When people drop their dogs off at my house for boarding, I notice that the owner's behavior can unintentionally cause stress instead of confidence in their dogs. We love our dogs so much, but sometimes when we express that love in a human way it can actually stress out our poor pups. While goodbyes are good etiquette when it comes to human manners, dogs don't naturally share that cultural norm.

As a new client, who has never left their dog before, you may arrive nervous,or even as a seasoned client you know you will miss your pup, so you may draw out the goodbye, pulling your dog's attention back to you when really the dog is interested (as they should be) in being in a new place and smelling new smells.

Your nervous, unsure, emotional energy gets transmitted to your dog. Instead of being excited to be somewhere new, they take a cue from you that the situation is distressing and therefore they feel more distress than necessary. Your dog may even start to worry about you!

In general, I find quick, unemotional hand offs are best. If you have calm, confident energy, you passively transmit the message to your dog that everything is fine and therefore they feel good about what's happening.

Parting with your dog is always tough. Once I see my dog is happy and content without me,usually after receiving the first photo of my dog, I can relax.. Do your dog (and your boarder!) a favor and try to have a smooth hand off when you drop your dog for boarding.