Preparing Your Dog to Be Left Behind
Are those puppy-dog eyes making you feel guilty as you pack your suitcases? I can totally relate, but with a little advanced planning you can make your trip easy for both of you.
Here are some tips for helping your dog prepare:
Leaving Your Dog for a Week or Longer
When you know youll be out of the house for a week or more, dog care becomes a little more complicated. Youll need someone to look after your dog every day, providing him or her with the necessary food, water, attention and affection during your absence. A week is a long time when it comes to attending to your dogs needs, but its still short enough that packing up everything your dog needs and transferring him or her to another house or a boarding kennel can be an unnecessary hassle. To make preparations easier for both you and your dog, plan to have a friend, family member or dog sitter care for your furbaby in the comfort of your own home. Heres how to choose the right person to dog-sit and how to make sure everything is set for the week.
Leave Your Dog Home with a Dog Sitter
If there is someone that you trust to stay in your home, this is a great choice for your dogs (and cats too).
Your dog’s routine will change very little, and they will likely receive top notch care. Having someone in your home while you’re away will also minimize security risks.
Friends and family members make great house and pet sitters, but you can also hire a professional.
In the USA, you can hire a certified pet sitter from the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, whose members have a reputation for ethical behavior and professionalism.
The downside to professional pet sitters? They’re relatively expensive.
7 Tips For Leaving Your Dog On Vacation
Whenever you’re faced with having to get out of town, figuring out what to do about your dog while you’re away can be a stressful and difficult decision. Whether the reason is something exciting like a vacation, or if you have other circumstances that force you to be away from your pet for an extended period of time, you’re going to be faced with a lot of factors that influence how your pet is taken care of.
Especially if you have a dog with behavioral issues or severe separation anxiety, this is something that needs to be planned extensively and not taken lightly. Luckily, in this day and age there are a myriad of options that can be tailored to fit both the exact needs of you as well as your pup.
Here are some things to think about and options to consider if you’re faced with leaving your dog at home while on vacation or away. (Also consider reading our article about caring for your dog when you’re busy at work)
Now that the initial feelings around how you and your dog both may feel before your separation have been addressed, it’s time to discuss your options — and luckily there are plenty! There are lots of things to consider before making your decision: your dog’s demeanor, his potential health situation, your budget, to name a few. So let’s look into what may or may not work for you when you go away.