We took a look at a local kennel service. We do go away for a few days here and there. Last year we left Bennie at home with 4 times/day checks. He was months and Milo has just left us. We were going to leave him where Milo and Duffy loved to go, Club Mead, but wouldn't be able to leave him for a test run. When I contacted Ruff's, they scheduled a daycare day to assess him. Unlike when he stays at home - he was not barky around the other dogs! When we picked him up we got to tour the facility. It's quite small but there are indoor and outdoor play areas, the kennels are large and the owners live on-site and monitor by camera and alarm at night. He seemed relaxed, as we toured so it seems good.
It's been warm so he's been getting daily walks. It's been one on one with me lately so I've been doing a lot of treating to keep his attention on me. He seems to be getting worse about barking at other dogs that are out and about (although not bad with dogs behind fences or in houses!) I suspect it has something to do with being on a leash. Since the leash is non-negotiable, I'm working on encouraging him to sniff and find treats instead of paying attention to the other dog. Today I was quite pleased when I was able to divert his attention to sniffing up treats (that's the behaviour part) while another dog passed within a meter. Bennie still barked but not enough to wind himself up. If he doesn't become barky during his stay at Ruff's, we'll try more daycare to get him more used to other dogs.
That's pretty well it. He's been getting combed a lot while he watches TV with Fred. It usually ends up with him trying to bite the grooming tool but that's ok. He's also giving stuff up a lot better - I shudder to think how his guarding issues could have exploded.
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