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tgatto
Lake in the Hills, IL
MH
Posts:411
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| 08/09/2012 8:44 AM |
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Ok, so family vacation is coming up. Last time we did this, I left Sadie with my aging parents, who had some "issues" (particularly with feral cats). So we made the decision to leave Sadie (and Bella) with our vet, in their Kennel for the 9-days we will be traveling.
We have some concern over separation anxiety with her, but she handled it OK with the last travel (besides bolting after cats...), and she now has Bella to keep her company (they will be kenneled in a double, and an extra-large together). That, combined with her being at her vet (of which we have utmost confidence in), is somewhat soothing...
So, here is where I am particularly stressed: I have been working alignment and casting drills, of which Sadie has been progressing on. How much do I expect her to regress over the 9-days?
Also, any suggestions on what I should give them: Bedding (she sleeps with cheap throws, of which if unsupervised during the day she may chew); bones; treats? They will have their own food during their "staycation". Anything else?
Thanks, all - just not used to kenneling my dogs. |
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It is watching the dogs work that I thoroughly enjoy, and love. I could get by with just watching them work - if it weren't for all the training, and the joy they exhibit when they pick-up, and deilver to hand a bird that they pointed, and you shot. - Todd |
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everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3166
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| 08/09/2012 9:43 AM |
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We kennel our dogs when we travel since no one we know is capable of looking after two high energy dogs. We spent a lot of time picking out the kennel we trust after one bad experience. You could leave a cheap t-shirt or blanket with your scent on it, but if there are other dogs at the kennel they will likely be too exhaisted to notice that you are gone.
The longest we have left our two is 12 days and they did just fine. They were happy to see us, but wanted to go back and play with their friends  |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7845
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| 08/09/2012 9:49 AM |
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| I kennel my four once in a while when I have to go on business travel or when i take a rare non-dog vacation. They have nice big kennels so all 4 of mine usually stay in one kennel. I have a couple of big old dog beds that I send with them, but that is all. They spend most of their time outside playing because the kennel has about 15 acres they have divided up into fences areas. My dogs are always exhausted from all the playtime, but happy to see me. They also get excited about going back which makes it easier for me. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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mjbuck
Hancock, MI
MH
Posts:144
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| 08/09/2012 12:42 PM |
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| So lucky we have my wife's parents to care for our Sadie if and when we go out of town for more than a day. That's only been once since we got here when we went to Florida for 12 days. There has been a couple of overnights too, but she seemed to weather it well. I understand the need for people to kennel their dogs, but I just will never do that with mine. I'm worried that she will not be given the love and attention and care we give her, which I admit is over the top sometime. Enjoy your vacation and remember your 4-legged friends will be eagerly awaiting your return. |
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DLord
Holly Springs, NC
MH
Posts:89
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| 08/09/2012 1:22 PM |
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I just came back from vacation this past Saturday and had to kennel Archer & Zoe for 7 days, it was the first time and I must say I was quite disappointed with the reception I got when I returned.  I expected them to go crazy when they saw me but instead it was like "hey mom, you're back", "do you think maybe you could bring us here everyday and then just bring us home at night to sleep and eat"? The kennel I use has an outdoor play area and also a climatized warehouse that is sectioned off for the dogs to play. They are out playing with other dogs from 7 am to 7 pm with a 2 hour naptime from 12 to 2. This place I use supplies all the toys and bedding, they have blankets and elevated dog beds - the reason they say is because dog's can be territorial with toys and then for the bedding they do it for sanitary reasons (wouldn't want a dog bed infested w/ fleas, etc.). They had such a good time that I've decided to start taking them there for daycamp once a week. |
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kpwlee
Raleigh, NC
MH
Posts:997
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| 08/09/2012 5:54 PM |
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DLord I need the name of your kennel - message me, please Seriously
We have kenneled Bugsy a couple of times - once for 9 days - I went with a traditional kennel because I knew at the time he would not ever stop playing and wind up killing himself (we actually did a 2 night stay somewhere to test the theory and it was true!)
We'll be heading out for 10 days in the coming weeks and this time I asked my mom to come stay at our house. She is not local and is older but healthy so although she can't walk him (honestly I don't know anyone I would hand his leash to due to his hunting of everything along the way and his pure power and size) but his buddies can all come visit and she is happy to play fetch with him.
I have been considering setting up a few days of daycare while we are gone to tire him out a bit
As for your question about how much she will regress - honestly I think that varies dog to dog. But since at least for Bugsy field work is the best thing on earth I don't find he truly loses much, meaning a quick reminder and he's back on form. Mind you I am not a hunter and much less advanced than you |
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It's Bugsy's world...
http://dailyzoomie.blogspot.com/ |
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Max2
Oneonta NY
MH
Posts:1111
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| 08/10/2012 5:20 AM |
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| I had a terrible kennel expierience . If I told the whole story everyones jaw would drop & eyes would pop out of their heads ! For that reason I would be overly cautious if I were ever to kennel a dog again. I would not feel bad to call the kennel once a day to see how my pup was doing . |
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Chris |
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tgatto
Lake in the Hills, IL
MH
Posts:411
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| 08/10/2012 8:31 AM |
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| Thank you, everyone, for the encouraging words. I have a follow-up pre-call (does that even make sense?) with the vet. We love this vet, and have been with them for years (at least my wife has - since her single days). Their boarding area is brand new, with large kennels, and a play area. They charge extra for a "Gym Time" which I believe to be 1-1 play time with the dog. Based upon everyone's experiences here, I have some further questions for the vet. THANK YOU!!! As I was looking back in my Dog Log, we left Sadie alone with my parents for 5 days, after which they brought her back, and we went hunting the next day (the first time she retrieved birds), so I think she will be OK. I have a good week to work with her when she gets back to refresh her memory, so I can actually take it slow. Hopefully she will be tired! THANKS AGAIN !!! |
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It is watching the dogs work that I thoroughly enjoy, and love. I could get by with just watching them work - if it weren't for all the training, and the joy they exhibit when they pick-up, and deilver to hand a bird that they pointed, and you shot. - Todd |
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everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3166
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| 08/10/2012 10:11 AM |
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One thing our kennel does that put us at ease the first tie we left Bo with them was to send us pictures every day. We love getting photos to see what antics they are up to and puts our mind at ease that they are ok.
Tgatto -- just make sure you check out the whole area, they describe the daily routine, etc. Nice thing if any of the dogs have any issue, the vet is right there |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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keanmu
Ontario, Canada
MH
Posts:450
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| 08/12/2012 6:04 AM |
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Just picked my 2 up form 9 days in the kennels. We do it about twice a year. I suppose it depends on the place. our vet offers a kennel service but he has no land so we actually take them 60km up the road to a fantastic place. The guy has dogs of his own and because my 2 (apart from 1 incident) are so friendly he lets them have the run of the place with his dogs. He is in the middle of nowhere, has loads of land and clearly loves the animals. The only thing we take is food for them. He does say to bring toys if we want but the one time we did they didn't play with them because they were having so much fun with his dogs.
We have recommended the place to a number of friends now and all have been very impressed with the standard of care and his services. |
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tgatto
Lake in the Hills, IL
MH
Posts:411
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| 08/21/2012 8:32 AM |
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Wanted to post a follow-up. Got Sadie and Bella back yesterday. Based on everyone's feed-back, and asking questions of the vet, I realized that they did not have a real large outdoor exercise area, but dogs were walked outside around the building 3X a day (on leash). I opted for the Gym time (half-hour), where they threw a ball for Sadie and Bella (first together, but they stated they play too rough, so they separated them). I also reduced their food to accomodate the lack of activity. The vet said that they stopped eating at day 8, so they gave a little of their preferred canned food (and charged me, of course).
Sadie came back slightly slimmer (not too slim). Her training session (a reduced, basic run-through) went without a hitch - obedience was good, and she retrieved and casted without any issue. About the only noticeable difference, was she was a little more independent in her field work, and her speed, and range increased noticeably, with a reduction in check-ins. I actually may want to keep this in mind during the season, if I want her to range more!
THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE HELP! |
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It is watching the dogs work that I thoroughly enjoy, and love. I could get by with just watching them work - if it weren't for all the training, and the joy they exhibit when they pick-up, and deilver to hand a bird that they pointed, and you shot. - Todd |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3136
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| 08/22/2012 6:25 AM |
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| It sounds like it all went well... Most people think my dogs play rough too! |
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tgatto
Lake in the Hills, IL
MH
Posts:411
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| 08/22/2012 8:27 AM |
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| It is funny that we judge how "rough" dogs play. Dogs in the wild play much rougher! We get concerned that dogs will hurt each other, but mostly, when they play, they make a lot of noise, and although they look like they are biting, they are really just mouthing. Almost like a game of "I can get my mouth on you, if I want to"... Growling, and such just kinda goes along with the game. It's funny when we stop the dogs (usually because they are rolling near the 2-year old, and we want safety for him), they look at us like - "What?!?". Both seem to enjoy it. |
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It is watching the dogs work that I thoroughly enjoy, and love. I could get by with just watching them work - if it weren't for all the training, and the joy they exhibit when they pick-up, and deilver to hand a bird that they pointed, and you shot. - Todd |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7845
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| 08/22/2012 9:36 AM |
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| Most people think my dogs are fighting when they see them play for the first time. No, shorthairs play hard. I always say as long as there isn't any blood, then they are playing. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3136
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| 08/22/2012 10:11 AM |
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| we stop ours cuz they get to loud for us to hear the TV LOL! |
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everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3166
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| 08/22/2012 11:17 AM |
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Ya our two go crazy (and Shiraz, who is about 30 pounds lighter, usually wins . If I didn't know better I would think they were tearing each other apart, but if you watch carefully they never close their teeth on each other. It's the same thing when they play with their niece.
We call it the evening entertainment  |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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tgatto
Lake in the Hills, IL
MH
Posts:411
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| 08/22/2012 12:13 PM |
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Funny thing is that I would figure anyone with experience with multiple dogs would know this. I even told the technicians that it would look like rough play, but it was OK, and that it would probably burn-off energy. I would think that would be enough for a Veterinary technician running the Kennel to be comfortable with it. Oh well.
For us, we stop it primarily for the safety of the 2-year old (although he likes to get into the mix occasionally too, and can hold his own!), if they take one of us out (they roll into our knees, and knock us down), or their growling at each other disrupts the TV (LOL on that!). |
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It is watching the dogs work that I thoroughly enjoy, and love. I could get by with just watching them work - if it weren't for all the training, and the joy they exhibit when they pick-up, and deilver to hand a bird that they pointed, and you shot. - Todd |
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everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3166
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| 08/22/2012 1:20 PM |
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Ya, I have found a lot of people don't get the difference between play and fight, and thinking any growling must be aggression.
However, I'm surprised someone who works with animals wouldn't be able to recognize the difference. |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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