Pet Sitter vs Dog Boarding: Which Suits Your Dog?

When you travel, start with a friend, neighbour or another dog parent who knows your dog: many dog parents take turns. Beyond them, you have three main choices: a pet sitter who comes to your home (for drop-in visits or overnight), home boarding at someone’s place, or a boarding centre, kennel or pet hotel. This post is about which suits your dog. For what each costs in Bangalore, see dog boarding and pet sitter prices in Bangalore.

The short answer

Puppies

WSAVA advises that puppies that haven’t finished their vaccination series, which ends at 16 weeks or later, stay away from potentially contaminated places outside the home and meet only healthy puppies and fully vaccinated adult dogs (WSAVA 2024). Boarding with other people’s dogs means exactly that contact, and kennel cough is more severe in puppies (Merck Veterinary Manual). Until your vet says the series is done, a sitter at home is the safer choice; ask your vet first. See the puppy vaccination schedule.

Older, unwell or on medicines

A sitter keeps your dog on its own floor, bed and routine. If your dog needs injections or close medical care, wagNbush, a Bangalore booking site, advises asking your vet whether boarding is right at all or whether care at home is better (wagNbush). Some centres offer a quieter option: Our World of Dogs, for example, lists private boarding in a separate building for aged and medication-dependent dogs (Our World of Dogs). Kennel cough can progress to chronic bronchitis in weak or aged dogs (Merck). Whoever looks after your dog, write down every medicine, dose and time.

Nervous, reactive or noise-phobic dogs

The UK’s National Animal Welfare Trust warns that dogs who are reactive to other dogs, or can’t be left alone, “may well struggle in kennels” (NAWT). For them, a sitter at home or a home boarder who takes very few dogs is usually easier.

If your dog doesn’t get on with other dogs, say so. Venus Pet Care says it keeps aggressive dogs in separate kennels (Venus Pet Care).

If your dog panics at crackers, Deepavali week is a hard time to move it somewhere new; see keeping your dog safe at Deepavali.

Dogs that can’t be alone

Drop-in visits leave your dog alone in between. The RSPCA advises leaving a dog “no longer than four hours” at a time (RSPCA). A dog with separation anxiety is better off with someone around most of the day: a home boarder, or a sitter who stays the night. Ask a home boarder how many hours a day your dog would be on its own.

Young, healthy, sociable dogs

Many enjoy home boarding or group play at a centre. The trade-off is kennel cough, which spreads fast where dogs are housed close together, in boarding kennels and daycare included (Merck). Ask your vet about the kennel cough vaccine well before the stay.

New dogs and escape artists

A dog that has bolted before, or has only just joined your family, is safer in a home it knows. Choose a sitter who will keep the main door, gate and balcony shut, and check the ID tag has your number.

Two dogs, or dogs and cats

Boarding is priced per dog: PawSpace’s rate tables, for example, are “per pet” (PawSpace). wagNbush says sitters’ prices vary with the number of pets (wagNbush), so ask a sitter what they charge for all of yours. A sitter also keeps cats and dogs in their own home.

Cost, in short

The prices are in the main guide. The pattern:

• Drop-in visits: on the prices we found, one visit a day costs about the same as a night of boarding or less, and two visits a day can cost more. Your dog is alone in between.
• A sitter who stays the night usually costs more than a night of boarding: at PawSpace, an overnight sitter costs about half as much again as overnight home boarding.
• Boarding can add pick-up and drop charges. Both boarders and sitters may charge more in festival weeks.

The risks of each

A sitter at home

• Nobody checks your dog between visits. Ask who covers if the sitter is ill or late.
• Someone will have your keys, so pick someone you’re comfortable with, like a neighbour or a sitter a friend uses, and tell your security guard and society office who’s coming, and when.
• The door opens several times a day, and a quick dog can slip out.

Home boarding

• Other dogs, in a home that wasn’t built for them. Check the balcony, gate and main door.
• Numbers vary from home to home. Ask how many dogs will be there on your dates.
• Kennel cough can spread wherever dogs are housed together.

A boarding centre, kennel or pet hotel

• More dogs and more noise, which reactive dogs may find hard (NAWT).
• Kennel cough spreads fast in close confinement (Merck).
• Ask how many hours a day your dog is out of its kennel, and with whom.
• The upside: someone is there at night. Premium Pet Boarding, for example, lists staff around the clock and CCTV.

Questions to settle first

1. How long will you be away? For a day trip, two or three visits may cover it. Overnight, your dog is alone for hours unless someone stays.
2. Can your dog be alone for four hours? If not, rule out drop-in visits.
3. Are the vaccines up to date? Rabies and the combination vaccine, plus kennel cough if your vet advises it. Centres such as Venus Pet Care and Premium Pet Boarding ask for the vaccination card.
4. Which vet would they use if your dog is hurt or unwell, and will they call you? Talk it over before you go.
5. Has your dog had a trial night with the boarder, or met the sitter at home?
6. Are the food, medicines and a written routine ready? Leave your vet’s number too.