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Boarding kennel advice

meljoy

meljoy

Well-known member
Im very fortunate that when ever Ive gone away and have been unable to take Leo with me my parents have always looked after him. (Leo and my Dad are thick as theives and both love this).
However my neice is getting married in July and as all the family will be there Im thinking about putting Leo in kennels for the weekend.
Ive never done this before and wanted advice on what I should look for in a kennel and what to ask when I visit.
Any advice from those of you that have doent this before would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mel
 
Some things to consider are whether the dog has any outside access, and you might ask if they play with the dogs during each day. Some places here charge extra for that, because they must hire someone, but with a Cavalier I think they would need that human interaction each day.
 
Have you considered getting a Petsitter for him rather than a kennel? If you ask at your vet, they should have some info about people who either come to your home or take the dog into their own. It's a bit more expensive than kennels, but I think it's much better for a dog who is not used to being kennelled.
 
Wagtails said:
Have you considered getting a Petsitter for him rather than a kennel? If you ask at your vet, they should have some info about people who either come to your home or take the dog into their own. It's a bit more expensive than kennels, but I think it's much better for a dog who is not used to being kennelled.
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I hadnt thought of this but like the idea. I have a friend that I dog walk with who has a cavalier and she's always said if ever I need someone to have him she'd be more than happy, her dog Milly and Leo get on great, I may talk to her about it but as it's an overnight thing I dont want her to feel pressured.
 
I have left Oliver in kennels a couple of times and did a lot of research visiting local kennels until I found one I really liked. What I didn't like were the kennels with very small runs, very bare sleeping compartments (easy to clean but not very cosy for the dogs!) and staff who didn't seem very interested in dogs! The kennel I found is also a quarantine kennel, so the accommodation is all to a good standard, although the quarantine bit is separate from the ordinary boarders. Quarantine means that there are strict regulations to be fulfilled and daily vet visits, so it would be difficult to hide substandard accommodation in the rest of the buildings. In my preliminary visit the staff were really keen to meet Oliver and assured me that he would have a quite large enclosed space in which to run free, a good run attached to his kennel and regular visits during the day. It is a bit more expensive than some of the others, but Oliver loves going there and obviously has all the staff wound round his little paw! I never have any hesitation leaving him there - and I think even Aled, who is a rescue and much more nervous, would cope if he was kennelled with Oliver.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
These are some things to consider, off the top of my head --


  • what background do the kennel owners have? i would be more comfortable with people who understand and/or specialize in the spaniel breed compared to kennels that are 'generic'.
  • along the same lines, do they seem to care about your dog's temperament and health? they should be asking to meet your dog and also for rabies and vaccination certificates.
  • where will your dog be 'housed' (i.e. dog run? indoors, pyjamas-party style?)
  • what is their feeding procedure? i'd prefer if they fed the dogs separately or at least only made each food bowl accessible to each respective dog.
  • what is the daily routine? the dogs must get enough time out of their pens/runs to exercise and socialize.
  • what is the state of the other dogs there? clean? well kept? knotted? appear happy? lethargic? frustrated? you can tell a lot from this.
  • how often do they bathe the dogs (if you're going to be gone for a long while)?
All that said, I think one of the most important things for you to do before deciding to board your dog at a particular kennel is to drive out there and meet the owners yourself, as well as to see their operation and where your dog will be housed. That will tell you loads about how your dog will be taken care of.
 
One suggestion for visiting the premises, show up unannounced. Rude as this might seem, it will catch them in their "natural state" of cleanliness.
 
We left our two in when they were pups when we got married. They had loads of walks and puppy play time. The place was new and had underfloor heating etc. Visit the place and look around. I did look at the kennels in our vets but it was outside so I didnt like it. Ask how many times they will be walked etc. Our two had a ball and didnt want to leave because they got to play with so many dogs. I was not impressed ha ha!
 
Thanks Everyone for the advice, and thanks to Sandra also. Ive got lots to think of and the idea of turning up unannounced sounds like a very good idea.

Leo has his routine jabs at the vets this afternoon so Im going to chat to them also.
 
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