Hopefully you and your family will have the luxury of going on vacation at least a couple of times a year. Since we lead such hectic lives, everyone deserves the opportunity to get away and unwind. But what will you do with your border collie if you can't take her with you? If you don' like the idea of driving long distances with your dog in your car or can't bear the thought of seeing them being loaded into the cargo hold of a plane, here are three options for you to consider.
- Find a friend or family member to take her while you are away. This might be the best option for both you and your dog since they probably already know their dog sitter and likely won't protest too much when you drop them off. The other great advantage for you is that you will save a lot of money
- Find a house sitter to come and live in your home to look after your dog while your are gone. The extra advantage for this option is that you don't need to find someone to check on your home and again you will save a lot of money
- Leave your dog at a boarding kennel. Here are some Pros and Cons of this option
Cons
- This option can get quite expensive with daily rates ranging between $30 and $60 per day.
- You might have to worry about them getting sick from the other dogs, if their shots are not up to date. They may also have to be De-wormed.
- They may pick up some bad habits such as excessive barking and jumping on people depending on the person that runs the facility
Pros
- They might learn how to socialize with other dogs since there will likely be numerous other breeds that are both big and small and make different sounds than they are used to.
- They will hopefully get 24 hr care depending on the facility
- They might discover some new toys that they love playing with and you can get them one of their own when you get home
How to choose a boarding kennel
- Try to find one that is on an acreage or farm so that your dog will have plenty of room to run around and play with the other dogs.
- Try to find a boarding facility where the owner is also a dog trainer. This way you can kill two birds with one stone and have them train your dog while you are away and hopefully will have improved their behavior when you get back. At the very least you should insist that the owner follows your methods for disciplining the dog.
- Ask where your dog will sleep and make sure that if your dog sleeps in a kennel or crate at night that they will continue to do so while at the boarding facility. This is very important to ensure that your dog does not pick up different habits that will cause problems when they get home.
Hopefully these tips will help you make an informed decision on what to do when you can't take your best friend with you.