REVIEWS
An Expert's Guide to Choose the Best Dog Boarding
Are you planning to board your dog soon? Experienced dog boarding manager & thePack.in founder Shobhit M gives you a checklist to find your dog's home away from home.
Table of contents
Finding a pet boarding place to take good care of your dog when you are away can be a stressful experience. Afterall, your pet entrusts you to take good care of him, even in your absence. You may have initially considered leaving them with your friends or family, but most of the time, they may not be able to provide your dog with quality care or be well-equipped in case of emergencies. Thus, selecting the right pet boarding facility is crucial for their wellbeing and also your peace of mind.
Here is a step by step guide for you to make sure you have found the best pet boarding facility for your dog.
Here is a step by step guide for you to make sure you have found the best pet boarding facility for your dog.
Shortlisting the Right Dog Boarding Place
- Speak to a canine expert or fellow pet parents to get a list of recommended dog boarding places around you. In this day and age, a lot of places with great reviews on Google or Facebook may not live up to their mark in real life. It is thus ideal to get recommendations from people who have had first-hand experience boarding their dogs in the places they are suggesting. Enquire about their personal experience as well as any real-time photos or videos of the boarding place.
- Once you have explored your options, discuss with your trainer or behaviourist to decide what kind of pet boarding set-up would be suitable for your dog, based on their temperament. Some of the common options you can choose from are cage-free, kennel systems, single or multiple dog home boarding, etc.
- Once you have found the right place for your dog, give them a call and ask about their onboarding process. There are certain things to look out for during this conversation.
Choosing the Ideal Dog Boarding Facility
Once you narrow down your choices, get in touch with the manager/owner of the pet boarding place to get more information. Some of the questions you should ask are:
It is always a good sign if they are taking the time to talk to you and explain the details patiently. It is okay to have a lot of questions, you have every right to get all the information before choosing the right boarding.
The next step is to book an appointment for an in-person visit with your dog.
- What kind of boarding setup is it? Is it cage-free, kennel system, single or multiple dog home boarding, etc.? If it is a cage-free setup, which dogs are kept together?
- How are the facilities at the boarding place? How big are the kennels, how big are the cage-free spaces, how many dogs per kennel/cage-free space, and does it have open space for running and playing?
- What is the boarding process like? How many times are the dogs fed? What are the meal options? How many times do they get to play? How regularly do they clean the kennels? Are they brushed regularly? In case of a long stay, are they given a bath?
- Who takes care of the dogs? How experienced are they?
- What is the booking process for boarding?
- How do they update you during the stay? Are pictures and videos shared regularly with you? If so, how is it done? What protocols are followed in cases of emergencies? Do they have an expert (vet/behaviourist) on call?
- In case the person who gave you the has never boarded, it may also be a good idea to ask for a couple of client references to speak to, although not a lot of boarding places may be open to this.
It is always a good sign if they are taking the time to talk to you and explain the details patiently. It is okay to have a lot of questions, you have every right to get all the information before choosing the right boarding.
The next step is to book an appointment for an in-person visit with your dog.
Things to Look for During Your First Visit
It is best to always visit the boarding place to check out the facility at least once before you actually board your dog. During your first visit, keep an eye out for the following things:
While visiting, allow your dog to sniff around and get comfortable in the new surroundings. Ideally, you should be spending at least an hour at the facility. The more comfortable your dog gets here in your presence, the better their stay will be.
- First and foremost, check the gates. Ideally, there should be at least two gates between the dog and the outside of the boarding place for better security.
- Keep a close eye on their onboarding process. Do they check your dog’s vaccination records? Did they conduct a physical check for ticks and fleas on your dogs? How did they and their staff greet your dog?
- Look for how well the place has been maintained and if things look hygienic around you. Can you smell dog pee or poop? One or two spots are okay, but if there is a lingering smell of dog pee or poop in the air, it generally means that regular cleaning standards are not up to the mark.
- Does the ground or kennel area look damp? Damp areas are the perfect breeding place for ticks and other parasites. Another good place to check is the outdoor/play area; lawns are more likely to be poorly maintained than indoor spaces. Flies are an indicator of poor hygiene.
- Visit the kennels and check out how the dogs are being kept. Are they excited to meet you, or are they anxious? Do they seem lethargic? In a cage-free setup, check if they are fighting or keeping to themselves. You can check out this article for signs of stress in dogs.
- If permitted by the facility, visit their kitchen and check if proper standards of hygiene are being maintained.
While visiting, allow your dog to sniff around and get comfortable in the new surroundings. Ideally, you should be spending at least an hour at the facility. The more comfortable your dog gets here in your presence, the better their stay will be.
Trial Stays at the Chosen Dog Boarding
If your dog is boarding for the first time, it is quite likely that they may undergo some amounts of stress and anxiety. Boarding your dog for short durations such as a day or a half a day is the perfect way to get them used to the experience. While most dog boarding places require you to have at least one trial run before the actual boarding period, you can always request one, in case it is not mandated.
If your dog has any dietary restrictions, allergies, behavioural or medical conditions, it is crucial to disclose this to the facility before you board your dog so that they can be well prepared to take care of your dog.
- Get in touch with the facility to book a slot for the trial run. Ideally, choose a non-working day (like a Sunday) so that you are available to rush to the place in case of an emergency.
- A trial run will also help you get a sense of how the boarding place will be keeping your dog during the actual stay- Are they following the onboarding process? Are they sharing regular updates with you? Are the meals being managed properly and is your dog fed on time?
- When you go to pick up your dog at the end of the stay, check for the following:
- Is your dog shivering or scared?
- Does he come running back to you? Or is he being apprehensive?
- Run your hand through the entire body and check for any physical wounds, signs of discomfort, or ticks & fleas. It is okay to spend a good ten minutes doing these checks before leaving the place. This will ensure that if there are ticks/fleas/other parasites or wounds, they can be pointed out and addressed right then and there.
- Finally, it is okay, and in fact, even preferred if the dog does not want to leave the boarding place immediately with you. We always say that a good boarding place is such that your dog will happily run in when you drop them off and will be reluctant to leave after the stay. It means that his stay was enjoyable.
If your dog has any dietary restrictions, allergies, behavioural or medical conditions, it is crucial to disclose this to the facility before you board your dog so that they can be well prepared to take care of your dog.
Things to Keep in Mind During Your Dog’s Boarding
Finally, the day of boarding has arrived. If everything has gone well so far, you can be reasonably confident that your dog is going to enjoy their stay. Having said that, let’s look at key points to keep in mind during the boarding period to ensure that your pet dog has a comfortable stay.
- Keep a timely check on the updates from the boarding place, and do not hesitate to reach out, in case there aren’t any.
- Keep them updated with your local vet’s contact and emergency contact, in case you are not reachable (especially when travelling to slightly remote destinations).
- Keep at least one friend/family member in the loop throughout the boarding process who can step in, in case of emergencies.
- In rare situations where your dog does not seem to settle down or is really stressed, do not hesitate to ask your emergency contact to take back the dog midway through the boarding. Just ask them to do the same checks mentioned above.
- It is always a good idea to pack meals for dogs with sensitive stomachs. In case you are unable to do so for the entire duration of the stay, you can always pack a few meals and ask your boarder to slowly phase out the home meals and introduce the boarding meals.
- Dogs may skip a meal or two during the initial few days of boarding, due to stress. It is perfectly okay as long as they are eating something. If it lasts for more than 2 meals, it might be a good idea to check what’s happening and ask your emergency contact to visit the dog.
- During super long stays, have the emergency contact visit regularly (say once in two weeks or so) to make sure that everything is going well and the dog is healthy.
Finally, a pro tip for pet parents- be watchful and careful, but don’t be anxious or stressed without reason. The point of following the pre-checks before boarding is to make sure that everything is up to mark for your dog. Stressing about your dog constantly will distract you from the much-required vacation that you are on, and is not helpful in general. Keep checking the updates from the boarding place but don’t expect them to send one every few hours. Remember, they are boarding other dogs too and we don’t want them to be distracted from actually caring for these dogs. Trust the process and make sure that you have the required support ready on the ground in case of emergency.
Considering the importance of finding the right dog boarding facility, our experts at thePack.in have done the legwork and curated a list of some of the top boarding centres in Bangalore that can provide safe, secure and quality pet care for your dog and– you with peace of mind. Do check them out in our library, under the Reviews section of our library and let us know your thoughts.
Happy Pet Parenting!
Considering the importance of finding the right dog boarding facility, our experts at thePack.in have done the legwork and curated a list of some of the top boarding centres in Bangalore that can provide safe, secure and quality pet care for your dog and– you with peace of mind. Do check them out in our library, under the Reviews section of our library and let us know your thoughts.
Happy Pet Parenting!
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