A first stay at a Watford boarder or day care
Whether your dog is booked into a kennels, a day care site or a home boarder's house around Watford, a first stay usually starts with a shorter visit or an assessment first, so both sides can see how the dog settles before a longer booking.
Before you book: ask for a trial or assessment
Canine Karma Resorts, in Kings Langley, requires an assessment before any booking, and Kings Langley Dog Boarding publishes a trial stay at £57.50, above its usual overnight rate of £47.50, so ask what a trial covers and how its price compares to a full stay. Even where a business's own site does not mention a trial, it is worth asking whether one is available.
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. Pug & Little Paws Boarding, in Garston, specialises in pugs and other small, brachycephalic breeds and says it has two onsite first-aiders trained in brachycephalic breed care specifically — worth mentioning if your dog is one of these breeds even at a different business.
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. We Love Pets Bushey runs a no-pack-walking policy, capping group walks at four dogs at a time, and says its staff are DBS-checked and pet-first-aid trained; ask any business here about its own group sizes and staff checks.
Opening hours vary a good deal
National Animal Welfare Trust Hertfordshire, a rescue charity on Tylers Way that also boards dogs and cats, opens Monday and Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, and is closed Tuesdays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day — a narrower window than most of the businesses on this page. Home from Home Doggy Day Care, by contrast, opens Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm. Check a business's own hours before turning up unannounced, particularly for drop-off and collection.
Home boarding: meeting the boarder first
Thirteen of the 16 businesses on this page are based in the boarder's own home, whose address is only given once you book, so the first proper look you get at where your dog will stay is usually at a meet-and-greet, not before. Ask how many other dogs will be in the house during your dates, and whether they are all from one household. See our home boarding or kennels guide for the difference between a home boarder and a kennels.
Collection and drop-off
Ask what happens if you are early or late, and whether a bank holiday changes the price. Kings Langley Dog Boarding takes drop-offs and pick-ups from 8am and adds a £17.50 per dog per night surcharge over some holiday periods; ask any business here about its own collection times and any holiday charge before you book.