Desiree, a puppy mill mom rescued from Newfoundland, was a pug that reacted to people, dogs, and children. My client realized she must have done things a little too fast with Desi, as she liked calling her, and proceeded to go back to basics. She wanted to be able to take Desi with her to visit her daughter and grandchildren, who were four and six years old. So, Desi came to board with me for a few days at a time.
Of course, boarding dogs allows them to be looked after when their people need to travel or deal with personal matters. However, boarding is also an opportunity to challenge dogs and the bonds they’ve developed with their owners. Before boarding, dogs should be comfortable crated and be stable enough to be transferred to another handler in an unfamiliar environment.
When I board dogs, I do with them what I tell people to do with a new dog or a dog they’re just getting started with—decompression. Because this dog is new here, we go back to basics with that dog instead of thinking we can pick up where its owners left off. This means extended periods crated, some solo time, and not much exposure to anyone or anything for a few days. This allows me to accurately evaluate the dogs and coach their owners better, as I can see how the dogs take to the challenge.
Moreover, the structured and challenging manner of boarding this way also helps stabilize and strengthen client dogs because it ensures that the handler transference is safe and successful. Once over the stressful experience, back home, and rested, clients tell me their dogs appear to have taken a jump in maturity, which was exactly the case for Desi. Her reactivity to people and dogs eased considerably because of boarding this way and my client felt encouraged about trying to have her around the children.
She worked up a plan of taking Desi for visits to her daughter’s house and, initially, worked solely on getting Desi adjusted to the new space without engaging with the kids. She went for short visits, keeping the dog crated or leashed up—in other words, carefully managed.
Over time, Desiree began to adjust and could be trusted with finding her way to the mat with the kids around. The experience not only boosted her self-confidence but also made her feel included and part of the family. In turn, I could see that rise in self-esteem when she boarded with us again because she was even better with the dogs this time. It was almost like boarding with us was nothing after she’d successfully dealt with the out-of-town visits and two rambunctious children! With the right foundations in place, we shouldn’t be afraid to push and challenge our dogs. Otherwise, we will never know what they’re capable of.
