Dog sitting - how many days is “too long”?

[Anonymous]

“11 days” too long right?

[Anonymous]

Omg yes.

I asked my Golden retriever and she said ONE.

[Anonymous]

I have paid for boarding for longer, because we had to leave the country for a family emergency.

What is your particular concern?

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand this. If you have a place or person you trust, I’d think any length of time is fine.

We went to Europe last summer and paid $800 for a college kid to stay at our house and take care of the dog. We’ve also boarded her for two weeks. She’s been walked and boarded by the same family since she was a puppy. She loves seeing them.

[Anonymous]

Too long for what?
Too long for a dog sitter to be responsible?
Too long for the dog to be without owner?
I know people who leave their dogs in kennels for 2 weeks at a time. The dogs come out sort of off, so I think 11 days with a dog sitter is far better than 11 days in a kennel, by a long shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand this. If you have a place or person you trust, I’d think any length of time is fine.

We went to Europe last summer and paid $800 for a college kid to stay at our house and take care of the dog. We’ve also boarded her for two weeks. She’s been walked and boarded by the same family since she was a puppy. She loves seeing them.

DP. How long were you gone? I am trying to decide how much to pay a friend to stay at our house to dog sit. He will go to work during the day, so really just overnight. I will get someone else to come in during the day to let her out.

[Anonymous]

Left my dog with a sitter for about that long when we had our honeymoon. It was fine.

I'd worry less about the length of time away and more about making sure you get a sitter you trust.

[Anonymous]

At someone else’s house a week.
If dogs are at our house with a dogsitter spending the night we’ve done just over 2 weeks.
I wouldn’t board mine

[Anonymous]

I’ve dog sat for my sister for 2-3 weeks when she went to the west coast to visit family. I think there’s no such thing as too long with the sitter has the dog with them (dog staying at sitter’s place or sitter staying at your place). But if the sitter is only dropping by twice a day did walks, it’ll be dog dependent.

[Anonymous]

I’ve stayed at someone home for a month and have boarded a dog in my home for about 6 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Dogs don’t have a sense of time. 1 week or 1 month doesn’t matter to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dogs don’t have a sense of time. 1 week or 1 month doesn’t matter to them.

Disagree. As a dog sitter, I have seen dogs go looking through the house for their people and mope around when they can't find them and seem a bit depressed. Yes, I know if you leave for two minutes to empty the trash and come back they'll be just as excited as if you were gone for two days. But after about a week they're over you being gone and to my eyes, it seems like they just don't understand. "Are you my new person? So I don't get to say goodbye to them? Will they visit ever?" I can feel it.

This summer I'll be dog sitting for 15 days. I know the dog will get a bit sad for her people. She'll rally of course, but she will have moments of sadness.

[Anonymous]

The longest we have boarded our dogs have been 3 weeks, so about 21 days. They've always done fine.

[Anonymous]

I dog sit, and my longest stint was just over 4 weeks, in my own home.

I don't think theres any too short or too long. As long as you can pay, arent abandoning the animal and are OK with the person you leave them with, its fine.

If you are expecting a friend or neighbor to watch your dog for free, well that's a different story.

[Anonymous]

11 days is fine. I wouldn't board at the vet or the kennel for longer that a weekend, but for a dog sitter in a home with normal house privileges? However long is fine. We do 2 weeks each summer and a week here or there throughout the year. Dogs do great with someone staying at our house.