A first stay at a Sutton Coldfield or Erdington boarder or day care
A first booking with a new boarder or day care works better with a bit of preparation, whether it is a half-day at a day care in Four Oaks & Streetly or an overnight stay with one of the home boarders in Sutton Coldfield. None of this is advice this directory can give on a business's behalf; it is a checklist for the questions and packing worth sorting out before the day itself.
Ask about a trial visit first
Many boarders and day cares offer some kind of introductory session, whether a short settling-in visit or a single trial day, before committing to a full stay – ask the business you are calling whether it does this, and use it to see how your dog settles, particularly for a home boarder such as Boldmere Home Dog Boarding, PetStay, Walk & Wagg or The Paw Club, where your dog will be sharing someone else's house and possibly other dogs rather than a kennel run.
What to take
Whatever kind of stay it is, a boarder or day care will usually want your dog's own food for the length of the stay (a sudden change of diet can upset a dog's stomach), a lead and collar with an up-to-date ID tag, any medication in its original packaging with clear written instructions, and something familiar from home such as a bed, blanket or toy. Ask the specific business what else it wants, since a home boarder and a day care will not need exactly the same things.
Drop-off and handover
Write down your dog's usual feeding times, walk routine and anything it is nervous of, and hand this over at drop-off rather than trying to remember it later on the phone. Check the business's opening hours before you set off: Wags Dog Day Care Ltd and Pawpounders Doggy Day Care both run Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6pm (Pawpounders also opens Saturdays by appointment), Bark Doggy Daycare is open daily from 7:30am to 6pm, and Walk & Wagg runs Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6:30pm, with weekend boarding available. Wags also offers a paid Fetch & Play collection and drop-off service if getting your dog there yourself is difficult; ask any other business here whether it offers something similar.
Collection, and after
Collect on time, since a boarder or kennel with several dogs booked in and out on the same day is working to a schedule. Ask how your dog got on, whether it ate and slept normally, and whether it needs anything different next time. For a first stay with a home boarder especially, this conversation matters: your dog has just spent time in someone else's household, not a purpose-built kennel, so how it settled is worth more than usual to know before you book again.
See our choosing guide for how the home boarders, day cares and kennels on this page differ, and our vaccinations and licences guide for what to check before you book at all.