A nervous dog: preparing for daycare or boarding

With a nervous dog it’s sometimes hard to make arrangements. Not only for the dog, but also for yourself. You want your dog to feel to feel comfortable at any time. We understand that it can be a struggle to decide whether or not to put your dog in daycare or boarding for a few days. But there are ways that you can prepare yourself and your companion for their visit! We’d like to dive deeper in what you can do to help your dog have a good time.

Communication is key

When you know your dog is nervous, it’s always good to communicate it with us before boarding. For example: if your dog has never been to a daycare or strangers, the new environment can make him nervous. And a nervous dog reacts way different than any other dog. Especially if there are more dogs around. There could be specific triggers that make your dog nervous to begin with. This can be barking, but also smaller signs like the smells. The more we know about the triggers and nervousness of your fur baby, the better we can help during his or her stay.

Asking for a try out

It can also be that you don’t know that you have a nervous dog. Especially if the dog has never been to another place or strangers, you might not know what the reaction is going to be. You can always ask for a try out day before bringing the dog for a longer period of time. We can provide doggy day care. On this day the dog comes over, can get used to us and the other dogs that are around. He or she is also able to explore the environment. During this day we get a better idea of what the dog is going to do for his boarding. This trial can even be a good idea when you already know that your dog is nervous or anxious! So don’t hesitate to call or send a message to discuss this option. And if we really think that the dog is too nervous and it won’t be good for him or her to stay for a longer time, we will let you know.

Ask a lot of questions

Not only the dog needs to feel the environment out. You as the owner would like to know where your dog is going to. Every question that comes to mind, you can ask before bringing the dog over. Our advice is to have some questions ready. Write them down on a piece of paper, so you don’t forget. You can ask your questions over the phone, in a message or in person. It’s better to ask more, than to have questions unanswered because you’re afraid to ask. And the more you know, the more you’re getting used to the feeling of leaving your nervous dog at the boarding facility.

Comfort for your nervous dog

Comfort comes in many ways. Even though we do everything we can to make it comfortable for the dogs that stay at our facility, there are certain things that you could do too to make it as comfortable as possible. You can bring their favorite toys or blanket for example. It has the smell of home, which can keep them calm. Even a nervous dog would love to have those familiar smells. It might even help getting over those anxieties. Some dogs on the other hand might get destructive when they are in a new environment. If that’s the case, we might take their blankets away for safety reasons. Your baby can have some supervised play time with his toy of course, so he or she won’t feel overwhelmed anymore!

Exercise and mental stimulation

Are you still afraid that your nervous dog is not going to adjust well in day care or boarding? Exercise and mental stimulation can help calm your dog down. Go for a long walk in the morning and let your dog sniff. All the smells along the way can already help with the mental stimulation. You can also play some enrichment games and exercises to help with the mental stimulation. Not only does it calm the dog down, but it can also make them too tired to react a certain way! During the boarding we do the same thing to keep up with the stimulation and help your pup to be more confident in the new environment.

Seeing signs before day care

We mostly talked about the things we and you can do for your nervous dog. But how do you know that your dog can be nervous during day care or boarding? Every dog can be different. Some are already showing certain signs while being out in public. You can always check to see how your dog is doing when you bring him or her to one of the pet friendly stores. There are a few personalities that are common.

·      Dogs that seem fine, but suddenly and without warning snap

·      Dogs that play a lot and all of a sudden offer overly submissive behavior

·      Dogs that are overly obnoxious, yet overly defensive

·      Dogs that are scared right away with strangers

·      Dogs that sit in a corner

Some dogs don’t show any of these signs till they are at the boarding. For those dogs it might take a little longer than adjust. But just remember that it’s okay if a dog is showing these emotions! Just like humans, they don’t always like everything, and they all show it in their own way.