4 Effective Tips for Boarding Your Dog for the First Time

Boarding your dog for the first time can feel stressful and can cause anxiety for both you and your dog.

Whatever reason you're leaving your dog with a boarding facility it can feel overwhelming, and even a little emotional. If you're anything like me, you don't leave your best friend with just anyone. The thought of leaving your dog can cause a lot of "what ifs" to surface.

In this post you'll learn 4 effective tips to help ease anxiety and worry about boarding your dog.

Effective Tips for Boarding Your Dog for the First Time

1. Find out the requirements of the kennel ahead of time, and update your dogs vaccines accordingly.

The further ahead you can plan, the better prepared you and your dog will be. You'll want to book your dog's stay far ahead, especially if it's a holiday or weekend stay. Plus, you'll want to make sure that your dog meets the kennel's requirements for vaccines.

All kennels will require a rabies vaccine and distemper. Most will require leptospirosis, canine influenza and bordetella vaccines. Even if the kennel doesn't require these vaccines, your vet will likely recommend them to protect your own dog.

Dog Boarding Near Me

The best way to find a kennel that will board your dog is to ask for referrals from friends, families and other dog owners in the area. The neighborhood app or facebook groups are a great place to do that!

Arrange for a time to come visit the kennel or have a meet and greet with the kennel staff. This way you can both get a good sense if it's a good fit. They also might want to meet your dog to assess temperament.

How to prepare dog for boarding

Here are some things to consider taking with your dog to the boarding kennel:

Emergency contact information including:
- Veterinarian
- Local emergency contact
Collar with ID tags
Leash
Food
Medication
Dog bed or blanket (optional)
Any dog toys or snacks (optional)

That's it! The kennel should be able to supply the rest of your dog's needs like bowls, water, and even sometimes dog blankets and beds, if you don't want to take those along with you.

My dog has never been to a kennel

2. Take your dog for day care a few weeks before you're planning to kennel them.

If your kennel offers day care or grooming, arrange for your dog to go for short periods of time before your trip so they can get used to the new environment and understand that they always go home.

It's also important to ask what your boarding kennel does to keep the dogs entertained while they're there. Many kennels have group plays, but that is not suited for every dog. So you'll want to know if they have opportunities for walks, interactive toys offered being in a fenced in yard, or an indoor play space by themselves.

Will my dog think I abandoned him when I go on vacation?

Most dogs will miss their people while they're gone. Some dogs have such a fun time at the boarding kennel though, and appreciate the opportunity to play with other dogs and meet new people!

3. Be honest about your dog's behavior and care needs

Not every kennel will be the right fit for your dog. Be honest about how your dog gets along with strangers, if they've ever nipped anyone, how they do when left alone and what they think of other dogs. Not all kennels are set up to handle dogs with high levels of separation anxiety or aggressive dogs.

Boarding a dog with separation anxiety

Boarding a dog with separation anxiety can feel like a huge ask for your dog. Make sure you call ahead when booking your dog's stay to confirm their ability to handle separation anxiety.

There are two forms of separation anxiety. The most common type is a learned behavior, where the dog howls, barks, scrapes and paces when you first leave them. Eventually they may calm down.

The second type of separation anxiety is true separation anxiety where the dog immedietely urinates or defecates upon you leaving, is a danger to themselves or will hurt themselves trying to escape. This kind of separation anxiety will cause dogs to jump through windows, scrape their nose on the crate, break teeth on the bars or scratch the ground until their paws bleed.

Learned behavior can usually be handled at a quality boarding kennel. In fact, it's likely any dog will undergo some anxiety as they are left at the kennel, especially if it's their first time.

If your dog suffers from legitimate separation anxiety, it's best to call ahead and chat with a manager about your dog's behavior. A good quality kennel will let you know if they have the skill set to handle a dog like that. This means they would have access to a kennel space where the dog is less likely to hurt themselves.

Another consideration for a dog who is in danger to themselves when left alone, would be to look into a board and train. This kind of boarding set up offers boarding and training which means the dog could have the opportunity to work through their anxiety with professional help and someone who is well versed in this.

Leaving dog in boarding for a week

Dogs can be left for a few hours to a few weeks at a boarding kennel. Check with your kennel to see the rates for your kennel.

Anxiety about boarding my dog

4. Visit and ask questions

It is totally normal to have anxiety about boarding your dog! The truth is, no one takes care of your dog like you do. However, finding the right kennel will help ease your anxiety.

Once you've found a kennel, make sure you have the opportunity to visit or at least see recent photos.

Talk to the owner or manager about the care that your dog will need while they stay there. Will they interact with any other dogs? What hours are the staff there? How often will you be updated? What are their emergency policies?

Ask as many questions as you need to to feel comfortably leaving your dog there. They're working for you.

Worried About Boarding my Dog

When in doubt, trust your gut. There are some really great kennels and boarding options out there, but if your gut tells you not to leave your dog in someone's care, listen to that feeling.

Ask family and friends for kennel recommendations and check reviews. Plan ahead for time to visit and see the kennel and find out the expectations of keeping in touch with owners before leaving your dog there.

Another option you have is hiring a pet sitter. Most pet sitters come to your house to care for your dog. This is a great option for dogs who are more nervous in new environments.