A first stay at a Woking boarder or day care
Whether your dog is booked into a farm day-care site near Ripley or one of Woking's home boarders, a first stay usually goes better with a shorter visit first, so both sides can see how the dog settles before a longer booking. Ask whether a trial day or meet-and-greet is available even where a business's own site does not mention one.
Before you book: ask for a trial
None of the twelve businesses listed here state a formal trial day on their own site, but it is common practice across this kind of business, so ask for one regardless. Dog Days Adventure, a day-care centre near Ripley, takes dogs from three months old through to senior dogs and charges a one-off enrolment fee per dog, which is worth asking about alongside any settling-in visit.
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. Bright Days Dog Care, a home boarder that takes one boarding dog at a time, is worth asking in advance how it structures a first night compared with a returning dog's usual stay.
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, since this is the point at which a boarder can adjust its plan for your dog specifically. Leads & Laces by A.P.G. runs day care in fixed 2-hour sessions with access to an agility course, so ask at handover how a nervous or unsettled dog is managed within that structure.
Collection and drop-off
Ask what happens if you are early or late, and whether a bank holiday changes the price. Bruce's Doggy Day Care (Surrey Hills), near Ripley, collects dogs by its own doggy-bus service rather than direct drop-off, at a separate daily charge, and opens Monday to Friday 7am to 4pm. The Dogfather (Pyrford) runs GPS-tracked pickup and drop-off from its farm site, with booking and phone contact handled through the company's head office rather than the Pyrford site directly, so allow extra time when arranging a first visit.
Meeting a home boarder first
Seven of the twelve businesses here board dogs in their own home rather than a kennel block or day-care premises, so their address is only given once you book, not published on this page: Bright Days Dog Care, Horsell Happy Pets, K9 Instinct, Leads & Laces by A.P.G., Sophie Walks Dogs and Small Paw Adventures, all in the Woking area, and The Dog Cottage, on the edge of Chobham Common. Use a meet-and-greet to see where your dog would actually stay, ask how many other dogs might be there at the same time, and find out what a typical day in the house looks like, rather than relying on a description alone.