The Importance of Kennel Design for Dog Boarding Businesses

If you're thinking about opening a pet boarding kennel, you've probably got a good idea in mind of what you want your facility to look like, right? However, have you thought through all the different necessities that are required when it comes to actually building out your facility?

The design of your kennel is a critical aspect of your dog boarding business, as it directly affects the comfort, safety, and overall well-being of the dogs in your care. A well-designed kennel can help to minimize stress and ensure that dogs have plenty of room to move and play, while also making it easier for you to provide effective care and monitoring. Having a well-thought-out kennel design can also help you increase your revenue by utilizing your space in the best possible way.

Here are some of the key considerations to keep in mind when designing your kennel.

Adequate Space and Comfort

One of the most important considerations when designing a kennel is providing adequate space and comfort for the dogs. This means ensuring that each dog has enough room to move around, play, and rest comfortably. A general guideline is to provide at least 50 square feet of space per dog, including both indoor and outdoor areas. You're going to want to make sure you also consider the fact that you'll have to have some single-pet kennels as well as some multi-pet kennels. If you're boarding Fido and Sparky from the same family, you're going to want to board them in the same kennel. This will make the dog's experience more enjoyable, since they'll have a family member next to them during their stay. The next problem is figuring out how many single-pet kennels and how many multi-pet kennels you'll want to build. That, my friend, is up to you and your team.

Proper Ventilation and Climate Control

Proper ventilation and climate control are also crucial for the comfort and well-being of the dogs in your care. This includes ensuring that the kennel has adequate ventilation to prevent overheating and promote fresh air circulation, as well as providing temperature control to keep the kennel at a comfortable temperature year-round. Doing some research, you'll find that between 50 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit seems to be considered an ideal temperature. If you're in a warm weather location, you're going to need to invest in an industrial air conditioner to get the temperature to stay within that range. If you're in a northern region, you're most likely going to need to invest in a heating system, since, as we all know, winter's in Minnesota can get a little chilly!

Easy Cleaning and Maintenance

Kennel design should also take into account the ease of cleaning and maintenance. This means choosing materials that are easy to clean and disinfect, as well as designing the kennel in such a way that makes it easy to access all areas for cleaning and maintenance. It goes without saying that some of your pets are going to have accidents inside their kennel. This just comes with the territory of owning a dog boarding kennel. Look into building in-floor drainage so that you can easily hose out the kennels after any pet accident. This will make cleanup a lot easier than having to manually get on your hands and knees to remove any remaining poop or pee.

Safety and Security

The safety and security of the dogs in your care is of utmost importance, and proper kennel design can help to ensure this. This includes ensuring that the kennel is secure from potential escapees and that the dogs are protected from potential hazards, such as sharp edges or loose wiring. You're also going to want to make sure that your smaller dogs are kept away from your larger dogs, and you'll want to make sure that they dogs cannot get at one another while they're inside the kennel. If a small dog can get a paw inside the kennel of a larger dog, you're going to have accidents and that's something we're trying to avoid.

Room for Exercise and Play

Providing opportunities for exercise and play is also an important aspect of proper kennel design. This could include outdoor play areas, as well as indoor areas where dogs can play and move around freely. One of the nicest designs that I've seen is having exterior doors that you can easily open and close from inside the kennel. This way, you can open Fido's door and let him out into the external play area without having to physically go outside and open his door. Going back to kennel design, try to figure out a way where your kennels can all "back up" to the outdoor play area so that you can securely release them from the safety of the kennel into the safety of the enclosed outdoor play area.

Integration with Office and Grooming Areas

The kennel should also be integrated with your office and grooming areas in a way that makes it easy for you to provide effective care and monitoring. This could involve having a clear line of sight between the kennel and office, as well as having access to grooming equipment and supplies within close proximity. Most kennel designs tend to have a central corridor where employees can easily walk and visually inspect each kennel. As for the office space, you might want to build it into the corner of your building, but make sure you have large glass windows so that you can see out into the play area and the boarding area without having to leave your office.

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