When considering professional services for pet boarding you have two primary services: You can choose to hire an in home pet sitter, or choose to seek out a kennel. There are several key differences between external boarding and in-home care for your pet. While the most obvious difference is location, several smaller differences exist as well. Understanding the pros and cons of both will help you make the best decision for your furry friend.

In most cases choosing a pet sitter is the friendliest choice you can make for your pet. Choosing to keep your pet at home will have a significant impact on his comfort level with you gone. The animal will continue to stay in comfortable and familiar surroundings. This will:

• Reduce stress
• Reduce self starvation
• Increase physical comfort
• Allow for play with normal toys

A pet sitter is a person hired by you as either an individual or through an agency who will come into your home as often as you request. During these visits the pet sitter will have one on one play time with your pet, feed your pet, and allow for outside restroom time. You can give directives in each area to cater the visit to your specific pet.  A pet sitter allows for more cuddle time and personalized attention.

A pet sitter is especially useful in homes that boast more than one pet. When you choose to kennel your pets you will be charged on a per pet basis. Often the rate will face a steep incline for larger pets. Choosing this route for several large dogs could wind up being rather costly. Choosing an in home sitter generally means a flat rate per visit regardless of number of pets or their size. Additionally, family pets will often thrive when left in their natural environments. When you put multiple animals in a boarding facility they will be separated not only from you but also from their brothers and sisters.

While it is easy to find a multitude of reasons to choose an in home pet care provider there are also plenty of benefits to using an external care source as well. These facilities are not the rows of cages they once were and can offer pets their own type of vacation. With staff on hand often around the clock, your pet will never find a food bowl empty or a dry water dish. The animals will get the opportunity to interact with other animals during daily outside time. This can be especially exciting for very social breeds. Often these facilities have large outdoor dog parks featuring swimming ponds, tunnels and climbing toys. Once tired from all that play some areas have interior grooming areas that are kin to a spa for your shi-tzu.

Some pets have personalities that make it more suitable to choose external home care for their needs. While the idea of keeping your pet at home may be more appealing overall, you need to keep the comfort level of your pet and the care giver in mind when you make your final choice. Here are a few personality characteristics that should be carefully considered in your pet when deciding how to provide for him during your absence.

• Your dog gets mad when you leave: Known to professionals as extreme separation anxiety, dogs who act out when left alone are not good candidates for in home care. The ASPCA outlines behaviors relating to separation anxiety as urinating or defecating indoors when regularly free of accidents, howling, crying, chewing on furniture, destruction of toys and attempted escapes. These behaviors hurt your home and you can bet your pet isn’t too happy either. Chances are he’d be happier around constant people and other pets.
• Your pet doesn’t always make it outside: If your pet has problems making it to the yard in time to potty, he is a better candidate for external care than he is for a pet sitter. This problem exists often in aging pets. The concern is that the animal will have several accidents inside the home in between visits from your pet sitter. This can result in costly damage to your home flooring and furniture.
• Your pet is easily angered: If you would ever refer to your pet as aggressive for any reason, it is best to opt for out of home care. Your pet’s stress level will be high enough with you gone. Inviting a new caregiver into his territory could be the perfect recipe for trouble. If your animal has any history of biting, scratching or territorial disputes then you should certainly consider using external home care. This is safer for you and the care giver.