There are some new trends in Dog Boarding and care that have me concerned - In-Home and Kennel Free Boarding and Dog Care.  While these sound great at first, there are numerous reasons why these types of kennels are just accidents waiting to happen.

What's wrong with "In-Home" Dog Boarding?

• How are these facilities kept clean and sanitary?   While it seems like a great idea to have your dog stay at someone else's home while you go away, what is preventing your dog from picking up a contagious disease during their stay?  Couches, carpets, large puffy dog beds and similar items cannot be disinfected properly.  Only hard, fairly smooth surfaces can be properly disinfected.  If the dog that stayed there before your dog had Parvovirus, Distemper or Kennel Cough, how can you be certain that your dog is not exposed to these highly contagious and dangerous diseases?

• Facts about Parvovirus 

• Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV2, colloquioally parvo) is a contagious virus mainly affecting dogs. The disease is highly infectious and is spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their feces. It can be especially severe in puppies that are not protected by maternal antibodies or vaccination. It has two distinct presentations, a cardiac and intestinal form. The common signs of the intestinal form are severe vomiting and severe haemmorhagic (bloody) diarrhea. The cardiac form causes respiratory or cardiovascular failure in young puppies. Treatment often involves veterinary hospitalization. Vaccines can prevent this infection, but mortality can reach 91% in untreated cases.
• Prevention is the only way to ensure that a puppy or dog remains healthy since the disease is extremely virulent and contagious. The virus is extremely hardy and has been found to survive in feces and other organic material such as soil for over a year. It survives extremely cold and hot temperatures. The only household disinfectant that kills the virus is bleach.
  
  
• Facts about Distemper (Sourced from www.wikipedia.com  - the free encyclopedia)
  • Canine distemper is a very serious viral disease affecting animals in the families Canidae, Mustelidae, Mephitidae, Hyaenidae, Ailuridae, Procyonidae, Pinnipedia, some Viverridae and Felidae (though not domestic cats; feline distemper or panleukopenia is a different virus exclusive to cats). It is most commonly associated with domestic animals such as dogs, although ferrets are also vaccinated for it. It is a single-stranded RNA virus of the family paramyxovirus, and thus a close relative of measles and rinderpest. Despite extensive vaccination in many regions, it remains a major disease of dogs.
  • Puppies from three to six months old are particularly susceptible. Canine distemper virus (CDV) spreads through the aerosol droplets and through contact with infected bodily fluids including nasal and ocular secretions, feces, and urine 6-22 days after exposure. It can also be spread by food and water contaminated with these fluids. The time between infection and disease is 14 to 18 days, although there can be a fever from three to six days postinfection.
  • The virus is destroyed in the environment by routine cleaning with disinfectants, detergents, or drying. It does not survive in the environment for more than a few hours at room temperature (20-25 °C), but can survive for a few weeks in shady environments at temperatures slightly above freezing. It, along with other labile viruses, can also persist longer in serum and tissue debris.
    
    
• Facts about Kennel Cough (Sourced from www.wikipedia.com  - the free encyclopedia)
  • Kennel cough or tracheobronchitis is a highly contagious canine illness characterized by inflammation of the upper respiratory system. It can be caused by viral infections such as canine distemper, canine adenovirus, canine parainfluenza virus, or canine respiratory coronavirus, or bacterial infections such as Bordetella bronchiseptica. It is so named because the infection can spread quickly among dogs, such as in the close quarters of a kennel.
  • Both viral and bacterial causes of kennel cough are spread through the air by infected dogs sneezing and coughing. It can also spread through contact with contaminated surfaces and through direct contact. It is highly contagious, even days or weeks after symptoms disappear. Symptoms begin usually 3 to 5 days after exposure. The disease can progress to pneumonia.
  • Antibiotics are given to treat any bacterial infection present. Cough suppressants are used if the cough is not productive (nothing is being coughed up). The prognosis is good. Prevention is by vaccinating for canine adenovirus, distemper, parainfluenza, and Bordetella. In kennels, the best prevention is to keep all the cages disinfected. Most kennels will not board dogs without proof of vaccination.

• Is the facility licensed and insured?  In-Home Boarding is usually run by someone who really likes dogs and wants to make some extra money by watching dogs in their home.  The law requires that all boarding facilities follow certain guidelines.  These include only having a certain number of dogs in the home overnight.  Surrey, for example, has a 2 dog limit.  Is it legal for your dog to stay in their home?  And if your dog is injured, who will pay the vet bills?  Or if your dog bites the postal carrier or a friend of theirs and you are sued, does the In-Home Facility have the insurance to cover it?  Will you lose your home because they had no insurance?  What if your dog destroys their home in an anxiety attack?  What if they open their front door to greet a visitor and your dog bolts out the door and runs away?  Worse yet, what if your dog gets hit by a car? Who is liable for these accidents?  And better yet, could they have been prevented?

• What experience do the homeowners have?  A lot of In-Home Boarding Facilities have very little dog experience.  They think that because they have owned a few dogs over the years and because they really love dogs that bringing in extra dogs for money will be easy and fun.  But what breeds have they dealt with?  Do they know the signs of stress in a dog?  Do they understand multiple dog play behaviour? Some personalities of dogs just don't get along and the knowledge of how to keep them safe and separated in essential.  If your dog is injured, do they know what to do?  Do they have Canine First Aid?  Training experience to keep your dog safe and secure?  Canine behaviour experience in case of inter-dog fighting or anxiety or aggression issues?  It requires more than just a love of dogs and a desire to want them in your home to run a safe boarding facility, it requires extensive experience in Canine Health, Behaviour, Training and more.
  

• Is there a resident dog there already?  Dogs are naturally protective of their home, their family and their belongings.  Constantly bringing strange dogs into their home can cause the resident dog anxiety.  If not noticed and remedied, the resident dog could eventually become stressed out over having to share their bed and food with a stranger.  Will the resident dog react badly one day and guard a favourite toy?  Even if the resident dog has never done it before, how many times have they brought in a new dog to share his belongings?  Is this the last straw?  Who will be there to break up a fight if the owners have gone grocery shopping or out to dinner?  What if your dog is injured?  What if their dog is injured?
  

What's wrong with "Kennel-Free" Boarding Facilities?

I keep seeing ads for "Kennel-Free" dog boarding and I cringe evertime I see a new one.  While the happy vision of our dogs playing all day and sleeping at night with other dogs sounds ideal, it is actually a very dangerous practice.  Dogs are not human and have different needs than we do.  Sending your dog to a "Dog Hotel" is not the relaxing vacation you think it is.

• Is the "Social Director" knowledgeable in dog behaviour?  Can they see and prevent a dog fight before it happens?  Often the people who watch the dogs in a Kennel-Free Boarding Facility are people paid minimum wage to watch the dogs play and clean up the messes they make.   Dogs are complex social animals with a complex language that involves body language, sounds, postures and more.  Almost all problems between dogs can be prevented by knowing the signs to watch for and observing the dogs interacting.

• Does your dog get any down-time?  While playing all day sounds great, dogs will often play until they are exhausted because they don't want to miss out on anything.  They start to get irritable and edgy if they don't have the time to relax and sleep for a while on their own.  Even if your dog tries to go lie down,what is stopping that 6 month old puppy from coming over and waking your dog up while he is resting?  This is a dog fight ready to happen.  While your dog needs a lot of exercise to be physically and mentally healthy, quiet time is also essential.  Your dog's body and brain need time to relax and rejuvenate.

• Who is watching the dogs while they sleep?  You picture a peaceful scene with a room full of dogs quietly sleeping together all night...but what happens if a dog gets up in the middle of the night and wants to play?  The dog who gets pounced on in the middle of the night is likely to be quite upset and there could be a fight.  What if the playful dog is a 10 pound Shih Tzu and the sleeping dog is a 70 pound Golden Retriever?  There is always the possibility that the Shih Tzu is mortally wounded in the middle of the night.  Who is there to rush that dog to the vet?  And if someone is there to rush that dog to the vet, who is there to take over watching the dogs to be sure something else doesn't happen?

Your dog is a member of your family, but he or she is not human.  Choosing a safe place for them to play during the day or to board overnight is an investigative task.  Be sure to ask all the right questions and be sure that the facility you leave your dog in will keep your beloved companion safe, secure and happy!

Article Written by:

Chanone Sanders
Professional Dog Trainer
Canine Harmony Dog Training Academy
Copyright February 2009