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  1. #1
    House Broken HammerLover's Avatar
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    Let's get down to business

    Hannah here! I am currently in college majoring in Small Business Management. My plan after graduation is to open a boarding kennel to begin with and then transition into a training and boarding facility after I complete my certification in Master dog training.

    I am looking for opinions on what everyone looks for when finding a kennel that suits their dog. I am open to any ideas and suggestions. Anything from optional doggy play time, leash walking, yard time, kennel size, etc...

    I do have 4 years of work experience at a dog training kennel already but I know every kennel is different!
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  2. #2
    Best Friend Retriever
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    Good for you! I have only boarded my dogs a very few times--they are my babies, & I always worry so much about them! I'd rather stay home with them rather than worry about them being boarded, if at all possible.....another reason we bought the old motorhome--so they can travel with us! Still it would be nice to know of a wonderful kennel to leave them at in case we really wanted to travel to somewhere we couldn't bring them, so #1 for me would be security. A kennel environment that they couldn't possibly escape from & end up being lost & out on their own. The last kennel we did board our dogs at was a lovely facility, with indoor/outdoor dog kennels & runs. Even if the dog escaped from the indoor part of the kennel, he would still be in the building. If he managed to escape the outdoor part of the run, he would still be within the large fenced yard--it had a high enough fence that it couldn't be jumped over. Good luck--I hope all your dreams come true!

  3. #3
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    One of my pet peeves with boarding is they will charge you a basic fee to cage your dog(s), and if you want them exercised once a day (which is ridiculous for a Labrador) you have the pay $X amount for that too. The local kennels I've used charge $25 for the first dog, $20 for the second dog, and want another $15 for 15 minutes of exercise. So $60 a day for a cage and 15 minutes of exercise.

    The last two times were went on vacation we had a sitter stay at the house. $25 a day was their fee, and the dogs stayed pretty much on their normal routine.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    Similar to what Barry said, I rarely board my dog because compared to getting a sitter to come stay at my house the price is exorbitant and it's often unclear what your dogs experience will be. When you read yelp reviews there are always reviews that scare you away because of an injury or illness not being reported promptly. Personally I understand if my dog were to get injured, but I would definitely want to be notified about no matter how minor so 1. I can decide what course of action I want to take and 2. So I know that the kennel is watching my dog close enough to notice injuries 3. So that I know the kennel is honest and forthright about what goes on at their business.

    If I were to board my dog I would want several very large play areas with different play groups organized by dog personalities, but that's because I know my dog would enjoy playing with other dogs with similar personalities. Other people might want only leashed walks or private play.
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  5. #5
    Best Friend Retriever OHfemail's Avatar
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    Good for you! We "interviewed" several kennels and settled on one for a number of reasons.
    1. The couple running it are friendly and responsive to questions.
    2. It's VERY clean - no doggy smells or grime, and the noise level is extremely moderate for a kennel atmosphere - not too chaotic.
    3. The indoor kennels are huge, with the smallest being 4'X12'. Each one has a dog door, with free daytime access to enormous, individual fenced yard kennels. Individual is extremely important for us, as Gabby is NOT happy being with multiple other dogs. She's just not a "dog dog" and prefers humans. She turns into a cowering mess, which we found out when we had to put her in daycare while we were out of town. Never again.
    4. They have slightly raised beds for each kennel, getting the dogs off of the concrete floor. They also get a bedtime biscuit before everything is locked in for the night.
    5. The kennel provides online updates with pictures. When it's hot, they've even put a swimming pool in Gabby's kennel...the pics showed just how much she loved being there!
    6. They give a free bath with a certain number of nights booked (maybe 5?)
    7. All personnel are Red Cross Pet CPR and Pet First Aid certified.

    This is a place that Gabby can't wait to go in to, and she always wants to play with the kennel owners...even as we're standing there to pick her up! While we certainly don't need all of these things, they're obviously an added bonus.

    Good luck to you!

  6. #6
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    Hi! Good to hear you have a plan for the future!

    We've taken dogs to the same kennel for over 30 years with a few breaks when we've lived out of state or if we used a breeder who lived close by who would let the dogs stay with her if we were away. The kennel has evolved in its facilities and services over the years a fair amount. There are a few annoyances but on the whole, we're happy customers and our dogs are always happy to go and happy to come home.

    Things I like:

    1. The owner lives on-site so even though they seem very well staffed, if weather prevented some staff from getting to work, I know there is always someone there. The dogs will still be fed, have water, can go outside to potty even if they cannot go outside for playtime etc. I know too many instances where a pet sitter didn't show up as contracted and although they eventually came, the dogs spent many more hours inside alone than they should have. My sister regularly comes home to find urine soaked paper towels crammed into the trash and her dogs are all adults with great bladder capacities. Another neighbor's elderly dog was alone for >24 hours because the pet sitter was in a minor car accident but didn't show up and didn't call anyone. My daughter was doing the night time/bedtime walks and found the dog without food or water, pee and poop on the floor, the dog fairly frantic. I don't want my dogs to be in that situation when there's an alternative.

    2. The kennel has a vet practice with whom they work to handle illness or emergency. They are not near to each other, I'd say 10 miles apart, but there's a plan in place for problems. Bonus that it happens to be the vet practice we use anyway which has someone on-call 24 hours/day. To our knowledge they've never had to call the vet for one of our dogs.

    3. There are enough staff that they can intervene better if there's an issue between dogs during play time. They don't specifically do training but they seem skilled at behavior management.

    4. They offer a variety of services, the standard "rooms" for dogs include an indoor space with a Kuranda bed, air conditioning and heat, as well as an outdoor run. The "luxury" rooms are slightly larger and have a TV in them and supposedly include a daily stuffed Kong or other treat, but at a cost. Let's just say that when our human kids went to camp, they didn't have a tv to watch and neither do our dogs. I take treats that my dogs can get through the day in addition to their meals but I don't take chew toys or bones or things I prefer are supervised when being used.

    5. There are a variety of activity possibilities. They have on outdoor pool to use when it's warm enough and several fenced in play areas outside, some with all kinds of ramps, tubes, platforms, etc that dogs can go up around and through. If your dog isn't the type to engage in group play you can opt for individual play, walks, cuddle time.

    6. They do grooming, doggy day care and have a heated indoor hydrotherapy pool if desired.

    7. The kennel areas seem well-maintained, clean and odor free.

    What I'm not as crazy about:

    1. The prices are a bit steep but not out of line for other area kennels. It's a cafeteria menu of services so the room fee is one charge and the dog would get food and water but no extras unless they're in the luxury suite and get one play time and a Kong and a TV. That combo price is more than the standard room with one play time and no TV or Kong.

    2. Each 15-20 minute play or activity period is a separate charge. I usually opt for group play so they're probably out longer and probably more active than if they just got a single, individual walk or play time.

    3. If your dog needs meds it's an additional charge. Even though my dog gets supplements that I don't view as medications, per se, they count them as meds so I cannot just throw the vitamins, fish oil, etc in the bag with their breakfast for them to just put into a bowl for them. They insist on dispensing them and I get charged for the activity. I have to individually bag up each meal so they're getting the food and quantity that I want so for me to put the supplements in with their food is easy. We could let our dogs eat their standard food, which is Canine Caviar, but I just go with what they usually eat.

    Anyway, depending upon whether you get a standard or a luxury room, how many play sessions a day, if your dog takes meds, etc., the daily rate can really add up.

    Good luck reaching your dreams!

  7. #7
    House Broken HammerLover's Avatar
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    I can't stand it when kennel owners have all of those extra fees. I plan to have a set boarding price like the kennel I worked at before college. I found it extremely helpful when the owners baggied their meds for each meal with a date but I've had to make many charts for prednisone and dogs that were being weaned off a med while they were in our care.

    I'm loving all of these do's and don'ts!! You are all so helpful and it's also helping me in drawing my blueprints.

  8. #8
    Puppy
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    Having recently moved across the country, I had to find a new boarding kennel. Here are the things I looked for based on previous good/bad experiences with prior facilities.

    * Boarding is the primary business of the facility.
    I had once boarded them at a large kennel attached to a large veterinary hospital. With all the advertisement of doctors on premises 24/7, I almost lost Molly to the canine flu because no one checked her or the other boarders even though they knew they had an outbreak on the premises. This was prior to the vaccine availability.

    Out here in Colorado, a local rescue runs a boarding kennel to support the rescue endeavor. The grounds and kennel runs were pretty shabby. It gave me the impression that the boarding aspect was not a real high priority and so I had real concerns about the care level.

    * Hire people who truly like pets. Owners can tell the difference between animal lovers and people who just need a job. The animals will know it too.

    * Secure fencing that is well maintained.
    A place out here had a poorly maintained chain link fence for the outdoor runs. That was the only thing separating outdoor playtime dogs from the vast Colorado Front Range.

    * Offer discounted or free bath/grooming after a certain number of nights. Maybe customer loyalty perks on boarding fees every once in a while.

    * Make sure your employees clearly understand feeding directions. I had written 1-1/2 cups each meal for Jack. He got one 1/2 cup of food each meal and so was underfed two cups each day for 5 days.

    * Our current boarding place is a bit pricey but wonderful. Worth every penny. Very flexible hours. Someone on premises 24/7. Friendly facility with beautiful, clean, large play yards. They do a meet & greet before agreeing to accept a dog for boarding. Dogs go out four times a day - an hour each time - in groups with other dogs of similar activity levels. there is always someone in the yard with them. They have web cams that allow you to view the play yards. I get a "report card" each time I pick them up. They come home happy and in good health.

    Good luck! Try to partner yourself with a local vet. That's a good way to advertise. And people trust their vet so a recommendation might go a long way.
    ~Anne

    P.S. Saw the Kuranda beds mentioned in another post. Yes!!! Our kennel has these and also provides blankets etc to go on top.

  9. #9
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    We don't use boarding kennels because most of them are not "intact dog" friendly. I also don't believe in blanket vaccinations like bordatella. I accept the risk of bringing my dog into contact with other dogs and can deal with their medical care afterwards if they were to have a cough when they came home. But I am not going to over-vaccinate my dog just to use a facility.

  10. #10
    Senior Dog
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    We prefer to use a pet sitter but have used a kennel a few times. Some things we look for - the dogs get walked outside a few times a day to do their business. None of mine, especially the girls would have been comfortable going in their run, even in an outdoor one. Just not what they are used to. I prefer to have exercise/playtime included without having to go a la carte, but I recognize that’s not the trend. The place we used most recently had an indoor pool and you could pay for swim sessions - our guys LOVED that. They offer play time with doggie daycare but if you don’t want them to mingle you can swap in individual play sessions too.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
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    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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