A first stay at a Southampton boarder or day care

Most of Southampton's 15 listed dog boarders and day cares are individual home boarders working from their own house, with four boarding kennels and one day-care-and-grooming business making up the rest. Whichever kind you book, the basics of a good first stay are the same, and worth working through before the day itself rather than at the door.

Before you book

Ask for a trial day or a short visit before committing to a full stay, so your dog can meet the household, the other dogs, or the kennel routine while you're still close by. For a home boarder especially, a short visit tells you far more than a phone call about how your dog reacts to the house, garden and any resident pets. Give the business your vet's details, an emergency contact and anything about your dog's health or behaviour in writing, rather than relying on a phone call to be remembered.

What to pack

• Food measured out for each day, plus a spare day or two in case collection is delayed.
• Any medication, labelled with dosage and timing.
• A lead, collar or harness with a current ID tag.
• A bed, blanket or toy from home, if your dog has one it's attached to.
• A written note of feeding times, walk length and anything that tends to unsettle your dog.

A good handover

Expect the person taking your dog to ask questions, not just take the lead — a handover with no questions at all is worth a second thought. Confirm the collection date and time in writing, and how you'll hear from them if anything comes up, whether that's a photo, a message or only a call if there's a problem. For a home boarder, the exact address is normally given only once you've booked, since it's somebody's house rather than a business premises, so agree in advance how you'll find it.

Collection

Several businesses here, including Barking Mad Southampton, price an overnight stay per day rather than per calendar night, so ask in advance how a late collection is charged. Ask for a short debrief when you collect your dog — how it ate, slept and settled — even if it isn't offered as standard; it's a reasonable thing to expect after any stay, long or short.

If it doesn't go to plan

If your dog seems distressed at collection, or a business can't answer straightforward questions about the stay plainly, that's useful information even if nothing visibly went wrong — you're not obliged to book with the same business again. Most first stays go well; a short, honest debrief either way makes the next one easier to arrange, whether that's with the same boarder or a different one.