Please Help! I am desperate!?

Question

Hey Everyone.
In two weeks me and my family are going to go to san diego for a week. We are planning to bring our dog too. He is a toy poodle at age 5.
On recent trips we would put him at a kennel/doggy daycare type of place. We've been doing that pretty much since he was a pup whenever we went on trips. But ever since he was 2 he would have diahria for a while after we picked him up from the kennel. We figured it was stress because there was no one to play with him.
So now we are bringing him. Theres one problem. Hes a real barker and we got him a bark collar. But I dont want to keep it on him all day for 11 hours while we are gone doing stuff in san diego. Does anyone have any ideas?
I would appreciate so so much. This dog is my baby and i really want to bring him. He'll have alot of fun too, taking walks in parks and beaches.
Thanx.

Answer 1

Where do you plan on leaving him for 11 hours each day? He will still be in a strange place and not have his people around, so he will definitely be stressed and will definitely bark. This likely to disturb other hotel guests and get you in trouble. 11 hours is too long for the dog to be left alone without supervision or a potty break.

Citronella collars are more humane than shock collars and can be effective, but more importantly I think you should structure your trip so you can take him all the places you plan to go. If you are going someplace where he can't go, look into doggie daycare or day boarding somewhere in San Diego for him.

Answer 2

If you are going to theme parks down there, many of them have day kennels. You can put in the the day kennel while you are at the park and get him out when you leave. This will keep him from annoying others in the hotel during the day. You could also look into a doggie daycare in San Diego. He could go there and play with other dogs while you shop and sightsee, then spend the evenings with you. He'd be happier than at a kennel, because he could play with other dogs rather than be locked up in a cage like he would in a kennel.

Taking him to a strange hotel room and leaving him alone with a bark collar will probably traumatize him, in his eyes it wouldn't be any better than taking him to a strange kennel and leaving him there.

I think it's great you want to take him along, I suggest you look to do as many things as possible that are outdoors so you can bring him along!

Answer 3

Have you ever taken your dog vacationing with you, before? It sounds really fun to take the cute little animal you adore, with you, but do you think this will be fun for you, or for your family? If your little guy just barks at everything, then you will be spending your time correcting him and not having much positive interaction with him or anyone else. Do you have a trusted friend you could pay to watch him at their house? Is there someone you could pay to come into your house to feed him, pay attention to him, let him out? Even a responsible 11 or 12 year old could do this, with the parent's approval and promise of checking up. In that event, you could have a relative check in a couple of times during the week, just to see that the little guy is being tended to, so you would not have to worry. This would work, no matter who comes it to watch him. If you can't or don't want to get someone to watch him, how would he be in a little doggie carrier, that looks a little like a big purse? Would this limit the level of barking? You could try this, taking him in the car and to stores around people, to see if it works. If this works, maybe you could bring your dog along and also avoid the barking situation. The problem with taking a pet on vacation, is that the animal needs to be with you all the time. This means that if you leave it in the hotel room and it barks, you are going to worry about it (you will need a crate, also). If you go to a restaurant, you will need to bring it in if they let you, in a carrier, but only if that is allowed, or you would need to leave the dog in a car or other place and hope it does not get too hot or dehydrated. If the dog is causing difficulties, you will be stuck. Your only alternatives would be to kennel the dog in the city you will be staying, which would be no more pleasant for him, than staying home. Also, if your dog barks in the car, or on a plane, sometimes Benadryl in the appropriate dosage (be really careful for such a little dog), can calm the dog down enough to eliminate excessive barking. Make certain to check very thoroughly with your vet so that you do not cause harm to such a small animal. Also, regarding the kennel, do you bring your dog's own food with you, or do you let the kennel feed him their food? If you let them feed the dog their own food, that may be the cause of the diahhrea. In that case, make certain to insist that the kennel feeds him only his own food, or try another kennel that you feel you can trust to follow your directions carefully. Kenneling at a veterinary office can be questionable, due to the fact that they sometimes don't have a lot of animals there, and your dog may be alone for the entire evening in a very strange place. (Our cat scratched his paws at the edge of a cage to the point that he got scabs on his paws, while staying at a vet for boarding).

Answer 4

I had a poodle, 4 1/2 lbs.
I taught her not to bark when she was very young.
I would open my mouth and snap my jaws, then give her a treat. It didn't take long for her to learn to snap her jaws when she wanted food. The only time she ever barked was when the phone or doorbell rang.

Funny. One day I was eating peanuts and she kept snapping her jaws. Never gave her much peanuts.
When I ignored her this time, she ran to my late wife, in the bedroom bath.
The next thing I heard was my wife, "Ed, what are you eating and not giving any to Nera?"
She went to my wife and snapped her jaws.

My wife carried her in her purse or under her fur, from Canada to Mexico, on aircraft, hotels, best restaurants. Church, weddings, everywhere. We even left her at the table when dancing. She never made a sound and never begged at the table. She knew we had treats after.
She died at 13 1/2, 5 months after my wife.

If you have a barker, not much I can suggest, other than check with the hotel, or some other way, and inquire about a reputable "pet sitter" while you are out. You might check with some local vets for info. There are lots of sitters out there.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Have you traveled with your dog before? Make sure that it is OK with the Hotel or wherever you stay at, and also check out if he is allowed on the Beach....some places don't. Look into some training about the barking... or just use the collar when you have to. 11 hours is a long time, are you planning on leaving the dog alone for that long? I still think training is better than the collar, let him know who is the boss (g)and enjoy your Vacation together.

Answer 6

We have travelled with our dog to 13 states with no problems, but you have to plan a little.

#1- You can't leave your dog alone for 11 hours. Where will he go potty? He'll be very lonely, too.

#2- If he does bark at the hotel, you will be kicked out and/or have to pay a large fine.

If you have to bring him along, you should put him into doggie day care every day, but it will cost you.

Here are a couple links I found:
http://www.dogsandthecity.com/
http://www.campdiego.com/

Answer 7

11 hours is a realy long time to leave your dog alone. YOu could make the room very dark and cold that might make him help relax him. You should break up what your doing into smaller times so you can go back to the hotel and walk him or play with him. YOu should make sure the hotel and the beaches allow dogs, many places do not. You should train the dog and only use the barking color when it is absoluteley nesecery

Answer 8

you're going to leave him alone for 11 hours????????? He's much better off at home with a dog sitter in his own home. Have you ever tried that? We don't take our small dogs to boarding kennels, we hire a pet/house sitter. It works very well for us.
don't take him along and then leave him alone for long periods. And forget the bark collar....work on the command "quiet" and back it up with a small squirt bottle of water. You need to train him, not shock him ! You'll end up with a head-shy fearful dog with a bark collar.

Answer 9

Your dog might be barking because he is stuck in a room by himself all day long! So when you get back to the hotell spend every min. with him and make him feel special! Depending on the places you go you can bring him with you! Make him feel like he is a King!

Answer 10

you mite be able to find a friend or neighbor that has a dog that your dog could play with mabye bring him over to thier house and get the dogs familiar with each other before you leave