There’s a particular kind of guilt that arrives about a fortnight before a holiday. You’ve found somewhere, you’ve paid the deposit, and now you’re lying awake wondering whether he’ll think he’s been abandoned.
Most dogs cope with being boarded considerably better than their owners cope with boarding them. But “most” isn’t “all”, and the difference between a dog who settles in two hours and one who doesn’t eat for three days comes down almost entirely to two things: choosing the right sort of care for that particular dog, and preparing properly rather than turning up cold.
It isn’t just a change of scenery
Worth understanding what you’re actually asking of him.
Everything familiar disappears at once – the house, the smells, the routine, the people, the other dogs he knows. He’s surrounded by strangers, often by unfamiliar dogs, in a place with different noise levels and a different daily rhythm. And unlike you, he has no idea it’s temporary or when it ends.
That’s a lot, and it explains the common pattern: a dog who seems fine for the first day, gets worse on days two and three, then settles. It also explains the loose stools, the reduced appetite and the exhaustion when he gets home.
None of that means boarding is cruel. It means the transition is the hard part, and the transition is what you can influence – with a trial stay, with familiar smells, with a routine that doesn’t collapse the week before you go, and for a dog who genuinely struggles, with daily Anxiety Relief for Dogs started two to four weeks ahead rather than handed over in a bag at the door.
The options, honestly
Boarding kennels. Individual runs, set routines, staff on site. Best for confident, sociable dogs who cope with noise, and for dogs who need clear structure. The downside is the noise – a kennel block is loud, and a sound-sensitive dog can find it genuinely difficult. Usually the cheapest option and often the most professionally run.
Home boarding. Your dog stays in someone’s house, usually with a small number of others. Much closer to normal life, quieter, more one-to-one. Better for dogs who find kennels overwhelming, older dogs, and dogs who’ve never been in a kennel environment. Costs more and quality varies enormously, so vetting matters.
A live-in sitter at your house. The least disruptive option by a distance – same house, same bed, same walks. Ideal for anxious dogs, elderly dogs and dogs with medical needs. The most expensive, and you’re letting someone live in your home, so references matter.
Drop-in visits. Someone comes two or three times a day. Cheap, and only suitable for dogs who are genuinely happy alone for long stretches. For a dog with any separation difficulty this is the worst option, not the gentlest one.
Friends or family. Free, familiar, and often the best answer for a nervous dog – provided they actually understand dogs, can manage the routine, and have a secure garden. Be honest with yourself about whether they’ll do the walks.
The mistake people make is choosing on price or convenience rather than on the dog. A sound-sensitive rescue does not belong in a busy kennel block, however well run. A boisterous young labrador will have a better week in kennels with a play group than shut in a quiet house with a sitter who works.
Choosing well
Visit. In person, before you book, and be suspicious of anywhere that won’t let you see where the dogs actually stay.
Look at the dogs already there. Are they settled, or are they all barking? Is there water in every run? Do the staff know the dogs by name and by temperament?
Ask specifics. How many dogs per member of staff? Is anyone on site overnight? How often are dogs walked, and individually or in groups? How are dogs grouped together, and what happens if mine doesn’t get on with another? What’s the procedure if he stops eating, or if there’s a vet emergency at two in the morning?
Ask what happens on a bad day. A good boarder will tell you about a dog who didn’t settle and what they did. Anyone who claims every dog loves it hasn’t been doing it long.
Then check the practical stuff: secure double gating, clean without smelling of bleach, somewhere shaded, and heating that works.
The licence
In England, boarding kennels, home boarders and day care all need a licence from the local council under the 2018 animal activities regulations, and they’re given a star rating from one to five. Scotland and Wales run their own schemes.
Ask to see it. The licence should be displayed, and it will tell you the maximum number of dogs they’re permitted to take – worth knowing if the person on the phone said “just a few” and the licence says twelve.
A one or two star rating isn’t automatically a disaster, but it’s a reason to ask why. Anyone operating without a licence at all is worth avoiding outright, regardless of how nice they seem.
Do a trial run
The single most useful thing on this list, and the one most often skipped.
Book a day, then an overnight, well before the actual holiday. It tells you whether he settles, whether the place handles him well, and whether they’re honest with you about how it went.
It also means that when you leave him for a fortnight, it isn’t his first time. He’s been before and he came home. That’s a meaningfully different experience from being dropped somewhere unknown with a suitcase in the car.
If a trial isn’t possible, at least take him for a visit – walk round the site, let him sniff, meet the staff, go home again.
What to send with him
Familiar smells do real work. Send his own bed if they allow it, or a blanket that hasn’t been washed. An unwashed t-shirt of yours is worth more than any toy.
Send his own food, measured into daily bags. Changing diet on top of everything else is how you get a week of loose stools.
Send his usual chews and a couple of familiar toys, and tell them which ones he guards, if any.
Write things down rather than saying them at the door. His routine, his commands, what he’s frightened of, what he’s like with other dogs, any medication with exact doses and times, and two emergency contacts plus your vet’s details. Staff change shifts; paper doesn’t.
Health admin
Vaccinations need to be up to date and most places will want the kennel cough vaccine specifically. It’s usually intranasal and it needs to be given at least two weeks before he goes, so don’t leave it to the week of.
Flea and worm treatment current. Any medication clearly labelled with written instructions.
Check your insurance covers him while boarded – most do, some have conditions. And make sure the boarder has your written authority to seek veterinary treatment, with a spending limit you’re comfortable with, because that decision gets made at three in the morning without you.
The drop-off
Short. Undramatic. Hand over the lead, the bag and the notes, say goodbye once, and go.
Long emotional farewells tell the dog something is wrong. Most dogs settle within twenty minutes of the owner’s car leaving and considerably faster if the goodbye was brisk.
Try not to go straight from a big fuss into leaving. A normal morning, a normal walk, then the drop-off, is easier on him than an hour of hugging.
Coming home
Expect a flat couple of days and don’t read it as trauma.
He’ll probably be exhausted – kennels are stimulating and sleep is broken. He may have loose stools for a day or two, from stress or water changes. He may be clingy, or oddly aloof, or thirsty, or hungrier than usual.
Give him a quiet forty-eight hours. Short familiar walks, plenty of sleep, back on the normal routine straight away, nothing new. Most dogs are back to themselves inside three days.
If you’ve been feeding a calming supplement, keep it going through the return week rather than stopping the day you collect him. The decompression matters as much as the preparation.
Do get in touch with the boarder afterwards if anything seems off. A good one will tell you honestly whether he ate, whether he settled, and whether they’d take him again.
When boarding isn’t the right answer
Some dogs genuinely shouldn’t be boarded, and recognising that early saves everyone a difficult week.
A dog with severe separation anxiety, one recovering from serious illness, a very elderly dog with cognitive decline, or a dog who is frightened of other dogs to the point of not coping – these are candidates for a sitter at home, or for not going away at the moment.
If a previous stay went badly, don’t assume the same place will go better second time. Ask what happened, and consider a different type of care rather than a different provider of the same type.
And speak to your vet if you’re stuck. For dogs whose distress is beyond what preparation can reach, there are short-term options worth discussing, and it’s a better conversation to have in advance than by phone from an airport.
