Anyone work in Kennels / Doggy Daycare?

[TeenPlusCat]

For someone at the 'bottom of the rung' what would an average day look like? What advice would you give for someone considering working in one? (For my DD).

In kennels this will vary between rehoming kennels and boarding kennels, I'd try and steer towards big charities initially as they have better training and progression but sometimes you just need some kennel experience to get into these. Bear in mind there is a lot of very overqualified people working in kennels as there's limited roles across the dog world.

Enthusiasm and willingness to learn are key. Often what people think they know about dogs is not based on the latest science but from what mum/person down the park/the postman told them so being willing to read, learn and re-think is important for longevity. Have a look at some of the basic positive reinforcement training books such as Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy for a good grounding of the basics. Knowing a little bit about body language is also really helpful and will get you through the interview process.

Day to day there's kennel cleaning (think around 1/2 the day) and then dog activity time so walking/training/meetings with adopters. It's very physical and long hours in snow, rain and 30C heat so not an easy option for someone who "just loves animals". You've got to have the grit and determination to get through the rough emotionally taxing days!

I don't have much knowledge about day cares, lots are poorly run by untrained people so I imagine it varies hugely. Same with smaller kennels/rescues, there's a big range of what people think is the right way to train and handle dogs or run a kennels so you could get a great or awful example but not necessarily know until you've got a bit more experience!

Thank you, that's very helpful. DD is doing an animal care course at college and is starting to think about where she might want to go 'afterwards'.