Twelve Questions Worth Asking on a Kennel Tour (And the Answers That Should Make You Smile)

Choosing a kennel is a bit like buying a second-hand car. The shiny bits are easy to spot; the important bits are tucked somewhere underneath. Most of us turn up for a tour with one question ready — is it clean? — which is a good question, just not a complete one. Cleanliness you can judge in about thirty seconds. Everything else takes a chat.

So here are twelve questions worth asking while you are standing in the yard with your dog pulling gently towards a smell of enormous interest. None of them are trick questions. You are not there to catch anybody out. You are listening for the difference between a shrug and a proper answer.

Start with the paperwork, because it is boring and it matters

1. Who licenses you, and what rating did you get? In England, boarding and daycare businesses need a licence from the local council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018, and inspections produce a star rating. A good kennel will point at the certificate on the wall before you have finished the sentence. A vague answer here is not necessarily sinister — but a clear one is a lovely sign.

2. Who is your vet, and what happens at three in the morning? Every kennel should have a named veterinary practice, an out-of-hours arrangement and a straightforward answer about who pays for what if your dog needs treatment while you are away.

Then the people, because pens don't throw balls

3. Who will actually be with my dog during the day? Not the manager, not the owner — the person on the floor. Ask how many staff are on shift and how long they have worked there. Low staff turnover is one of the quietest, strongest signals in this whole business.

4. What training does the team have? Canine first aid is the minimum you would hope for. Beyond that, look for people who talk about body language, calming signals and knowing when to step in — and who are happy to say they are still learning.

5. How do you decide which dogs go out together? Size, age, energy and play style should all come into it. If the answer is 'they all just mix in the big field', that is an answer. It is just not the one you were hoping for.

Play is only half the day

6. How many dogs are in a playgroup at once, and can my dog opt out? Group sizes vary wildly between kennels, but the important part is whether a dog can remove itself from the party. A dog who wants to lie in the shade for an hour should be allowed to.

7. When is rest time, and is it enforced? Most reputable setups build in a proper quiet period in the middle of the day. Enforced rest is not a fobbing-off; it is often the difference between a dog who comes home happily tired and one who comes home wired.

8. What does enrichment look like on a wet Tuesday in February? You are listening for specifics: scatter feeding, snuffle mats, cardboard to shred, paddock time, a one-to-one walk, a bit of scent work. Anything that suggests the day has a shape rather than being one long game of chase.

The unglamorous bits nobody puts on a website

9. What vaccinations do you require? Intratracheal kennel cough vaccination is standard at many UK kennels, alongside the usual core jabs. Ask when it needs to be given before the stay — most places want at least a couple of weeks.

10. What happens if my dog is unwell on day two? You want a process, not a promise. Where would a poorly dog be kept, who decides when to call you, and how would they reach you if your phone is on aeroplane mode somewhere in Cornwall?

11. What is your policy on worms, fleas and the dreaded upset tummy? A kennel with a clear, written policy on isolation and cleaning is a kennel that has thought about it before it happened.

12. How would you tell me my dog was unhappy? This is the question that sorts the good from the merely tidy. A confident answer will include detail — what they noticed, how they adapt, when they would ring you and suggest a change of plan.

What a confident answer sounds like

It sounds specific, and it occasionally sounds like 'we would ring you'. It does not sound defensive, and it does not sound like a brochure. 'We have never had a problem' is a red flag dressed as reassurance; 'here is what we do when there is a problem' is the real thing.

Your own sniff test

While you are walking round, take a moment to stop listening and start watching. Are the dogs in the yard engaged, resting, or pacing in circles? Do the staff greet dogs by name and read the room as they move through it? Is there somewhere warm and dry that smells of clean bedding rather than disinfectant?

Then watch your own dog. Some will trot in like they own the place; others will take a fortnight to settle. Neither is a verdict on the kennel. But a second, shorter visit before you book — a taster morning, if they offer one — tells you more than any questionnaire.

Take the tour, ask your twelve questions, and trust the feeling you get when somebody answers the twelfth one without pausing to think.