Steps to take before dog is looked after in relatives home

Question
I need my 6.5 yr. old, female German Shepard mix to be looked after while I
am away. My sister has offered to keep her at her home. Martha the dog has
not been aggressive to her or my 6 yr old nephew. She has known them since
she was a puppy. I have some concerns. 2 years ago my sister in law watched
Martha. Martha had been doggie sat a few years before by her with no
incident. Since then my sister in law added a female Maltese to her family. She
also has a male Lab. The female maltese is a yappy dog and tries to be the
dominant dog in the house. Martha exhibited fear aggression towards my
teenage nephew. (She barks at stranger men from our yard, i.e. neighbor, but
doesn't do this on leash.) She also bit the Maltese. After that I boarder her last
year. The staff told me that she was cage shy, but fine once they let her out.
She didn't show any aggression towards them. I didn't want to board her
again because I could see that she had lost weight during her stay. So I
wanted to know what I could do to get her ready to stay with my sister, or if I
should board her again. She doesn't exhibit this kind of aggression at home.
She does the stranger barking. She barks at our male neighbor but she lets
him pet her. I try to socialize her with strangers, while on lease and is calm
and friendly with strangers. She had been crate trained as a puppy, we used it
for a few years but she out grew it and we have stopped using it. I have a
larger one available and was going to bring it my sister's house. She is
submissive with myself, husband and children. She nipped at my older
daughter years ago when my daughter was not treating her well, but nothing
since them. If she doesn't like the noise or rough play with the kids she leaves
without any drama. So I don't know what to make out of what happened 2
years ago or about the cage shy issue. Would you offer some advise as how
to proceed?

Answer
Does your sister live near enough to come feed and exercise Martha in your home (or can you find a good dog sitter who can meet her and let her get comfortable before you leave?) If not, I'd consider boarding her again. A home with a teenager she's afraid of and a dog she's bitten just doesn't sound like a very safe situation for anyone. With a dog with some issues, I think it's better to pay a professional than to count on a well meaning family member who may let her get into trouble. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com