I have finally found the time to write my latest blog after finishing the latest Advanced Course to train new Dog Listeners, and after over 6 months I will soon be returning home to France and taking my dogs with me (I am incredibly lucky to be able to leave my two at my mother's while I am away - in my opinion the best place I could leave them!) However some people don't have that choice and I get asked on my views about dog kennelling, and more importantly what places I can recommend.

It is a very important decision to make - to leave your beloved pooches in the care of someone you may not know. In the world of Dog Listeners we do actually have a few kennels that practice the method and their full books indicate the satisfaction level of their customers. Similarly some Dog Listeners offer a house sitting service and are excellent (details of these can be found on www.janfennellthedoglistener.com).

If these aren't viable then use common sense and check out the kennels before you decide which one to use. Are they clean? How calm are the "guests"? Ask around for word of mouth too if you don't just want to take the proprietor's word for it. It doesn't take long and it can lead to a great deal of peace of mind while you're away. There's nothing worse than ruining your holiday fretting over your dog. Much better to choose somewhere that your dog can relax itself and have it's own holiday too (but this does not mean taking your dog to a "hotel" where it gets spoilt, pampered and generally treated like a little person - you could end up picking up a spoilt brat when you return). If the kennels treat your dog as a dog and with respect, you are looking in the right direction.