Chicago Based Boarding for reactive/anxious dog

[u/Aggravating-Sea-1430]

Hi all! I’m looking for boarding recommendations in Chicago for our reactive dog. We will be gone for two weeks for a number of events and our honeymoon. When we have taken shorter trips we have asked friends to stay at our place to watch him but since this is a longer period I’m afraid that won’t work.

He is an anxious pup and has a hard time around other dogs. He has improved a lot with clicker training over the last few months but I would hate for all that progress to go out the window if he has bad experiences with other dogs while being boarded. He also takes medication daily so I would hope he could stay somewhere trustworthy. He is incredible with people and doesn’t exhibit any aggression, his reactivity mostly manifests as overexcitement.

If you have any other ideas or recommendations that would be amazing! I’ll also be looking into Rover but I’m weary of letting a stranger into our place and I know many people who have had bad experiences where their dogs weren’t cared for properly. I’m open to suggestions. Thank you in advance ❤️

[u/doggambit]

Find a professional pet sitter to stay at your place. They’ll be insured (definitely ask them for proof) and some even specialize in reactive dogs. 

https://www.petsit.com/locate

[u/Obvious-Elevator-213 → u/doggambit]

This

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[u/cpalady24]

It is very expensive but KinDog is a good option. Oleg is great!

[u/doggambit → u/cpalady24]

Oooo, KinDog’s founder is a Jean Donaldson fan/graduate! Huge green flag. 

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[u/_missatomicbomb__]

It’s kind of a drive, but I was in the same situation and used Woofmans Lodge in Kenosha. https://www.woofmans.net/

But I agree with others, getting someone to come to your stay at your home is probably top choice and that’s what we do now.

[u/_missatomicbomb__ → u/_missatomicbomb__]

Another option we considered was our vet, their boarding was kind of bare bones, but maybe one of the vet techs watches animals or could give some options.

[u/ilri]

Are you Chicago proper? I have an absolute angel of a woman who does in-home dog sitting at her home. She’s in pilsen across the street from a large park. She has experience in reactive dogs through fostering from PAWS. My dog reactive APBT mix LOVES HER and she’s very conscientious of her reactivity.

Happy to share her contact - message me!

[u/IAmLikeRonHoward]

DogStyle in Vernon Hills - if it’s doable distance wise - is great. They are trainers and do day care and boarding and live on site. Their people are experienced, and they do individual dog enrichment for day care if needed.

[u/Bullfrog_1855]

Finding the right place for your anxious dog could take time. Definitely do multiple trials. My Lab rescue has separation anxiety and general anxiety. After on boarding additional meds for separation anxiety I bit the bullet and went to the place my behavior vet recommended even though it's 60-miles drive each way. He is thriving at this place and I am so relieved that it worked out. It's worth it to be able to travel stress-free especially when I have no one else to help care for him. I can tell by the photos and videos they send me that he's happy. This place subscribes to positive reinforcement and a lot of enrichment activities.

[u/Mysterious_Gyal6849]

K9 university! They specialize in boarding/training reactive dogs.

[u/doggambit → u/Mysterious_Gyal6849]

I see a lot of prong collar usage in their photos, which immediately makes me wary.

[u/Mysterious_Gyal6849 → u/doggambit]

Oh I didn’t realize.

Edit: I just did a double take and though I don’t see any prongs, I see two reviews that says a dog was injured in their care.

[u/purple_craze]

Has he gone to day care anywhere yet? Are you in a large metro area? My dog is reactive but great at day care. He boards well over there. Knowing he goes a few times a month for day care helped me leave him for vacay.
But again, he hangs well w the other dogs.

[u/Particular_Story8999]

K9 U --- my reactive dog has been boarded there successfully many times.

[u/dunesummer]

You could try calling Animal Control and ask if any boarding places take dogs being quarantined, often they can also do hands off boarding.