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Is your dog suitable for Home From Home Boarding?
Paws for Thought
Before you book, have a think if your dog is suitable for Home From Home Boarding. All the dogs we board are kept in our homes with our family and resident animals. We only board the dogs we walk to ensure the greatest chance of the dogs settling, but even then, not all dogs are suitable for Home from Home Boarding, is yours?
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Will my dog enjoy boarding with other dogs? What do I need to tell you about my dog before I can book his holiday? Will my dog be in a kennel?
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These are just some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from our clients wishing to place their dog in home boarding while they go on holiday so read on to learn what makes your dog the ‘perfect fit’ for our boarding homes.
I have never used your dog walking service, but am desperate, can I board with you?
Sadly, if you have not had at least 20 walks with TLC Dog Walking you can not board with us. Our licence from our local council stipulates that we must walk dogs in preparation to staying with us as we are mainly a dog walking company, so they will need to be comfortable going out on group walks. But also, as we are mainly a dog walking company, the only reason we board dogs is so the dogs that we walk hopefully do not have to go in kennels. Without the dog walking, we would not be home boarding.
My dog has accidents in the house, can you still board it?
Generally we can not board dogs that have accidents in the house, but in the assessment stay, we will assess how frequently your dog has these accidents. The main issue we have is that if one dog toilets in the house, others will quickly follow. Some dogs just defecate where ever they fancy, these dogs are not suitable for home boarding.
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Some dogs mark/spray in our homes. This is behaviour you may surprised with as they don’t do it in your home or friends and family. However, it is a reality and something we have witnessed time and again. It is most likely due to all the numerous canine smells wafting through the boarders home as we have guest dogs come to stay 365 days of the year!
My dog is sometimes destructive, can you board it?
We can not board destructive dogs. Your dog must not be known to chew, scratch or destroy furniture or house fittings under normal circumstances. Should your dog’s behaviour become uncontrollable, destructive or unreasonable, you accept that our reallocation policy will be implemented and damages will need to be paid for.
Can you board aggressive dogs?
Generally we can not board aggressive dogs, but why is your dog aggressive? Is it fear aggression? Is it aggressive because of pain? In these cases, sometimes we may consider boarding the dog.
Do you board entire male dogs?
We do not generally board entire dogs that are over a certain age, this is breed dependant due to their growth. This is because entire males spray / mark in our homes. This is behaviour you may surprised with as they don’t do it in your home or friends and family. However, it is a reality and something we have witnessed time and again. It is most likely due to all the numerous canine smells wafting through the boarders home as we have guest dogs come to stay 365 days of the year! Entire males not only mark their “territory” within the home, but they also are more prone to reactivity when placed with other dogs which is not a risk we are not prepared to take.
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Saying this, some dogs are absolutely fine and do not cock their leg, nor present with any aggressive tendencies so it is not a blanket ban but something we take on a case by case basis. But please do bear in mind that most dogs fail their trial with us if they are entire. You can check if we have availability with our house sitting service.
Do you board female dogs that are in heat/season?
Again, unfortunately, over a certain age, the answer is no unless we have no other guest dogs coming to stay over the same period (this includes day care dogs). A female dog in heat will be ‘harassed’ by other male dogs, whether they are entire or not and may get grumpy. She also must be kept on lead at all times which can be difficult to manage with 4+ other dogs all playing off lead. And finally, it is a great risk for the home boarder, which in most cases they are not prepared to take. New dog owners need to do their research on this before booking and paying for a holiday to ensure the dates of the holiday and season do not clash. Please note if a dog comes in to season while boarding with us, the reallocation policy will have to be implemented and the booking fee and boarding fee will be none refundable.
My dog suffers from seperation anxiety, can you board it?
As our dog walkers may leave your dog for upto three hours to go out dog walking or running personal chores, a dog that suffers with separation anxiety is not suitable to be home boarded. If your dog does suffer from separation anxiety, you need to contact a dog behaviourist to help your dog get over this affliction.
My dog barks a lot, can you board it?
Many of our boarders live in terrace houses, and it is not fair to subject neighbours to constant barking. We can not generally board dogs that bark a lot. Even in detached houses, our boarders still need their sleep.
Can you board dogs on the dangerous dogs list?
We can not generally board dogs that are included in the dangerous dogs list. Please contact us if you have a licence for one of these breeds and we will discuss how we can help.