Work experience

I currently am doing a Canine Behaviour Management course work a few hours a week at a local training club.

I need and want to learn more and that means working with other dogs besides my own. I have considered volunteering at a boarding kennels but they will not take me as the insurance costs too much and there are not any rescue centres near where I live and I cannot drive.

Does anyone have any ideas that mean I will still be getting the practical experience I need?

Thanks in advance

Is the Cheshire branch of Manchester Dogs Home anywhere near you

Cheshire is quite a big county. Could you give the name of your nearest large town or city?

I don't know how popular service dogs are in the U.K., but here in the U.S. there are many small agencies that do the training and very many people like me who have trained their own using books and internet info. I think any of them would be willing to give help with hands on experience for you. I know I would.

AS an ex kennel owner (licensed for 119 dogs as well as owning a cattery licensed for 42 cats) maybe I can help you understanding the reluctance for taking on staff.

We often had applications from students from Rodbaston Agricultural College (which had an animal section) . Invariably they wanted one day a week. Now that is totally useless for kennel owners as the first of all don't know the animal- don't get into a routine and takes up staff time of which there is little of in a busy boarding kennels. If they had a two week break from college maybe that would be different as students would learn a lot more.

Next is the question of liability

If a school child wanted to go on work experience, great, we used to have a lot come and help out for a fortnight and if any good offered a summer job. The school also was expected to do a spot check as well where they worked.

We really enjoyed having them and schools got to know their pupils were safe with us.

Unfortuantely the law changed a lot over this pedeofile business.
It used to be the kennels should be checked first by the school careers officer and by the local council and hopefully by the parents as well.

When it change apart from the above the child now has to be accompanied at all times by someone of the same sex. The kennel owners have a CRB check as well usually. If there was no one of the same sex then the is not allowed to work there

Then again there are strict guidelines as to the number of hours children can work, but that is another issue

Now why on earth should someone offering to give a school child experience have to go through all that? apart from their own safety as well which is a big concern as some dogs can be "difficult"

Many also think kennel work is playing with dogs, Wrong, most of it is clearing up behind them which is sometimes not very nice but has to be done. We had a couple of student refuse this side of kennel work so we sent them away.

The ability to spot a dog that is "off colour or not its normal self" is something one has to watch out for as well, more so with clients dogs left in your care.

Then again we had the rare occasion when a student from that college turned up 2 hours late saying they had to go with their dad first to the dole office. Turned out she had applied to go to that college but not a student. We rang the college to confirm she was a student and they said she wasn't and I understand they withdrew her application as she lied to us.

Who we welcomed were those attending vet college and had to work in kennels as part of their training, as far as we were concerned they were dedicated animal lovers and if we could help in some small way we were happy to.

Those who run colleges in actual fact have little or no experience of working in a commercial boarding kennels is the conclusion we came to, and most of their knowledge was out of books.

We did invite college representatives to pay us a visit but they refused saying they didn't have time, so how can they give first hand information? they can't

People with a disability is also something we had to think about. Could they get out of the way quickly if a dog was running at them just as one example.

The OP mentioned insurance costs
Third party is more or less standard and we took out other policies to cover employees as well irrespective of number we had working for us. So in a busy kennel that I would imagine is just an excuse.

If people want to work ,say in a kennels, you can't say "I am sorry you are the wrong sex- too old-too young-wrong colour" as that is discrimination and against the law.
The only safe answer is "sorry we are fully staffed or we are not taking on anyone at the moment"


If a student also expects to be paid then they become part time workers with all the rights of such creating additional expense which the kennel owner can't affords as normally the work to a very tight budget.

Kennel work is seasonal and work drops off to virtually painting the kennels etc and not that much working with the animals.

So Ziva if you want kennel work be prepared to work 3/4 days a week without being paid as a volunteer. No a bit of time here and a couple of hours there, no kennel will take on anyone doing that. You have to be prepared to put in a lot of time and effort and not get concerned if your asked to do the dirty jobs as well.
This may not be the whole answer to the OP question but i hope it goes some way as an explaination

By the way by all means do a Canine behaviour course, great for training if that is the route you want to take, but useless in a busy boarding kennels kennels.

We had over the 21 years quite a few come with high flying ideas on canine behaviour and realised it had no use in this industry.

A grooming course is of more use to a boarding kennels and worth thinking about instead

This may not be the whole answer to the OP question but I hope it goes some way as an explaination.

It may sound blunt but it is the only way to get anyone to understand what kennel work is all about. Nothing against you personally it is the way things are

Buy the way have you heard of T.U.P.E? it is all to do with employment law.We had well over an hour of insight into it with a specialist employment solicitor and a copy of it which went into several A4 sheets of paper
Most have never even heard of it and it is mind blowing on employees rights.

for example did you know an employer has to have certain reason before they can dismiss an employee. it is all in T.U.P.E