dirty ethel rackham Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 We are traveling 3 hours to my sister's farm for Thanksgiving. As we have no one here who can watch our dog (a full-sized labradoodle) while we are away for the day, we plan to take him with us. My sis doesn't allow dogs in her house - her two labs live outside and in the barn (heated and access to fresh water) but do hang out in their garage. I figured my dog would be in the garage with her dogs and outside supervised. He can't be unsupervised because they don't have a fence and he doesn't have the best recall when he is chasing something. Around here, the squirrel goes up the nearest tree (and we have a lot of them.) On the farm, they have a lot more stuff to chase, including deer who like to run away into the corn field. Poor Bear would get lost in that corn field. Our dog loves other dogs and would have a blast. Any ideas on how to make this a relaxing trip for all of us? I don't want to spend my entire day outside, nor do I want the dog to be whining in the garage He loves his people and doesn't like to be separated from us, but he also loves other dogs! If we don't take him, we can't go and I really miss my family as I haven't seen many of them in over a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Can he be tethered somewhere that he can see you guys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy in NJ Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Garage time and a long tie-out on the closest tree or deck post to the house are the options I would try. Your family could take turns going out to check on him and spend time with him, and taking him for a leashed walk around the farm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hana Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 My labradoodle would enjoy some playtime with the other dogs, then being put back in the car to sleep, if it's not too hot or cold. I don't know how yours feels about the car. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Are you going to be gone just for the day or will you be there several days? If it is just Thanksgiving day, I would make do with the garage and walking him or tethering him. If it is several days, I would find a place to board him (if you don't have another family member who lives near your sister who would keep the dog for you). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 If it's only for the day, are you sure you can't just leave him at home? He would probably be a lot happier in his own house than he would in someone else's cold garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 There are professional companies that would come and walk him for you, or if your yard is fenced, just do a couple of let-outs. It'd be worth it to me to know he's happy at home, yet taken care of. Have you thought about hiring someone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Thanks for all the advice. We are going to be gone for about 12 hours and we have no one available to take the dog out to potty and be walked. He has never been left alone for more than 6 hours - and after that, he wasn't himself for several days. I've checked out boarding before and the only places where I would feel comfortable leaving him are booked. Families I have relied upon in the past for dog sitting will be traveling as well. I will look into tethering him outside when he isn't in the garage. We usually only put a training lead on him when he is outside with us - it is only so we have a sporting chance of catching him if he were to bolt after something - doesn't happen too often. I guess we will have to get something sturdier since he has chewed through that when he found himself stuck (even though we were right there working to free him.) I was hoping not to bring the crate because it takes up a lot of room (he is a big dog.) He loves the car and loves meeting new people so I do think he would be much more comfortable going with us than staying home alone. He really loves his people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 We always have this dilemma when traveling about the dog. We did some searching and found a wonderful place to board our dog. He was so happy to have such a great place to play and interact with other dogs. We won't do it too often, but for a 2 or 3 day trip it is great. It wasn't close by, so we did have to drive about 20 minutes to get there. I would explore all your options and don't decide until you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 I looked into the dog walking companies. Most are already booked. The only ones I found that had availabilities I wouldn't hire based upon seeing how they interact with the dogs. I see lots of dog walkers in my neighborhood. Not many of them seem to love animals and I don't know why they are in this business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I looked into the dog walking companies. Most are already booked. The only ones I found that had availabilities I wouldn't hire based upon seeing how they interact with the dogs. I see lots of dog walkers in my neighborhood. Not many of them seem to love animals and I don't know why they are in this business. ask on your HS group or CL for someone to walk your dog. C's Scout Leader went out of town for a weekend and asked me to let their 2 dogs out 3x a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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