I've spent a lot of time, in Yogi's youth (he's turning 5 in September!), finding the perfect dog boarding place. It also took me a year to figure out what type of place Yogi needed.
I would first like to point out that Yogi wasn't always crazy, I think. You see - owning an active/ smart dog is a lot of work and more than I thought it would be. As a soon-to-be college graduate when I got Yogi, at the ripe age of 8 weeks old (End of October 2008), I thought dogs just had an "instinct" to do what dogs are supposed to do. Turns out - No. So I was constantly learning and reading about what to do -- the internet is full of conflicting information, so it wasn't much progress on my part. Anywho, his first problem was the crate - Oh gosh, he hated it. And he hated it until we got a trainer in Spring 2009, after I made the transition and move to Seattle from Pittsburgh. Among other things he counter-surfed, chewed on anything with a corner (bedding, rugs, chairs), and had major separation anxiety (yes, that's why he hated the crate).
Long story short, when I made the investment in Yogi's training, he was really, finally manageable. I super highly recommend lifelong training.
After I moved to Seattle, I just couldn't find the time, living by myself, to wear Yogi out enough to put up with the crate when I left for work. Also, I didn't want to leave yogi in the crate/at home for longer than 8-9 hours so I couldn't do anything after work. Life was very stressful to say the least. So I found a close Doggy Daycare place and set up a 3 days/ wk plan until I could get his separation anxiety (constant barking in the crate) under control. This is where I think Yogi picked up his dog anxiety at. The close quarters, lots of dogs, and lots of chaos makes Yogi one very stressed out dog. So when I hear "I love my Daycare, my dog leaves exhausted!" It makes me nervous, because that's not always a good thing. Unfortunately I didn't have any other options between being a Single dog mom and his separation anxiety.
Finally, around Spring 2010, I got smart and had figured out what made Yogi tick and what Yogi needed to not be anxious or stressed out when he was boarded.
a) space! Lots of boarding places have one big yard and kennel them in a dog run at night. I knew I needed a place that was comfortable (kennel-less or standard crates you can tuck away) and a large yard Yogi could run around in, only play with equally energetic dogs, but also give him a place he could hide or zone out in (i.e. needed trees or hills or distractions).
b) Owners/ Handlers that knew how to actually handle a dog. Oh, you love dogs and that makes you able to open a boarding place - not good enough. I wanted former trainers, certified handlers, and people who knew how to break up a dog fight and see the signs of aggression. Handlers should never step between dogs or put their hand between fighting dogs, that's the stupidest thing to do. I literally interviewed a half dozen places and asked how they handle dog fights. The answers were a great measurement guide to their training style (Cesar Millan vs. Nicole Wilde).
FYI - We found that at Dogs-A-Jammin had what we needed - acres of land, sectional fencing, lots of movement, and skilled handlers.
Working with Yogi is a never ending project. We are constantly adapting and training; whether it's on a walk or learning how to live with the cats, there's always a training opportunity available.
Some other great resources on owning a crazy dog -
Nicole's Blog
Yellow Dog Project
YouTube videos for training
local radio show about dogs and cats
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