A first stay at a Hemel Hempstead or Chesham boarder or day care
Whether your dog is booked into The Old Pastures Boarding Kennels near Tring, Harts and Hounds @ The Hayfields' farmland day care, or one of the area's home boarders, a first visit usually goes better as a shorter trial, so both sides can see how a dog settles before a longer booking.
Ask for a trial
The Old Pastures Boarding Kennels, at Icknield Farm near Tring, offers new clients a free two-hour trial and describes a gradual settling-in programme for anxious dogs; it has run ten kennels, including two separate units kept apart from the main run for nervous dogs, since 2006. Dogtopia of Amersham offers a free one-hour consultation before enrolment, and asks that dogs be over a year old, neutered or spayed and fully vaccinated first. Friends Paw Life, covering the Great Missenden area, offers a free meet-and-greet before a first stay and says dogs stay in a family home rather than kennels.
What to pack
Take your dog's usual food for the length of the stay, any medication with clear written instructions, a bed or blanket that smells of home, and a lead and collar with an up-to-date tag. Poos and Doodles, in Berkhamsted & Tring, specialises in Cockapoos, Cavapoos, Cocker Spaniels, Australian Labradoodles and other poodle mixes, so mention your dog's coat and grooming routine when you hand over if it is one of these breeds.
Handover on the day
Give whoever is taking your dog a clear account of feeding times, any health issues and how it behaves around other dogs, since this is the point at which a boarder or day care can adjust its plan for your dog specifically. K&M Animal Care, in Hemel Hempstead, requires new dogs to have an assessment before their first daycare booking, so expect a conversation about routine and temperament before a place is confirmed.
Collection and drop-off
Ask what happens if you are early or late, and whether a bank holiday changes the price. Harts and Hounds @ The Hayfields runs a van collection between 8:30am and 9:30am covering Tring, Wendover and Aston Clinton, so check whether your address is on its round. Schnoodles Doggy Daycare, based on a field near Chesham, offers pickup and drop-off across Berkhamsted, Bovingdon, Chesham, Amersham and Wendover; ask whether your address is covered before assuming it is.
Meeting a home boarder first
Six of the twelve businesses listed here board dogs in the boarder's own home rather than a kennel block or day-care premises, so their address is only given once you book, not published on this page: Pet Relief, Cosy Paws Dog Boarding and Auntie Kelz Dog Home Boarder and Day Creche in Hemel Hempstead; Poos and Doodles in Berkhamsted & Tring; The Puppy Dog Hotel in Chesham & Amersham; and Friends Paw Life, covering Great Missenden. Use a meet-and-greet to see where your dog would actually stay, ask how many other dogs might be there at the same time, and find out what a typical day in the house looks like, rather than relying on a description alone.