About Jeff Lutton Expertise My expertise is how to handle pets when you travel and can't take them with you. How to pick a good kennel, dog day care or overnight facility. Should I leave with friends or have a dog walker come into my home. How do I know that my pet will be taken care of properly?
Experience I have had a dog since I was 3 years old. In my professional life I was traveling quite a bit so my dog boarded more often that I would have liked. I got tired of the corporate world and now own a doggie day care and overnight facility. My expertise is in how to pick a kennel for your pet when you travel.
Question I have a male Dane 13 mths old. We took him on vacation he ate very little while we were gone, thought it may be the heat. 2 weeks later we went on another vacation and left him with the boarder. He has lost weight while we were gone. He slept most of the first day home and has been eating everything in site ever since. Are Danes that sensitive to separation or new surroundings?
Answer What you described is normal. For many dogs when they go away from home, even if they are traveling with you, they experience a loss of appetite. The post boarding sleep for a day or two is also normal. Typically in a boarding situation there is much more activity than quiet home life. So I would expect to see any dog needing a little extra sleep after a trip to the boarding facility.
The only thing that I have seen with dogs who have a loss of appetite while boarding are typically those who have food left out during the day at home and they can eat whenever they want. This is not always the case but it’s a pattern I have noticed. If you are going to be boarding frequently, an extended period of time, or you are worried about his weight loss then I would try to set up meal times where he has 30 minutes to eat then the food gets taken away. This plays more towards his natural instincts when he finds a meal to eat it because it won’t be there later, someone else will eat it.
