As much as owners love their pets and pets love their owners, they can’t necessarily always be together. As annoying as it is, sometimes it is necessary for owners to leave their pets during the day, overnight, for work, travel and other things. It can be extremely difficult to pick a person or professional doggy daycare to watch your pup, as you want them to be as happy and safe as possible. Even after you pick one, you and your pet will still probably be nervous about drop off, saying goodbye, and making sure everything runs smoothly. In order to reduce the stress of the situation, we have compiled a few tips and tricks that have helped us in the past.
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Do your research
Although this one is obvious for most, it is important that we iterate how crucial it is to thoughtfully pick the best person or place to watch your dog. If you’re going with a bigger place or company, make sure to look at their website, read their reviews and call before to ask any questions you might have. In our own personal experience, we have also found it helpful to ask friends, family and neighbors for recommendations on where they take their dogs when they go out of town. If you’re not taking your pet to a designated doggy daycare, make sure whoever watches your pet has experience with pets and is responsible.
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Be prepared
Another helpful tip is to pack ahead of time. You should make sure that you have more than enough food packed, just in case something bad happens and you can’t get back on time or the food spills. It’s easy to pack extra and in the case you need it you’ll be grateful to have packed it. This also applies to treats, medication, doggy bags, and anything else your pet may need. No, you don’t have to pack enough for a month if they’re only supposed to stay one night, but having a few extra items can be helpful and at the very least give you some piece of mind.
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Vaccines
This should really go without saying, but please make sure your pet is up to date on all their vaccines. Chances are this is relevant to puppy owners, but making sure your pet has their vaccines is one of the responsibilities you take on when you agree to become a pet owner. If you’re nervous or unsure, feel free to give your vet a quick call just to verify.
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Pet CBD
We have recently fallen in love with using pet CBD for situational anxiety. Certain times such as the vet and doggy day care can be especially nerve racking for pets, so we like to do anything we can to reduce the nervousness. Usually we try to give our dog some Zen Drops on his food the morning of a stressful day and a couple of Zen Bites minutes before the situation happens. Additionally, we like to leave some Zen Bites or Zen Frenz Calming chews with the pet sitter just in case his anxiety doesn’t go away on its own or he needs some additional ~zen~ after we say our goodbyes.