pet sitting next and then board. Depending on how much you are willing to spend you can get a pet sitter to stop by as many times a day as you want (and depending on where you live - I live in a large metroplex) and add extra time to the time they spend there and have them stay overnight. Check out http://www.petsitters.org - the National Association of Professional Petsitters for some in your area. Also there are boarders that have kennels resembling home (beds, TVs and all) and you can pay to have someone stay with the pup all night at the boarders as well. It really depends on how much you are willing to spend and what you are comfortable with. You can customize the routine to be private walks without any other dog interaction or supervised play time, etc. At our old boarders (we've moved so I have to find a new one) all the dogs went into supervised daycare during the day in yards divided by the size of the dog. The were separated at night (dogs of the same family could stay together) in kennels and for meal time.


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## Greater Swiss (Jun 7, 2011)

All I can tell you is that we boarded our puppy for 2 nights at a kennel and it went FABULOUS. She has all of her shots (including the kennel cough vaccine). We picked her up afterwards and it was obvious she had enjoyed it and the kennel-keepers told us how she did. It was good to get the feedback, and it was good for her getting exposed to something new. 

The kennel had seperate areas for each dog, with a doggy door to a small outside area for each dog. 3 or 4 times a day they let the dogs out of their personal areas, and made sure they knew the details of each dog so they knew which ones were likely to be able to play together. They always supervised this playtime, and deal with any problems that might arise, modify play-together times as necessary. If you can in any way get a place like this go for it!!! (the super bonus to where we went was it was only $15 a day). 

If you get the wrong kennel, yes, it can be bad, but if you can find a good one I personally don't see it as a bad thing. Although you should seriously consider doing a "test night" at a kennel before leaving yours for a long period.


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## BrittanieJo (Sep 23, 2010)

If you are very concerned about the pup staying we took Aggie at about 5 months maybe even littler. We took her an overnight visit while we were in town to see how she did. She loved every second and still loves every second. Leo is 10 months and as we just got him he hasn't stayed at our kennel but we will do the same with him to make sure he's okay before spending any long amount of time. We opted to take the dogs with us on the trip we are going on for the next week as there are plenty of places to take them and because Leo hasn't stayed at the kennel. 

my personal opinion is that the no crate idea is just bad. If they are crated/or in separate areas for sleep time that might be okay but at our kennel each dog has it's own run and inside 5 x 6 (I think) area to get away from the other dogs. They are rotated into the play yard with dogs their size every hour or so and go on two 1 mile walks on their trail in the AM and before bed time. Aggie actually goes once in the afternoon as well if it isn't too hot because she's such a wild woman. All this costs us about 20 dollars for one night, 10 if they are just there in the AM. Some people choose to put two pets in one area to save 5 dollars (they charge 15 each instead of 20) but personally I don't leave our dogs alone together (they sleep together in our room with us) unsupervised since one or the other could decide to fight with the other while the girls that work there are sleep too (they are siblings! lol) so when our two go they both get their own rooms, next to each other so they can see each other when outside (this will happen when leo does stay, I requested it lol). They also will always be in the same play group. 

In general my advice would be to visit the kennel and have the pup do an over night visit at the kennel of your choice while you are still in town.


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## lisahi (Jun 19, 2011)

I had to board Coco at 14 weeks. Right after I got her, I got word that I would have to go to 3 training trips--one in July, one in August and one in September. I boarded her out of necessity as the alternatives were very few and not attractive.

Coco boarded at the vet. Because of her size and age, though, she stayed in the "Cat Room" with one other very small dog and some cats. She didn't interact with the other dogs.

She came back fine. Perhaps she was a bit more needy (whining a little louder and longer when I left the room). I don't believe she was traumatized though. I think most puppies (or adult dogs) being boarded for the first time are going to be a bit "off" when they come home. The neediness lasted for only a couple of days and now she's perfectly fine. She doesn't even whimper or watch me as I leave for work now.

Optimally, I wouldn't have boarded Coco at 14 weeks, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Chances are that if boarding winds up being your only viable option, your puppy will be fine.


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## Whittyb958 (Jul 24, 2011)

Thank you all for your response! I spoke to a kennel in the area who would be willing to do a tester "puppy day care" day to see how he does. I'll take him about a week or two after his final shots. 

We do have the option, however, of having a friend stay for the week. With that said, we'd have to get someone to come to the apartment a few times during the weekend... so I don't know if it would just be easier to have her stay or for him to go to the kennel. I think dog interaction would be fantastic for him, but he is so little.. if he was a year or more I wouldn't be as concerned.

Thank you all for your advice and stories. You've given me a lot to sort out and think about  

Also- $15.00!! The places here charge 50$ + daily.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

I think you shouldn't make your final decision until you have your pup with you. Different dogs react very differently to situations... For instance, my Cadence is VERY VERY sociable, friendly, and LOVES meeting new dogs and people. He started going to daycare 2x a week at 4 months old and always had a blast. He's been boarded for 2 weeks, and still did very well.

A shy dog might however, might get overly stressed out in a boarding place, in which case, a sitter would work better. I think the idea of letting him try out daycare for a day first to see his reaction is a very good one. If he loves having company, then I would vote for boarding, for sure.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Boarding a young pup is a good thing, there are sometimes an emergency in a family where pup/dog will have to be boarded. There is nothing as bad as boarding an adult dog for the very 1st time, young pups are more resilient. I also like a dog boarded in it's own kennel run as it does cut down on personal injures. Of course I have a tendency to carry a lot of respect for Murphy's Law.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

My puppy was boarded for a weekend at about 4.5 months old and he did fine. We boarded him at the daycare where he had been going for a while anyway. Really depends on the dog. My dog LOVED daycare and is not a hugely velcro dog. 

He loved boarding - had zero problems. Didn't even realize I was gone


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

Whittyb958 said:


> My issue is- some of them are "crate free" with about 20 dogs in each room. They are divided by size. I am just concerned that would be too overwhelming for a younger puppy.


My 14 week old rough collie goes to doggy daycare twice a week with our 2 year old sheltie and absolutely loves it. They are in the same room with about 15-20 dogs, crate free all day and divided by size. We were already very familiar with the staff and other dogs though so there wasn't any worry. Leaving your puppy for several days in a place he's never been is a little different. Perhaps you should test the waters first, see if you can leave him there for a day to see how he fits in. At 5 months he should be well socialized already and be able to handle the other dogs his size.


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## Whittyb958 (Jul 24, 2011)

Thank you all! I feel much better boarding Bruce now- with all of your suggestions and stories


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## stevenham (Oct 7, 2010)

I've had bad experiences with boarding kennels in my down. They will pretty much leave your pup in a kennel/crate for 23+ hours a day. I'm not even sure they let them out for potty in our kennel. He reeked of urine when I got him back after a few days. I live in a campus town and we only have 2 boarding facilities here. IMO, puppy hotels are just fancier names for a boarding kennel. 

For a puppy, I'd highly recommend finding home boarding. They will generally keep the dogs in their own house like their own. At the very least, you will know that your pup won't be locked up for most of the day. If you're near a Vet school, you'd easily be able to find vet students for a very cheap price. Home boarding around my neighborhood is around $10-15 a night which the kennels charge around $25 + $5 for each "play session". You should be able to find home boarding services on craigslist. A responsible home boarder will generally only board 1-2 dogs at a time. They will be able to provide you with all the medical records of their own dog and references. 
I have also boarded my dog with a private rescue (where I got him) when I was unable to home board with one of the vet students nearby. She saves dogs from kill shelters and keeps them in her own house on a farm like her own pets. The dogs that have medical or behavioral problems are kept in kennels away from the living quarters so I know my little guy is safe. She only asks for a small donation to help fund the medical expenses of the rescues. My dog is probably not getting 1:1 attention but at least he's playing all day with 10 other dogs and i know my money is going to a good cause.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

Whittyb958 said:


> Thank you all for your response! I spoke to a kennel in the area who would be willing to do a tester "puppy day care" day to see how he does. I'll take him about a week or two after his final shots.
> 
> We do have the option, however, of having a friend stay for the week. With that said, we'd have to get someone to come to the apartment a few times during the weekend... so I don't know if it would just be easier to have her stay or for him to go to the kennel. I think dog interaction would be fantastic for him, but he is so little.. if he was a year or more I wouldn't be as concerned.
> 
> ...


Dogtopia!!! If you're near one  They really are fantastic!


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