Dog boarding recommendations for reactive Vizsla

[tim0409]

Hi there

Just thought I would post to see if anyone can recommend potential dog boarders for our Vizsla (Freddie). My wife is currently on a number of dog based forums but I suspect there are limited options for our situation, especially around Edinburgh although we are prepared to travel.

Freddie is an absolutely fantastic dog, but at around 18 months he started being reactive to (some) other dogs, especially ones that run up to him unexpectedly. He reacts, but never bites, and will be fine with them after five minutes or so when he realises they are not a threat and goes into massive play mode (although there has been a few exceptions to this over the years, where he just doesn’t get on with a particular dog). He has quite a few dogs he loves playing with, but seems to struggle with the unknown. We have tried loads of training and trainers, but ultimately he is an anxious dog and an over thinker, which we just work around. He is a bit of a conundrum as we take him into the centre of Edinburgh once a week and he will sit and relax in a busy restaurant (my wife’s work).

Since we got him, we have not really been away on a holiday without him apart from twice where he stayed with my wife’s mum and sister in Newcastle; he knows the place and settles pretty quickly. My mother in law is due a hip replacement so it won’t really work this year. My wife turns 50 in July and we have been invited over to Florida for 9-10 days to spend her birthday with friends, and so I am looking for any recommendations for dog boarders who specialise in anxious/reactive dogs. He would absolutely not cope with being in a kennel (he is soft!), so it would have to be a home board type set up.

I just wondered if anyone is in a similar situation and could recommend any reputable companies who could potentially help.

[JEA1K]

tim0409 said:

Hi there

Just thought I would post to see if anyone can recommend potential dog boarders for our Vizsla (Freddie). My wife is currently on a number of dog based forums but I suspect there are limited options for our situation, especially around Edinburgh although we are prepared to travel.

Freddie is an absolutely fantastic dog, but at around 18 months he started being reactive to (some) other dogs, especially ones that run up to him unexpectedly. He reacts, but never bites, and will be fine with them after five minutes or so when he realises they are not a threat and goes into massive play mode (although there has been a few exceptions to this over the years, where he just doesn’t get on with a particular dog). He has quite a few dogs he loves playing with, but seems to struggle with the unknown. We have tried loads of training and trainers, but ultimately he is an anxious dog and an over thinker, which we just work around. He is a bit of a conundrum as we take him into the centre of Edinburgh once a week and he will sit and relax in a busy restaurant (my wife’s work).

Since we got him, we have not really been away on a holiday without him apart from twice where he stayed with my wife’s mum and sister in Newcastle; he knows the place and settles pretty quickly. My mother in law is due a hip replacement so it won’t really work this year. My wife turns 50 in July and we have been invited over to Florida for 9-10 days to spend her birthday with friends, and so I am looking for any recommendations for dog boarders who specialise in anxious/reactive dogs. He would absolutely not cope with being in a kennel (he is soft!), so it would have to be a home board type set up.

I just wondered if anyone is in a similar situation and could recommend any reputable companies who could potentially help.

I can't recommend anyone locally to you but if you search for recommended dog borading services on your local councils website, you should find a list and I wiould advise to start calling them asap. Some have very strict rules on the number of dogs, so you may find that there are only one or two dogs which minimises the potential conflict.

If I'm honest, it doesn't sound like he's a problem dog at all! I have had reactive dogs and with our dog boaders, they have always been well behaved ... a new neutral environment tends to be a bit different to their usual territory. Both my Ridgebacks have been reactive at some point, although the current one who is 6.5 years old, growls and snaps towards some dogs (he would never bite) as he just doesn't want them in his space ... everything is always on his terms. Also soft and wouldn't survive in a kennel!

[P700DEE]

www.barkingmad.uk.com
Kevin Brady is your local man [e-mail]
I used to run Barking Mad Ashford and we had hosts who loved Vizlas. They need a host without other dogs and able to cope with active dogs but if not already booked up they should be able to help. Pic is me with Brandy at the Romney and Hythe railway.