Your dog looks tired and keeps sleeping when you bring him back from the boarding facility.
He used to be very energetic and active before sending him to the boarding kennel.
What has happened to him?
If your dog is greeting you with great excitement, that is going to make him tired. He is not getting any good sleep and is overstimulated in the boarding facility. He is feeling unwell or is readjusting to his surroundings. He uses sleeping as a way to protest that you have sent him to a boarding kennel.
Greeting You With Great Enthusiasm Makes Him Tired
Your dog is going to miss you when you leave him in a boarding facility for a period of time.
When he sees you again, he is going to be extremely excited and greet you with great enthusiasm!
You will see him jumping up on your legs, wagging his tail furiously, and trying to lick your face.
He will also be wiggling his whole body just to get closer to you.
His excitement is due to the fact that he is missing you so much and seeing you again is a happy event.
However, all these acts of jumping and wagging makes him drain off his energy and that’s why he keeps sleeping when he is back to his sweet home.
He Is Always On Alert While In Boarding Facility
When your dog is left in an unfamiliar place, he will always be on alert and ready to protect himself.
It is unlikely that he is going to get any decent sleep and will always be on the lookout for any signs of danger.
That is why you will find him feeling very tired when you bring him back from the boarding facility.
It is only when he is back to his beloved home that he will let his guard down and sleep peacefully.
He Is Overstimulated (Mentally And Physically)
Your dog would certainly feel overstimulated when he is left alone in the boarding facility.
The boarding environment is going to be very different from what he had in your home.
The unfamiliar sight, smell, people and pets around him will make him feel nervous.
He has to manage the changes in his feeding and sleeping routine as well.
Besides having to cope with all these changes in his environment, he is also going to be involved in lots of physical and mental simulation activities during his stay in the boarding kennel.
All these simulations are going to increase his stress and anxiety level.
This, in turn, will cause an increase in cortisol levels in his body.
Cortisol has a significant impact on your dog’s behavior.
When your dog is under a lot of stress, his cortisol levels are going to go up. And when this happens, he will be more agitated, fearful, and anxious.
And of course, your dog wouldn’t be able to get any good sleep in this situation.
Sleep disruption is known to occur as a result of stress, fatigue, and insomnia.
That is why he looks so tired when he is back home.
He Is Feeling Unwell
Your dog could have contracted a disease during his stay in the kennel and is feeling unwell.
As he will be interacting with many dogs in the boarding facility, it is inevitable that he might become infected.
This can happen if he has not been vaccinated against canine distemper virus (CDV).
If you find your dog having a fever, shivering, coughing, vomiting, acting sluggish or having a pus-like discharge from his eyes, bring him to see a veterinarian immediately.
At times, the changes in his diet could make him feel unwell as your dog could be allergic to certain foods that the staff in the boarding facility are not aware of.
And when he gets to eat these foods, he can have an adverse reaction such as diarrhea or vomiting and this makes his body fatigue.
To avoid this, you should pass the foods that your dog had been eating to the staff so that they would not introduce new food into your dog’s diet.
He Is Giving You A Cold Shoulder
You have placed your dog in the kennel despite his protest. This makes him feel sad and unhappy as he wants to be with you.
To show his unhappiness, he is giving you a cold shoulder when you bring him back home.
He is ignoring you and getting to sleep to avoid seeing you.
Your dog is clearly unhappy because of your decision to put him in the kennel.
Do not get too worried about this case.
Just continue to give him more affection and love, and he will get over it.
Make use of some high value treats to get his attention and make him learn that he is being treated better than before.
He will then be back to his usual self and stay clingy to you.
Readjusting To His Surroundings
It’s not unusual for a dog who has been in another home for a few days to take a while to settle down when he is back to his home.
Your dog could have been used to playing with other dogs in the boarding facility, and now he finds himself alone in your home.
This might have an adverse effect on him.
He is missing his pack members and the fun that they have when they are playing together.
This makes him stressed as he wonders what happened to them?
Why did they leave him here all by himself?
And stress will make your dog lethargic and want to sleep more.
What you should do is to give him more attention and love and let him know that you are there for him. He is not alone.
This is why it is important to be vigilant about what is happening at home and how your pet is being treated at the boarding kennel.