What you do with your pet dog when you go on a vacation with the family is a serious issue because you must leave your pet in proper care during the days when you are away. If you love your pet, dearly, it is natural that you would look for the safest and comfortable pet boarding where there would be people to look after the animal and care for it while it enjoys the perfect arrangements that would make it feel like being at home away from home. You may like to put your dog at a place where it enjoys family care and can spend time amidst other people in the same way as it used to at home. It should enjoy the same kind of freedom as to when staying with you – no kennel, no cages, and having its own bed, toys, food, and all comforts that you normally provide.
It can be quite stressful to find a dog boarding Fayetteville AR because you might be quite worried about the kind of care and comfort that the dog would receive at the new place. Then there would be a concern about the arrangements and how much suitable it would be for your dog. Problems may arise if you have a very sensitive dog that might not easily accept the reality of staying away from you for many days. Some dogs remain so much attached to its owners that despite the best arrangement for staying at the boarding, it feels so much disappointed due to the separation from the owner that it would behave miserably, stop eating and make the stay as bad as it can be. This would only increase your worries. They can experience anxiety, stress, and even depression during your leave.
Types of pet boarding facilities
Dog boarding facilities have many different types of arrangements to suit the varied needs of different types of pets. Some traditional boarding facilities still have long rows of kennels with occasional opportunities for some outdoor access for some extra fees. But all pets may have the training to spend time in crates or kennels, and if your dog is of that type which hates to stay isolated, then this type of boarding would never be right for it.
Some boarding facilities keep pets in a large room like community living, where the pets mingle and spend time with other animals. However, there are risks in such facilities because it needs proper supervision by experienced pet handlers who can sort dogs according to temperament and size. This is necessary to ensure that dogs of different temperaments can reside together with the least chances of the conflicts sue to aggressive types dominating too much on the submissive dogs. This should relieve the submissive and nervous types of dogs from unwanted stress.
Many veterinarians provide boarding services for their clients, and if your dog has existing health issues, then putting it in the care of veterinarians is a good option. No matter what kind of boarding you choose, inspect it before taking the final decision so that you know how suitable the conditions would be for your dog. You must also consider the arrangements at the facility for dealing with emergencies.
How pets adjust to boarding
The arrangements at the boarding are important to ensure that your pet adjusts to it quickly, but it also depends on the pet's temperament and behavioral traits. Some dogs might be very content at the new place, but many others may long for their home and lose appetite besides exhibiting strange behavior that reflects the anxiety to get back to its owner. In addition, if your dog prefers the freedom of living in the home alongside other family members and loves exercising and moving around, trying to put it in a kennel even for some days might upset it very much. Eating habits of dogs might make the boarding unbearable because if your dog likes to live on table scraps that the boarding cannot provide, it is natural that the dog will not like to eat.
Make it comfortable for your dog
Admitting the fact that the boarding facilities can never replicate the home experience, you must take some measures before sending your dog to the boarding so that it gets the home-like treatment as much as possible. As you are aware of the amount of exercise your dog receives every day, compare what it would receive at the boarding, and if it falls short of your expectations, make special arrangements by paying something extra to allow the dog some more walks and runs.
The boarding facilities offer dog food without any additions, but if your dog loves pet treats, send a package of those treats with him for consuming in the boarding facility. Also, do not forget to send your dog's favorite bed or toy long with him but make sure that your dog does not stay in an open area with other animals because it might create problems when other dogs try to play with the toy which your dog might not like to share.
Health concerns
Since your dog will mix with other animals at the boarding facility, it can lead to health issues, and to protect your dog, you must ensure that it receives all vaccinations before entering the facility. Your dog must have the right preventive medicines to stay protected from fleas, ticks, and heartworm. Complete all vaccinations a few weeks before the dog goes to the boarding so that it can develop the immunity in the meantime.
Finding a good boarding might not always be that difficult, but you must be sure that it would be good for the pet too, and the animal should be ready to walk into the facility. It depends on how well you train your pet to understand and respond to some basic commands and how much the pet is familiar with the techniques of socializing. It is always better to expose your dog to other people and dogs in different kinds of the environment so that it becomes familiar with it and does not have any fear of adapting to new environments. This will go a long way in keeping your pet prepared to spend some time at the boarding.
