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We took two dogs to a kennel for a two week vacation - our 19 year old rescue and our 11 month old rescue they always got along. However we get our 11month old Boerboel back home and she is digging in the carpets at the walls, carrying around her baby (Stuffed Animal) sucking on her bed and now viciously attacking the 19 year old..... HELP - we have no idea what is going on...
She's stressed out, possibly traumatized from being in the kennel for two weeks. She's still a puppy so she needs outlets for all her energy. In my experience, most kennels keep the dogs in a cage - letting them out only a few times a day and for short amount of time. Easier for my dog who is senior and a couch potato. Much harder on a puppy with lots of energy to expend. Give her time get back into her routine and your home to see if she settles down. Take her for long walks on the leash. Play with her. She needs to release some energy.
Keep the two dogs separated. And consider what you'll do with her the next time you go on a trip - it shouldn't be a kennel.
For an 11-month old pup, there are all kinds of traumatic experiences at a kennel. More dogs than they are used to. More noise. Less comfort from family. Different food. Possibly having to meet and confront some of those other dogs - depending on the kennel. It would be like sending your 6 year old kid to boarding school for two weeks while you went on vacay.
So, I agree with HokieFan - let the pup have her own space for a week or two. And LOTS of exercise and fun with you, her humans. And that exercise should continue even after this is over.
Keep the two dogs separated. And consider what you'll do with her the next time you go on a trip - it shouldn't be a kennel.
This. My brother loved the fact that, when he had his 1st dog, he had an automatic dog sitter in his little sister (me). Any time he had to go away on a long trip, like when he got married and honeymooned up in Maine (Acadia National Park), I took care of his dog. Spoiled that pooch rotten with 4 walks per day, including a morning run in a large fenced-in field behind the high school. If it wasn't me it was one of my parents (I was a teenager at the time).
We kennel our dogs a couple times a year when we travel, and we are pretty confidant they are well treated (it's a military kennel).
But the majority of the time Dante comes back with a prison yard attitude. He's just.... different. Aloof, doesn't listen, kinda a punk, and it wears off in a few days.
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I worked for a veterinarian many years ago and saw how dogs who are being boarded are kept in kennels for about 23.5 hours a day. Yes, they live through it but it's very stressful for them, especially the first few days. That was when I decided never to board my dogs at a vet clinic.
There are bonded people who will come to your house 2-3-4 times a day to feed and walk your dog. You can even pay them extra to just sit and pet the dog and/or play with the dog. Or you can pay a friend to stay at your home 24/7. That's what I've done several times. I was surprised to find that a married friend of mine was excited about staying away from her hectic house for a week or more -- and to be paid for doing so was a bonus for her.
After having similar experiences with boarding kennels, we found a great pet sitter at Rover.com. This woman keeps the dogs at her house and they're so happy to see her that they run straight in the front door. She sends pictures of them at least once a day and they always look happy. It's fairly expensive, but they don't come home traumatized.
Yep, the ONE and ONLY time we took one of our dogs to a kennel, it was for one week while we were away on vacation. She was very ill when she came home (diarrhea and vomiting).
It took a week for her to get better. She had her regular dog food, so that wasn't the issue, but she must have picked up some kind of bug there.
Now we hire a friend to come in and doggy sit for us. I know our two toy sized dogs would NEVER be the same if we ever took them to a kennel. Too traumatizing. One is very sensitive to ANYTHING different, and the other is a cuddle bunny who is noise sensitive.
In all my years of being a dog owner I have boarded at four different kennels one that had a day care that Jazz had gone to as a puppy to help with her dog fear issues.( owner was the guy that taught her puppy class and 1st adult obedience class). I quit using them mainly because Jazz was showing signs of fear towards the trainer and even at class she tried to avoid him as he was too rough on a sensitive dog like her. This was back before positive training was the big thing and choke chains were used in classes and this guy also did use the alpha roll when he felt it was needed. I myself had told him to never use it on Jazz as she was too sensitive and a stern NO made her crumble so perhaps when she was at the kennels and I was not there something happened between he and Jazz as she became afraid of him.
I boarded Jazz and Dash and my cat at the local humane society once. The cat loved it as the kennel was huge and had a large out door area with shelves to sit on so she continued to board there. The dogs did not as they would not let them share a kennel and I had told them it was important that Jazz have her toy as she was a dog that having a toy in her mouth seemed to be necessary and calming for her. Dash did not play with toys as Jazz had taught him they were all hers and he was not allowed to touch them unless she offered one in a game of tug. Anyway when I picked them up I went back to the kennel with the guy to get them out and there sat Jazz toyless in the run that had Dash's name on it and Dash was in the run marked Jazz that had the toys so I felt they did not care enough to get the right dog in the right kennel after putting them in the exercise yard together each day. I decided it was not a good place for my dogs.
The other kennel I loved because it was an older couple leasing some land on a local ranch for their kennels and the guy loved Jazz and took her out with him as he did his gardening and played with her, he thought poor Dash was a bit crazy as he was obsessed with bugs at the time. But I loved that he realized what a great dog Jazz was and gave her extra attention as he said " She is such a smart fun. dog". But overnight they doubled the prices and with 2 dogs that was too expensive so I began boarding at my vets.
No my dogs are not happy when we go in to leave them at the vets but they are well taken care of and I know they are safe there. I have a vet I love and trust with my dogs. Their boarding area is separate from where sick dogs are and none of my dogs have ever gotten sick and at times when I have taken foreign trips they have been there 3-4 weeks. I have never had it effect their behavior. The only odd behavior is Dazzle will snub me for a day or two I think it is just his way of letting me know he did not like my being gone as he snubs me for a few hours when I get home from work or a day I have spent out with out him.
I did use a pet sitter for awhile when Jazz and Dash were old and again when it was just Dazzle and Phoenix but she suddenly died and we started having more wildfires. With the wildfire issue I feel safer having my dogs at my vets which is in the downtown area so safer from wildfires then my home in the foot hills. I have been evacuated several times. If a fast moving fire broke out and threatened my home would a pet sitter put my dogs first? I do not think so as they would first take care of their own family, pets and home and then might have several pets they are sitting and not be able to get to any or all of them so yeah I just feel safer boarding at my vets. I do bring their own food and beds so they have a part of home with them. But in the last 30+ years I have never had any behavior issues due to boarding my dogs.
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