Kennels and Kenneling , livre ebook

SECOND EDITION
Kennels Kenneling
A guide for professionals and hobbyists
J OEL M. M C M AINS

Wiley Publishing, Inc.
In memory of Chattan, my Doberman friend and companion: June 30, 1980 - February 8, 1993. He unfailingly made this trainer look good.

Howell Book House
Copyright 1994, 2001 Joel McMains. All rights reserved.
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, NJ
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-58245-151-0
Manufactured in the United States of America.
10 9 8
Second Edition
B OOK DESIGN BY H OLLY W ITTENBERG
C OVER DESIGN BY A NTHONY B AGLIANI, S OLID D ESIGN
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Section I: Home, Breeding and Training Kennels
C HAPTER 1: Designing and Building a Home Kennel
C HAPTER 2: The Different Needs of Breeders and Trainers
Section II: Boarding Kennels
C HAPTER 3: Designing and Building a Boarding Kennel
C HAPTER 4: Setting Up Your Business
C HAPTER 5: Equipment and Supplies
C HAPTER 6: Daily Operations
C HAPTER 7: Policies and Practices
C HAPTER 8: Record Keeping
C HAPTER 9: Problems and Solutions
C HAPTER 10: Lessons from the Best Teacher
Postscript
Canine First Aid
Index
Until one is committed,
there is hesitancy,
the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative
(and creation) there is
one elementary truth,
the ignorance of which
kills countless ideas
and splendid plans:
That the moment that one
definitely commits oneself,
Then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur
to help one that would never
otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events
issues from the decision,
raising in one s favor all manner
of unforeseen incidents
and meetings and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamed
would come his way.
W. H. Murray
The Scottish Himalayan Expedition
Acknowledgments
So many good people helped in this book s preparation: Ron Flath, Jo Sykes, Roger Davidson, Sharon Michael, Jim Robinson, Dale and Susan Long, Steve and Suzanne SeRine, Bill and Barb Ziegler, Darryl Dockstader, Heather Hodgkins, and John Berberick.
Special thanks to the memory of Richard Moore for his outstanding photography, and to Mack Bischoff, DVM, Blair Gustavson, DVM, Denny Peterson, DVM, all of Sheridan, Wyoming, for their technical assistance, and to Marilyn Mills of Green Acres Kennels, Rawlins, Wyoming, Cyndy Douan and Jeff White of Kingston Kennels, Kingston, Georgia, and Pat and Sandi Greenough of Country Pet Inn, Sheridan, Wyoming, for their invaluable suggestions.
I thank my friends at Howell Book House: Dominique DeVito, who proposed the revision, Amanda Sumner, whose skillful editing fulfilled my intent, and Kira Sexton, a magician at organization.
Special gratitude goes to my kenneled friends-every dog I have ever boarded-for their patience, wisdom, love and lessons, and for their company.
Most of all, I thank my special advisor, H.P.
About the Author
Joel M. McMains, an award-winning author for Howell Book House, has trained dogs professionally since somewhere in the 70s. Along with offering professional obedience and protection training services, he operates his own boarding kennels and holds public obedience classes and training seminars.
Certified by the State of Wyoming Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission as a Police Service K-9 Trainer and Instructor, Joel served as Chief Trainer for the Sheridan County (Wyoming) Sheriff s Department, the City of Sheridan Police Department, and search-and-rescue groups. He taught courses in K-9 selection, management, training and deployment for the Police-Science Division of Sheridan College and has testified in numerous court proceedings as an expert witness on canine behavior and training. He was also the coordinator of Sheridan County s 4-H Dog Program for twelve years.
Joel has written two other books for Howell Book House, Dog Logic: Companion Obedience (1992), and Manstopper: Training a Canine Guardian (1998). Joel now lives near Terre Haute, Indiana.
Preface
This is a book about kennels, both as a noun and a verb, transitive and intransitive. While the book s emphasis is on boarding-kennel design and operation, home kennels and breeding and training facilities are also discussed at length. Kennels Kenneling s boarding section examines pluses and minuses of subjects ranging from design considerations to construction materials to day-to-day operations. The boarding section also offers ideas on advertising, public relations, record keeping, management techniques and business practices in general.
If you are looking for a book that provides definitive, This is the only way! answers to each and every question that can arise about kennels, however, your search must continue. To say otherwise is to imply that rock-solid principles applicable to all types of kennels exist, and that is simply not true. Kennel designs and methods of operation are not only direct reflections of purpose, they are as individual and personalized as the owner s fingerprints. A construction or management technique that is successful for one facility might result in disaster for another. There are too many variables attendant to the kennel concept for anyone to claim that any one-size-fits-all method of planning, construction, operation and decision making will be universally effective. Yes, this book offers a wealth of information for everyone from pet owners to hobbyists to professionals, but of equal importance, it provides a direction, helping you to determine questions you need to ask, raising issues you are likely to face and offering possible solutions.
One premise underlying all sections of the book is that the kennel, whatever its purpose, must be more than just adequate, yet it need not rival the Taj Mahal. We are discussing construction and operation of a facility intended for housing and catering to the needs of dogs, not people. The keys are that any kennel must be warm in winter, cool in summer, clean, dry, comfortable, safe and secure always. A second postulate is of three parts. First, that the kennel you envision is a single-story structure not larger than thirty runs; super kennel, mega-run planning is beyond this book s scope, though the management principles offered are applicable for operations of all sizes. Second, the kennel is adjacent to your home; it s on your property. Third, that the kennel operator knows Canis familiaris; he or she can read a dog, often without conscious effort.
The following thoughts are for those who are considering a career in boarding kennel management. They originally appeared under a subsection entitled Have You Lost Your Mind? when I first began this manuscript. The title intended a fleck of humor while making a point: Aspiring boarding kennel operators should do a bit of soul-searching before diving into the business. Running a boarding facility is not the most difficult work in the world, but in addition to being quite time-consuming, it can have negative aspects. Weekend getaways for you are out of the question, being able to count on undisturbed meals or just an evening of visiting with company is a luxury of the past, your phone will ring at strange hours and you won t always be able to get a full night s sleep. Sometimes an uninterrupted cup of coffee will seem a blessing.
In a more serious vein, any dog you board can fall prey to any of a host of illnesses, perhaps endangering other boarders and your own pets. Also, you can find yourself at physical risk from fear-driven or aggressive animals. Customers can cancel reservations at the last minute, or not let you know they have changed their plans at all, and you will occasionally witness permutations of the human-canine relationship that may cause you