We are going on vacation and would like to leave our dogs home. We are trying to choose between boarding at our vet, or a paid dog sitter in our home. One dog is a puppy not totally potty trained, the other is 7 yrs old and attached to his home, not a traveler. We do have a doggie door for the older one. My husband thinks if the puppy goes to a boarding place he will become a barker which he is not now, and that he will not be comfortable there at such a young age. Has anyone had any experience with this?

I have done both, had to kennel my pup on a backpacking trip, I don't think he minded it too much because he was in the GAG (get-along-gang) so he played all day and slept in the kennel at night. I've had house/dog sitters as well, I would assume the dogs would prefer to stay home..

I would hire the sitter. Luckily I have family that will stay with my dog. But the one kennel experience was very trying for him. His whole routine was off and he would not potty in the kennel.(I paid extra for walking service). He only Two days one night but did not go poop the whole time>By the time he got home he raced out of the car to take care of business.
Do you have family or a friend you trust? I think the potty training would be easier in you own home.

Has anyone ever hired a sitter? What was that like?

I've hired a cat sitter before. We live in a city, and she lives next door. I was really glad that our cat could stay in our bed. I covered everything with unwashed laundry so that he could still smell us. The sitter came twice a day. The only thing I didn't like was that she brought her toddler, who was too aggressive with our highly protected kitty. But I would definitely get a sitter if you have someone who can do it.

I worked as a cat sitter a few times when I was a teenager. I would go by the house, feed the cat and keep it company. You really need someone you can trust.

I find that the issue with sitters is reliability. The last time I went out of town, I hired a sitter for my two dogs, one of whom has special needs. They are used to having a human around as I do not work outside the home. When I arrived home, I found my favorite sandals - one in each of their crates, both chewed to smithereens.

It seems as if the young woman chose to go off on another venture 300 miles away leaving her mother, who is deathly allergic to dogs, to feed, play with and control my dogs' environment. When I came home she was trying to get my little guy back in the house with a broom and a coke crate.

I was not happy. I will not hire her again. I paid her MORE than I pay the kennel and expect her to sleep here so that their routine is interrupted as little as possible. Those dogs clung to me like lint to a belly button. This was three weeks ago and they're still half weirded by the experience.

It's optimal to get a sitter, but getting one that is reliable can be a serious problem. IMO.

The kennel part worries me for your pup. Does he have all his shots? If not I wouldn't go with the kennel option, too much risk of illness.

A house sitter sounds like a good idea, just have to find a reliable person, make sure to interview him/her and get references, and make sure that he gets along with the dogs. Maybe have him/her spend a day with you and the dogs before the trip, let him/her handle everything, just to see how it goes.

Good luck, and have a fun trip. :)