I think as long as it is a puppy and you make the "cave" a happy place to be, they will learn to go in and actually want to hang in there. Make it matter of fact, not optional.
Kennels
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Oah My Gosh!!!! I can't believe they just leave! I would be so upset if I heard that. Thanks for telling your story. I WILL ask that from now on and tell others too! Thanks.
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When I had to take a friend's dog to a kennel (long story), the dog's vet told me that there was no one there at night and that they stay in a crate except for 3x out to do "business". I think this may be very common at a vet's office. I am not sure that boarding is their top priority and think many people use it only for short notice/emergency situations. So, I guess finding a good kennel before you need to use it is the way to go.
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I agree about researching places in advance. My vets office is also a boarding facility and grooming facility. They also have a pet store where you can by supplies, toys etc for your dog. It is one of those places where they do it all. Cali has been getting groomed at the vets office and normally I drop her off and pick her up a few hours later. I was amazed at the number of people that they say board their pets there when they go on vacation. In the future I only plan to take her to the vets office when she has an appt. for a checkup or is sick. I will fjnd some place else to take her for grooming and the pet resort for boarding. I have definitely learned my lesson.
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I'm a big fan of in-house pet sitters. We have someone who can stay overnight in the house, so we get house sitting as well. At present time we have 7 Basenjis, so boarding at a kennel gets really pricey, plus one special needs dog with Fanconi. We usually take 2 or 3 dogs with us if we're going to a show, but last year we left all the furkids home with their pet sitter for a month when we went to visit our new grandson. That way they get to keep a semblance of their usual routine, and they still get to sleep in our room even if we're not in it. We're fortunate to live where we don't have to worry about snow or really cold weather, and they're all used to being outside during the day when we're at work. We have a big yard so they can run.
Terry
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Your situation sounds like the exception to the rule. I can see with 7 Bs, that an inhouse person would be the way to go. Wow! One month! I bet you missed your Bs a lot! Hope your vaca was fantastic!
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Terry-WOW 7 BASENJIS!!! :eek: I hope you live in a mansion or a jungle
I'll have to look into the house sitting situation. Its been very hard finding an acceptable boarding place. I've found one that is 4 hours away! -
most kennals will give you a contact number and you should be able to "inspect" the kennal before you book
i would make sure the exorsize facilities are good and te kennals are not too cramped
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I went to Europe recently and had to board EL D. When I first started making plans for the trip, I also started looking into boarding facilities (thanks for all the good suggestions given in this forum BTW). At first I thought a vet would be a good choice in case something happened, but when I saw that rarely do they have anyone living there after hours and only small amounts of time for outside activity, I had second thoughts. I visited several boarding facilities - some provided extra large kennels, some lots of outdoor times, some had fire suppression and alarms (not all!) but rarely did they have exerience with basenjis. "Oh no dog has ever jumped our 4 foot fences"; "Oh we let the dogs all play together and never have any problems". I thought maybe I was just overly paranoid. In the end I talked to my breeder to see if she had suggestions for boarding and found out that she will board dogs if she bred them. Talk about not having any worries while away - maybe other breeders do the same.
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I have actually used Pet Smart PetsHotel a few times, and find it gives me a lot of peace of mind. Here is my theory: Because it is a large chain, they are held to a higher standard to keep up with the rest of the stores. All of them are exactly the same, and many of them actually have a vet office in the store. That is not to say that there is anything wrong with independant kennels, in fact I am sure that many of them are a lot better, I just feel better with Jack at the PetHotel.
The staff got to know my dog and watched him to see which dogs he got a long with best during playtimes. Then they would let him out with those dogs. Once, when I left him there, There was apparently a husky who was there for the first time and was really scared, but he really latched on to Jack and the got a long really well, so they let him and the husky stay in a playroom together practically all day (supervised).
I used them in Pittsburgh quite a few times, and Jack loved it there. However, the closest one to Boston is in Framingham (yuck!- too far!) so I will be looking for a new place soon- Jessi76 what place do you use?
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In the end I talked to my breeder to see if she had suggestions for boarding and found out that she will board dogs if she bred them. Talk about not having any worries while away - maybe other breeders do the same.
Yup, same here. When I went to the BVI for 2 weeks this month, my breeder took care of both my dogs. Certainly a relief!
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Hey Joey I don't know if you have found a place but we have a great lady just north of GR. Her name is Sam and her kennel's name is Hyer Luv. Her facilities are not basenji perfect only being that he fences are not super high, so if you have a climber or jumper it may not be the best place. For us it works perfectly because Piggy doesn't do either of those especially when she has other dogs to play with.
She is basenji experienced with others than Piggy. Piggy has spent a significant amount of time with her (about 3 weeks in the last 8 months or so). She loves Piggy to death and even lets Pig sleep in the bed with her when she is there. She is also very reasonable price-wise at $15 per night. For long periods it may be worth your drive over here. Other places I contacted and went for an interview were $30 and over and took in far more dogs than I could ever imagine them being able to adequately care for.
She was very thorough with the interview…we were there for over an hour the first time. She asked us to provide a detailed description of a typical day in our life so that she can keep her on schedule. She is very particular about making sure the temperaments of dogs that play together is appropriate. She also gives you a great deal of feedback when you pick them up and I really think she keeps our training up for us. Piggy comes home and is exhausted for days so I know she has gotten plenty of exercise. She also loves to go to Sam's and runs to the door when we ask, "wanna go to Sam's?" Sam and Fred go above and beyond and have even helped us out in a pinch many times and with advice for training and other dog-related issues. Once we had to take Piggy there with an injured foot from a dogpark incident and Sam and Fred took care of her injury impressively well.
She is well respected as a responsible ****er spaniel breeder and I do not feel that it interferes with her ability to care for our dog in any way. She is very strict about only having as many dogs as she is able to provide enough love and time for. I have run into other owners who have boarded with her and they seem to be equally as passionate about the care that she provides their furfriends too.
You can visit her website at: http://www.hyerluv.com/hyer/kennel.html
Other B owners I know have used camp bow wow and really liked it. I do like their facility but don't know much about the overnight care there. I know that there are some over your way. Over here it runs about $38 per night.
Best of luck!
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Wow…. fantastic thread, glad I read through this.
I recently thought about finding a good place as an option for the event I need to go out of town and can't find an in-home pet sitter. The caretakers in my building have been fantastic sitters, since they live in the building and just take the elevator down a few floors to check up on him. Unfortunately they are leaving and most likely are retiring. So I need to find another option.
There's a kennel nearby, aprox 1-2 miles from here (talk about convenient), that has been around since the 1940's if i'm not mistaken. Great people, have used them before with other dogs (years ago), but called them up today to get some current info. They have had basenjis before (which is good to know) and every single one has always been boarded by themselves, and never with another dog. They seem to understand the needs. $25+tax/night for him to be boarded on his own overnight. Doesn't seem too bad, but now I have a backup option.
Nice thing is they also offer a free trial board in the middle of the week to see how they react. They screen for vaccinations, etc.
