Dog boarding / kennels

[shopsalot]

Can anyone recommend a good kennels or dog boarding ideally in the south west but willing to travel?
I don't want to use a dog sitter in the house (won't work for dog or us) and I am not keen on casual boarding (all dogs sleep together in the kitchen etc). I would like my dog to feel safe, so separate sleeping / space, but also I need to know he is safe so experienced dog handlers, enclosed fields for exercise - plus some individual attention because he is needy.

He is 3yo - with us from a puppy just before the lockdowns but obviously impacted by lockdowns because we had little opportunity of going away. He is also not neutered which I know some places are not keen on. Very friendly dog (golden retriever), no behavioural issues other than he doesn't like it if we leave him somewhere (not home but somewhere else) so not separation anxiety but could go that way.
Any recommendations please! I will obviously visit to check out but need to get into gear before next summer. Also anywhere else I could ask - breed / GR clubs? He is a working GR but not sure he'd cope with proper working dog kennels (not enough cuddles!)

We use a licensed home boarder who doesn't have their own dog and only takes single dogs/family groups. Would that work for you? Nowhere near the south west though

I would never put a dog in boarding kennels unless it started from him being a puppy.

I think you will struggle if he's not neutered and also needs the comforts of a home environment. Kennels often leave them alone for 12+ hours overnight, whereas in a home environment they'd get much more attention and fuss.

I meant to add, it's normally a licensing requirement that they are neutered so it's not something the kennel or boarding owners can make exceptions for.

@PoolSquid that's exactly what I need - how did you find it? So tricky to find the right ones because there are so many people doing dog boarding (licensed and not licensed) and then they either have their own dogs or take in a few dogs at a time.
@Bunty55 I know - currently planning separate overseas holidays. However he may be adaptable if we plan carefully and do a little at a time.
@sunsetsandsandybeaches that would make sense. I think he'd cope with kennels, certainly overnight, but needs interaction during the day.
I'm honestly going round in circles. I know it may be best to have a house/dog sitter but there are other risks with that.
Good thing I love him...

I think I actually found them on Facebook.

What is it that concerns you about house or dog sitting?

I do both so ask away if you have any questions

Does he like other dogs? If he’s with other dogs and kept busy and active all day he might be happy to flake out in a cage on his own at night. Our working GR likes his home comforts but he enjoyed his kennels - was exhausted and glad to get home but I don’t think he suffered at all.

Working background - we don’t use him
as a working dog.

It is not a licensing issue to have unneutered dogs in kennels. Many/most kennels will take unneutered dogs.

Yes, ours was unneutered. They have so much space they just separate out any dogs who fight.

Also many kennels owners live on site so although the dogs will have limited interaction during the night there will be humans.

But I know they are kept very active by day. I wouldn’t put him in a kennels where they are just left in a shed 24/7.

Our dog boarder can take unneutered males. I expect it's only a condition of a licence where dogs from multiple homes are boarded and where there might be resident dogs.

This does not happen. There are stict rules on amount of time dogs can be left and exercise areas and spaces.

In minimum a dog has to be taken out 4 times a day if no individual area for each dog.

@sunsetsandsandybeaches I'm not keen on house sitting for a mix of reasons: minefield finding the right person, quirky house, stranger in my house, dog walks from the house aren't great, would they want days out (dog can't be left for more than a few hours) etc. I think it's mainly finding the right person for both dog and house! Having said that if I knew the right person I would consider it. How do you find / match to dog owners? Do you use trusted house sitters or similar?
@Thereisnolight he loves other dogs and is generally super friendly unless another dog is aggressive or not looking friendly (amazing how they can read the body language). He is a working type but just a pet - his breeder has a small kennels and a number of proper working dogs. I am considering putting him there but not sure how he would cope. I definitely want him in a separate kennel when not being supervised as, although friendly and trained, they're animals in a strange environment. But as you say he could have interaction in the day and then into his kennel at night. Good to hear your dog seemed to like it.
@forumsempronii I think having people around the whole time as in kennels is probably better for him than being in a strange house and then leaving him alone

Thanks for suggestions - can't quite believe I didn't find some sort of dog boarding when he was younger, but so tricky with a puppy and lockdowns. I also need to find somewhere not just if we go away on holiday but sometimes it's necessary (had a funeral last year a long way from home which caused problems finding someone to look after him)

It depends on the council and the type of license. Each council and owner does things differently so there's no straightforward answer, unfortunately.

Hi @shopsalot :)

I'm a dog walker so I do it as part of my business. I don't use any third-party websites, all my clients come direct to me - normally via word-of-mouth these days, though in the past it was via social media.

I do have to be able to leave the dogs during the day but I can work with the owners if it can only be for short periods. The reason being is that I need to be able to do my regular dog walks around their sit.

I go over and meet the clients and the animals and insist on a few walks or short sits before taking on anything more than one night - just so I know the dogs will be happy with me in their home, and with me coming in when owners aren't there to walk them, etc.

I've never had any issues at all. I don't do it often as it's a big commitment but I do quite enjoy my house sits!

It is just an urban myth that kennels do not have entire males. 99.9% of them will. Whatever council the license does not state anything about neutering status expect that it has to be recorded in records kept by the kennels.

Home boarding licences are different.

Whatever you do, make sure u book him in asap cos there are more dogs looking for boarding than there are available boarders/kennels. Round here,most are already fully booked up for next summer.

also make sure you do a trial night to make sure everyone is happy.

I personally would never leave my lab in a kennels but only cos he is very much a house dog ie allowed on sofas, beds etc and wants to be around humans most of the time. A kennel would distress him but I know plenty of dogs who are quite happy in kennels

Find a home boarder who only takes one dog .
Much more personal 121 experience

@sunsetsandsandybeaches that sounds good - I'm beginning to wish I had a dog walker but because I work very flexibly (and from home) I thought it would be a waste of money. Didn't really plan ahead. It would be great to have someone recommended - I've asked dog walkers but nothing has stood out as suitable. I've looked at a couple of websites but there is such a random selection of people, a lot of students etc which would be fine for a quick wander round the park with a docile dog. My dog needs a bit more interaction.

I think looking for the home boarder who takes 1 dog is the right idea but I need someone who knows how to handle dogs (not that he's any trouble, I just want to be able to trust them and feel that my dog is safe)

As a GR owner I would say mine would be devastated at being alone in kennels. They tend to be very people focused dogs who are best in a home environment. However, him not being neutered may be an issue for home boarding even if you could find a suitable one.
There is a GR group on FB that gives advice, tips and recommendations and there may be a more local one too where people have suggestions too

We use Gaydog kennels. Caring staff, lots and lots of interaction. No need to be neutered.

I'm south west and on our local dog group there has been a spate of home boarders and dog walkers losing people's dogs through sheer negligence. One was gone for 10 days, one never returned, several others gone for various time scales. One escaped from a home boarders home. It put me off completely.

It depends on the dog I think.
The kennels we used had a lot of GRs. And since they tend to love each other he had a great time. Most of the dogs there seemed quite young and confident. An older or timid dog would hate it.