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View Poll Results: would you pay for an off lead walk for your dog while in kennels
Yes! everyday 17 47.22%
Yes every other day 5 13.89%
Only once or twice durin their stay 2 5.56%
No, not atall 12 33.33%
Voters: 36. You may not vote on this poll - please see pinned thread in this section for details.



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Dobermann
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09-06-2011, 07:17 PM
Originally Posted by smokeybear View Post
Exactly.

I pass a kennels on my way to work every day (well actually I pass two~) and it advertises that its dogs go out on walks every day.

I happened to be in a field 3 fields away all day on a Saturday in August. The dogs did go out, they went 100 yards down the lane, emptied themselves on the verge, and went back in again........

And I can quote a few other examples.

I am sure there ARE kennels out there that spend hours tramping the fields with their charges, but even so, I prefer my dogs to be where I have paid for them to be; in a maximum security wing kennel block with minimal risk of escape.

But that is just my personal view.
and I would expect a 'paddock' to be secure too, so that means overhead too. (I did say 'ideal' ) and of course SB, the risk of theft reduced - good locking procedures...
the other thing is, if a dog that is already boarding is due to be picked up in the afternoon (so already paid an extra day on top since not being picked up in the morning) a 'morning arrival' will still be taken. The existing boarder is kept out on the run and the new arrival is kept inside until the dog outside is picked up so they can (just basing on £10) make £30 on that one pen that day with technically one dog staying that night. Pretty pushed to find most kennels here taking a Dobermann at a tenner a night though!! If a dog is to be bathed before leaving then that is also charged for on top of the kennel bill.

What you describe is exactly what happens with walks in peak times, there is no time to walk for the sake of it! Once they have 'been' they go back in (especially the smallest/toy sized dogs so that the full 10 mins can go to the bigger dogs.

If there are say 2-3 large GSD sharing a kennel they will be walked that way too! so one 10 min walk twice a day (MAX 2 walkers to the 3 GSD) but say, about £25 - £45 a night? again the PM dogs leaving and the AM dogs coming in that could be around (on £45, 3 going, 3 arriving) £180 for that individual kennel that night/day.
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Vicki
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09-06-2011, 07:54 PM
Absolutely..... I wish there was one near me - there may even be one, I just don't know where to look.

Lennon would totally love it!
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katygeorge
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09-06-2011, 08:22 PM
Thankyou so much for all your feedback on the subject, its given food for thought.

Our normal routine is in at 7.30 start the walks, usually done by 9.30 then we feed the dogs. Give them 15 mins to eat and poop then the cleaning starts (1 does cats, 2 do the inns and 1 does the outs) once all done 2 start things like laundry cleaning bowls and getting the next lot of feeds ready while the other 2 get kennels ready for the next days check ins and do lunch time walks (not all dogs get these, they are charged extra). We are usually leaving for home somewhere between 12.30 and 1.30. 4 staff is the norm but have anything up to 10 all on one shift. The boss stays all day while we go home.
We come back at 4pm and walk the dogs again and once done feed them all then go home usually between 6pm - 7pm.

Its the gap between 1.30 and 4pm that i want to do the off lead walks in the paddock. The paddock will be very large with 10" fence. Staff will stay in there with them and play as there will also be a selection of toys.

Obviously we would only be able to do about 5 a day so its not really looking worth while for my boss. Will try and come up with another way or working it as i do think alot of dogs would really benefit from some off lead time e.g dogs on a long stay we currently have a dog in thats here for 6 weeks. I have been using the boss garden to give him some off lead time as hes going a bit nuts.

Again thankyou for your feedback gives me some more thinking to do
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Gnasher
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10-06-2011, 08:26 AM
Originally Posted by Tupacs2legs View Post
kennels i worked in had large runs attached to the kennels,they were not just shut in a small concrete box

i would rather my sibes would not be able to escape(which can and does happen at kennels!)they would take no darn notice of kennel staff on a 'walk' that i DO know.
Define "large run". It is many a year since I put a dog in kennels, about 20 years ago probably, but the "run" was not big enough for a GSP to break into a trot, let alone have a run.
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Gnasher
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10-06-2011, 08:29 AM
Originally Posted by chaz View Post
When I worked in kennels we had little 'paddocks' that the dogs went into morning and evening, just after staff get there, and just before we left, so that the dogs had a chance to do their business, as many dogs even with the split kennel wouldn't want to go in there (tbh I think Honey would be the same, and otoh we had some dogs that would go right by their beds ) and during the day if it was a suitable day some dogs would go into the paddocks on their own while we were walking the other dogs around (but we could always see them), their was however one problem with one dog, she was a very atheletic springer, who although the fences, I think some of them were around seven foot, she managed to scale the fences and join another dog on a walk (one that she had never met, but her and the other springer became best friends, suppose it was because of how often they were in the kennels ).

Tbh though I would pay for my dogs to have extra time in a paddock as long as someone was able to supervise, and in a kennel enviroment muzzle them at all times off lead, as with Honey having thin skin it can get damaged easily, infact I think both things would be a neccasity, otherwise they would be going mad, and driving the workers up the wall .
7 foot would be nowhere sufficient to keep my 2 in, or sibes for that matter. They are amazing climbers, there would have to be a mesh "roof", or a more cheaper option would be to have the top bit coming inwards so that they couldn't get over the top of the fence. It is possible for kennels to provide such a facility, and the extra cost could be reflected in their charges.
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Gnasher
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10-06-2011, 08:31 AM
Originally Posted by smokeybear View Post
That is what a forum is for, to discuss, agree or disagree.

Everyone has their own views there is no ONE right answer for ALL dogs and ALL circumstances is there?

We are, thank goodness, all free to care for our dogs in the way WE think is best for THEM; and as in all things, training, equipment, feeding, rearing we are all different!
Totally agree - it is just a shame that some people do not allow others to have a differing point of view, to do, in your own words, as "WE think it is best for THEM".
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murph
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10-06-2011, 08:32 AM
Walking on lead is NOT exercise for a dog.
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smokeybear
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10-06-2011, 08:36 AM
Originally Posted by murph View Post
Walking on lead is NOT exercise for a dog.
Well I would beg to differ.

Thousands of dogs are "exercised" this way every day and it is well known that WALKING is an excellent way of building fitness.

The same is true for horses who are walked in hand, on long reins or when being ridden.

If walked correctly walking uses all the muscles and is quite tiring.

There is all sorts of "exercise" eg swimming!
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smokeybear
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10-06-2011, 08:37 AM
Originally Posted by Gnasher View Post
7 foot would be nowhere sufficient to keep my 2 in, or sibes for that matter. They are amazing climbers, there would have to be a mesh "roof", or a more cheaper option would be to have the top bit coming inwards so that they couldn't get over the top of the fence. It is possible for kennels to provide such a facility, and the extra cost could be reflected in their charges.

This is one of the many reasons kennels do NOT have runs.

Of course it is POSSIBLE to do many things, but at a
cost and it is POSSIBLE to price yourself out of the market!
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murph
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10-06-2011, 08:45 AM
... as someone who trains everyday I don't consider a walk exercise for myself let along a dog... Unless its like 1-2 hours
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