The Best Way to Drop Your Dog Off for Boarding!

Gillian Scarpino

You can’t wait for your trip, you’ve been planning it for so long! It’s going to be so nice to get away, you need a break, you’re almost there. Then it hits you, you’ll have to say goodbye to your dog.

How is she going to do without me? Is he going to get enough love while he’s there? Will she miss me when I’m gone?

5 dogs around a person at Off the Beaten Trail

Let us start by saying, we totally get it ! We are human too and we absolutely hate saying goodbye to our dogs when we go on trips. However, now that we have a better understanding of how dogs brains work, it’s much easier for us to make saying goodbye a “non-event”. You see, dog’s live in the moment. They don’t understand when we say “we will be back! we will miss you!” They don’t understand sentences like that. To them, your energy changed and they are reacting to that shift, which sometimes causes them to feel anxious, and then all the extra attention they are getting in that moment is only continuing to reinforce that state of nervousness. Although we may have the best intentions to make them feel better, we are keeping them in a nervous state of mind when we make saying goodbye a big deal.

When a nervous dog gets integrated into a pack of dogs, the nervous dog’s energy causes the entire pack’s energy to shift. Unbalanced energy creates unbalanced energy. There tends to be a ripple effect in a sense! Whereas when a calm, confident dog gets dropped off and gets integrated into the pack, the introductions are much easier and much more of a “non-event”. The pack gets right back to playing and socializing without much of a thought. Make sense?

Off the Beaten Trail dog boarding in Newark, VT a dog playing in a pool

The absolute, best thing you can do for your dog when you’re dropping him or her off for boarding(or daycare, or training) is to make it as seamless as possible. Remember, you are more upset than your dog is! A pack of playing dogs is like heaven to most pups. Your dog will get to play and romp and nap and have humans there to keep everyone safe and happy. They may even get to partake in a pool party! And, you guessed it, we are absolutely there to love on them and give them affection when they are in the right states of mind (and when it won’t effect the energy of the group as a whole). We are here for the dogs! Which is why we believe this topic is so important.

Just try and keep in mind:

  1. You are more worried than your dog!
  2. Your dog will be playing with other dogs and having a blast in no time.
  3. We are here to advocate for your dog.
  4. A quick goodbye is the best for everyone!
  5. We post pictures daily on Facebook and you can always check in.
  6. Your dog will go home happy, fulfilled, and oh-so-tired and content 🙂

Allow yourselves to enjoy your vacations, your getaways, or even a few days at home to yourself. You deserve it and your dog will be well taken care of while they are here!

Gillian Scarpino and Lexi at Off the Beaten Trail dog training facility in Newark, VT.
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