THE PET TEACHER
In-YOUR-Home Dog Training
248-232-3655
LOOKING FOR A DAY CARE OR
KENNEL FACILITY
Dog day care and overnight boarding has become an often-used source of care.  As a dog
behavioral therapist, following are some things I suggest you look for when selecting a dog
care facility.

It’s easy for anyone to open a dog care facility.  There are no professional regulations or
licensing required; a business license may be necessary but nothing to prove the people at
the facility have any knowledge specific to dog behavior.  Anyone can become a pet sitter
simply by declaring it so, without knowing squat about dog behavior and how their
interactions with your dog can impact YOUR relationship with your dog!  Even large or
franchise facilities may provide dog-fun ideas to the facility owners, but nothing about dog
behavior.

Why is this a big deal?  Because the person at the dog care facility might do something
that scares your dog, which might trigger fear aggression or dog/dog aggression or
dog/people aggression or fear of the facility, and even fear of your car if the dog hates
going to the facility.  These same people might really like dogs, but believe in out-dated
techniques like spraying water, using air horns, pinching or choke chains.  No one has the
right to use fear, force or intimidation on your dog without your permission which, of
course, you will never give because there are better ways with today’s positive
reinforcement techniques.  What are some of these nasty, old-fashioned intimidation
techniques?  Here are some:
  • Pinching toes, ears or face - can make your dog afraid of people approaching them, or
    fear of hands which might cause your dog to bite whenever hands come near his face
  • Spraying water - can make your dog fearful of water causing him to bite when you
    try to bathe him
  • Citronella or shock remote collars - these require consistently precise timing, and
    while the citronella collar doesn’t hurt like the shock, it can be just as scary as the
    shock causing your dog to become neurotic.  Using a shock collar is just plain
    inhumane and there is never any reason to use these tools which are against the law
    in many places in Europe, Australia and New Zealand where using a shock collar of
    any sort will land someone in jail.
  • Bark collars - should NEVER be used at a day care or kennel facility.  It is possible
    that another dog's barking can trigger the bark collar.  Suddenly the dog wearing
    the collar gets shocked or sprayed not due to his own behavior.  This can, in turn,
    cause the dog wearing the collar to become dog/dog aggressive.
  • Air horns - again, they require precise timing and can damage your dog’s sensitive
    hearing if used in the wrong way.  Can also result in fear aggression.
  • Kneeing in the chest - more than one dog has had a fractured/broken chest bone
    from people using this technique.
  • Spanking or hitting - requires consistently precise timing and also teaching the dog
    what to do to achieve success.  Can also cause a dog to become dog/people
    aggressive.
  • Yelling - can actually stimulate your dog into unwanted behavior.  Dogs don’t know
    English; we have to teach them what to do first with hand signals and then add our
    verbal cues.  Yelling our words doesn’t make them any more understandable.  It just
    makes them louder.
  • Dominance rolls, strangle holds, or other forms of physical force - there are so many
    things wrong with using physical force or intimidation that can result in unwanted
    and often aggressive behaviors from our dogs.  Just stop using this or phone me to
    learn more.
  • Poking the dog with fingers - dogs bite with their mouth and teeth.  They don’t have
    hands and they don’t use fingers to simulate a bite.  This is just a plain silly idea and
    has absolutely nothing to do with real dog behavior.  
  • Choke chains or prong collars - So very dangerous and can collapse your dog’s trachea
    and cause other throat/neck injuries.  

It is the responsibility of the facility, whether in a home or a large kennel, to learn how
their interactions impact a dog’s behavior!  If it were me I’d like to know as much as I can
about the facility before I left my dog in their care.  Whether someone comes to your
home, you take your dog to their home, they are a large or franchise facility, you should
want to know answers to the following:                                                     

  • How long have they been in business
  • Will they supply you with references that you can phone
  • What did they do before they were in dog care
  • What professional studies have they completed in dog
behavior: courses, seminars or books they’ve read.  You
want to hear names/terms like Ian Dunbar, Patricia
McConnell, Pat Miller, Jean Donaldson, Terry Ryan, Pam
Dennison, Trish King, Karen Overall, Karen Pryor, Kathy
Sdao, Pia Silvani, Steve White, Nicole Wilde, Positive
Reinforcement Training, Operant Conditioning, Clicker
Training.  Personally I think that one of the TV dog
trainers has great camera presence; professionally I
think he lacks a lot of accurate and credible dog behavior
knowledge.  Pick one of the other behaviorists listed
above.  Read "The Real Whisperers" on this website.
  • What are the qualifications of their employees
  • How do they screen the dogs to ensure there are no aggressive dogs and that all
    dogs are appropriate to interact with the other dogs in their care?
  • Are they a cage-free facility or do they keep the dogs in cages between play groups
  • Do they have live staffing 24/7 - if not, move on.
  • Do they have outdoor play areas that are leash-free
  • Do they have a fenced yard (if in a home) with a door that opens directly into the
    yard
  • Are the dogs allowed on furniture or on the bed (if in a home or a facility with
    furniture for the dogs to use)
  • What corrections methods do they use (see the above list of no-no’s)
  • Do they have personal plans/obligations that will take them away from your dog for
    several hours
  • Are they planning on inviting guests into their homes while your dog is in their care,
    and where will your dog be during this time (if in a home)

Get your answers and then decide what is right for your dog.  Not all facilities are
appropriate for all dogs, and it’s up to you to ensure your dog’s comfort and security when
you leave him in someone’s care.
NEVER leave your dog at
a facility that does not
have a person on site 24
hours a day, 7 days a
week!  Your dog could
become ill between their
day visits or in the
middle of the night.  No
one at the facility would
know that until the next
time they returned,
which could be 4-12
hours later!  By then it
could be too late to help
your dog!  There are too
many choices today that
DO offer 24/7 on-site
staffing.  Be protective
and caring for your dog -
and pick the safe facility.