Aww poor Bella :(

[Deleted]

I've been taking our springer to the vet to get her use to staying over night at the Kennel so we can go on our trip in Oct. and Dec. So far she's only done one night stays and she's done well with them. This time I did a 2 night stay for her, figured we'd work her up to longer stays a little at a time. When I picked her up they said she tried to push under the kennel door and took the skin off the top of her nose pad. Now she has a big raw spot on the top of her nose, I feel so bad 

It's just the top layer and not bleeding or anything, they didn't think it needed any treatment. She was definitely ready to come home and about knocked me over with love. She's use to sleeping in a kennel at night so it's not a kennel issue. It's being left there that's the issue. Starting to doubt if this conditioning is going to work. Everyone says dogs don't have a sense of time but she definitely knows the difference between one night and 2 even the vet said she knew when I didn't pick her up after day 1.

I was just starting to feel ok leaving her there and now I feel so guilty, doggy mom guilt is the worst!!! 

[val2525]

Why not use a pet sitter? I've been using them for years, for my dog when he was alive, and now for my cat. Pet stays at home, sitter checks on them, walks them, etc. Sometimes they're cheaper than boarding at the vet (depending on where you live). It's much less stressful for the pet, too, since they're in their own home.

[kritter]

Even if it is not cheaper than the vet, the peace of mind is worth it with a pet sitter. At least that is what all my clients used to say when I was a pet sitter.

Start looking around for one now and have him/her come over and take the dog for walks etc. so the dog knows the sitter. You could pay them for spending time with the dog the same as you would be paying for overnights at the vet.

[val2525]

Another thought, if you can't find a pet sitter. Is there a non-vet dog boarding facility anywhere near you? Sometimes those are less stressful because the dog doesn't equate it with vet/shots. Plus, boarding only places that's their only business and they tend to spend more time with the pets being boarded (at good ones).

[Deleted]

We are rural so we don't really have pet sitters around here, plus she doesn't like other people. She doesn't even hardly have anything to do with oldest DS now that he doesn't live here anymore. She will let him touch her on the head a little but that's about it. When he lived here she was all snuggly with him but once he was gone more than a couple of months, that was it, he was out of her pack. It wouldn't be safe to have anyone come over here to walk her, if I don't invite someone in she will not let them in the house. Away from here she's fine with strangers, she doesn't like them but she will tolerate them. Like the vet techs can pick her up and put her on the table, clip her nails, give her a bath etc. They do have to sedate her to groom her though it terrifies her and it's less stress on everyone including her if she's sedated.

There aren't any other kennels that I know of around that I would trust leaving her at. Dh will be home when we leave in Oct but he is going in Dec and even when he's here in Oct he'll be working 12 hour shifts so he won't be here to take care of her. Plus she doesn't really like him LOL She'll lay down by his feet in his chair now and then but she won't let him take her outside or anything, if he does all she will do after he takes her off her leash is sit by the gate no matter how long he's out there she will sit waiting to come back inside. We could maybe redo the fence so he could just open the door and let her out but that wouldn't fix him working the 12hr shift (that doesn't count leaving 1.5 hours before work or getting home 1-1.5 hours after work so more like 15 hours) or all of us being gone in Dec.

She's such high maintenance I swear most people would have turned her over to a shelter who would have put her down by now but I refuse to give up on her. She deserves better than that even though she's crazy she will be given a good home for the rest of her life even if it kills me

[blissfullymiserable]

Are you sure it's not a co-dependent enabling mom/dog type of relationship

[val2525]

What about checking out boarding only kennels in the closer big cities to you? They often offer more interaction with the dogs.

[Deleted]

Jun 4, 2016 19:48:51 GMT blissfullymiserable said:

Are you sure it's not a co-dependent enabling mom/dog type of relationship

LOL that is probably what it sounds like. But no I'm ok leaving her there for a week or two so we can vacation. We haven't taken one in 4 or 5 years because she won't stay with anyone. I NEED a vacation. The cruises I have booked are non refundable so she is going to adjust some how or I'm going to lose a lot of money and I'm not going to lose money. She is just a one person dog and I happen to be the one person she attached to strongly when she was a puppy. She'd be thrilled if it was just the 2 of us in the house and the kids and DH know it, they remind me of it all the time. There's not much I can do about it, she is who she is.

Overall she's a well behaved dog, never chewed up a thing, was potty trained in a couple of days, doesn't bark unless someone is here and then she goes into pit bull mode, she's sweet and loveable, just a bit neurotic. When she's here she doesn't have any separation anxiety. Like I went on a trip to FL and left her here with oldest DS for almost 3 weeks and she was fine but she was at home. He said she acted a bit bummed but no big deal. So she's not a clingy needs me there dog. It's just leaving her some where else that's the issue for her it seems. Maybe I need to look into getting her some meds or something for when she kenneled. Hate to do that but if it helps.

The closest other kennels would be 30-45 minutes away from here at least. That would be quite a drive to find a kennel for her. Her vet is less than 10 minutes away.

[kritter]

I was just going to suggest that the vet can give her meds to calm her down sorta like what Kenya is on so she won't lick.

That way she can be under vet supervision and he can adjust the meds to keep her anxiety under control.

[jellybeanscloset412]

Many years ago my dog had issues and couldn't stay in the kennel. We didn't go on vacation for two years. We finally found a great pet sitter.

My dog now can go to the kennel but I wouldn't do it. I would use the sitter.

How about a neighbor or relative?

[Deleted]

Peek, if you're all going away for 2 weeks minimum then a 45 minute drive to a proper dog facility is worth it. You only have to make that trip twice. It won't smell like the vet's, for one thing. I'd be looking online and then visiting the ones I liked, if it was me.

But I've already got my favourite cattery picked out for if/when I ever go away, lol.

[Deleted]

We don't have any neighbors and the only relative she likes is my Mom. My Mom is willing to come over and let her out and has before but that would mean she would have to make a 15-20 mile round trip several times a day with the last one being around 8pm and especially in Dec there's no telling how the roads will be. If Bella got along with Moms dog (bellas sister) then I could leave her there because she warms up to Dad after a while but they don't get along.

I did check into the boarding facilities in the 30-45 minute range and a couple looked promising but of those none take dogs like her. They want dogs that can interact with the other dogs unless they are strongly medicated and can be left in a crate the whole time. Umm no why would I pay their high prices for them to leave her stuck in a crate 24/7. Forget that.

Kritter I do plan to discuss meds with the vet, I was talking to Mom about that after I picked her up with her skinned nose. She definitely doesn't need any for at home, she's a totally chilled dog here. But while she's there I think she needs some anti anxiety meds to calm her down some and I know the vet is definitely ok with using different medications to keep them comfortable because right now they have a sign out front saying they have meds available for animals scared of loud noises for the up coming 4th of july holiday.

I'm not sure if I should try one more 2 night stay med free to see how she does or just go ahead and have him give her something. If the meds work I won't have to keep retrying these kennel stays over and over. She can do a once a month trip to keep her use to it and we'll be all set. That would be way less stressful on her and my wallet LOL

[Deleted]

I think one thing that's an issue here is location. This from one of the places that I thought about taking her, I love the set up there but from their requirements:

Each Camper is required to pass a socialization interview, be spayed or neutered, and be current on vaccinations

That's par for the course from the good ones

Obviously she is not going to pass any kind of socialization interview and yes I've even called a couple and basically been told are you insane no we don't want you dog here LOL Or if you bring her she has to be medicated and she'll be crated the whole time no exceptions. I'll stay home and lose the money I've paid on the cruises before I leave her crated that long. That won't happen.

[val2525]

You might try another 2 night stay, peek. It probably took her a time or two to get used to the one night stays, so give 2 nights another try. With or without meds.

[Deleted]

No she did great with the one night from the start which was surprising to everyone. She's done one day several times and while she doesn't like to go once she's there she is fine. I just don't want her hurting herself like trying to chew out and breaking teeth or anything. She's never tried to before but she's never tried to push out before either. I may try one more 2 night without meds and then leave it up to vet to administer them if she needs them. I trust him to do what's best for her.

Not sure how soon I should try again. Maybe give her this week off to relax and take her in next week?

[Deleted]

Have you looked at Rover.com to see if there's anyone in your area that would work?
The people that I know that have used them were happy ~ it's like care.com but for pet care. They all have different levels of what they're comfortable with ~ some only do little dogs, some do in your home care, some do in their home care...depends on each sitter. I've been told that rover.com checks up on the sitters randomly to ensure they're all on the up and up.
My in-laws have a super neurotic cat & they have to have a pet sitter come over a couple times to get him used to the sitter ~ even if they've stayed with him before ~ before they go anywhere. So maybe you need to do that, get her approval of the sitter a head of time.
Does she not get along with other dogs?

[Deleted]

Sorry didn't check back in here. No she doesn't get along with any other animals. She will tolerate them (doesn't attack anything) on other property as long as they leave her alone but doesn't want anything else on her property. She won't even play with her own sister that my Mom has. We can put them both in the yard and Moms dog Oreo will try to play with her but she will totally ignore her. If Oreo pushes too far Bella will put her to the ground fast. I wouldn't trust her around little animals, she has strong hunting instincts and she'd kill anything small she could get ahold of. Found that out when a bunny decided to come in the yard and wasn't quite fast enough a couple summers ago. Now she tracks them every time she goes out, we have to clear the yard of bunnies before we can take her off the leash. We did have a momma bunny have babies in the yard and I put a little tiny fence around the den. Even though she easily could have stepped over the fence and eaten them she respected the boundary and left them alone, they eventually got big enough to leave the yard and all was well.

No one local on Rover dot com. Also the problem with anyone coming over is Dh will still be here, he'll just be working 12 hour shifts (with travel they are more like 14+ hour shifts) so having strangers come in while he's sleeping during the day isn't really an option even if by some miracle we could get her to accept them and allow them in without me letting them in, which I don't think we could. Someone other than us or my Mom coming in without one of us letting them in, is recipe for disaster.

I have lots of people that have been coming here for years since she was a puppy and she still won't let them touch her. Like I mentioned above after DS moved out she totally disowned him, he was her favorite of the kids and now he can't pet her, but he can go to my Moms and her dog will knock him over with love because she hasn't seen him in months and she missed him. His GF has known her for over a year and is just now able to touch her on the head every now and then for a few seconds.

I know it makes her sound mean and crazy but honestly she is a super sweet and loving dog and totally laid back when she's at home with us. You really couldn't get a much better temperament than she is at home with no other people or animals around. She just doesn't play well with others. We spent years trying to socialize her with other dogs and people and talking to vets and trainers etc. This is just who she is and she needs a certain home situation, luckily we can provide that but it presents some challenges when it comes to vacations as I'm finding out now LOL

She's old enough now she's definitely not going to change. But as long as she's happy and healthy I will figure out how to handle her umm quirks. I think I'll take her back into the vet after the holiday is over. I know they are pretty full during the holiday with people boarding pets that are scared of fireworks. I don't want her boarded when they are super full, it will add to her stress. Try another 2 day stay with meds this time if she needs them and see how she does. I feel bad medicating her just to leave her some where. But it has to be done. We are running out of time to get her use to long stays.