A first stay at a Nottingham boarder or day care
Whether your dog is going to a home boarder, a day-care centre or Nottingham's one boarding kennels, a first stay usually starts with some kind of introduction before the real booking, so both sides can see how the dog settles. Ask whether a trial or meet-and-greet is offered even where a business's own material does not spell it out.
Before you book: ask for a trial
Colwick Frolics, a home boarder in the Mapperley area, describes an enrolment process that starts with a consultation and a meet-and-greet before a trial day is arranged; that is a useful example of what to ask for even from a business that does not set it out on its own site. A trial lets a home boarder see how a dog settles alongside their own pets and family, and lets a day-care centre see how it behaves in a group.
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. Check the exact drop-off and collection times for whichever business you choose, since these vary: Cuddles-A-Plenty in Bulwell and Ruffles Doggy Daycare in Mapperley both keep fixed weekday hours, while Aunt Sal's Dog Boarding and Paws For Thought, both home boarders, say they are open every day of the week.
Handover on the day
Give the person taking your dog a clear account of feeding times, any health issues, and how your dog behaves around other dogs, so a home boarder or day care can adjust its plan for your dog specifically. Nottingham Pet Services, in Carlton, offers day care either at its own premises or as a visit to your own home instead, which is worth deciding on and confirming before the first day rather than on the morning itself.
Collection, and what can add to the price
Ask what happens if you are early or late collecting, and whether a bank holiday or a second dog from a different household adds to the price; none of Nottingham's listed businesses publish a bank-holiday or late-collection charge, so this is worth confirming directly rather than assuming either way. Watsons Walkies, a family-run service in Long Eaton, keeps Saturday morning hours but is closed on Sundays, which is worth checking against your own dates.
Meeting a home boarder first
Twenty-one of the 26 businesses listed for Nottingham are individually licensed home boarders, and their address is only given once you book, not published on this site. Because of that, the first proper look you get at where your dog will actually stay is usually the meet-and-greet itself rather than anything you can check beforehand: use that visit to see the garden and any other dogs that might be there during your dates, and ask what a typical day looks like in the house.