Look at the routine behind the smell test
A kennel that smells clean at tour time may simply have cleaned for the tour. Ask for the actual schedule: how often runs are hosed, disinfected, and dried, how bedding is washed and at what point in the day, and whether bowls are washed after every meal or rinsed and reused. Ask which cleaning products are used and whether dogs are removed while surfaces are wet, since a dog standing in disinfectant residue can lick it from his paws. Drying matters as much as washing — many kennel infections thrive in damp runs — so ask how long a cleaned run rests before the next dog moves in, and look for drainage and ventilation rather than just shiny floors.
Ask what happens between one dog leaving and another arriving
Turnover is where disease control succeeds or fails. Ask whether a run is fully disinfected between occupants or only tidied, whether shared toys and bedding are swapped or cleaned, and how staff handle leads, bowls, and their own hands and boots when moving between dogs. Ask about the play yards and indoor floors too, since shared spaces carry more traffic than any single run. A kennel that can walk you through this sequence without hesitation — remove, wash, disinfect, dry, rest, re-bed — is describing a system. One that answers only that everything is cleaned regularly has not told you anything you can rely on.
Check how sickness in residence is handled
Ask what staff do the first time a dog coughs, refuses food, or passes loose stool: who assesses him, where he is moved, and how quickly you and a vet are contacted. Ask whether there is a genuine isolation space away from healthy dogs, with separate handling, or whether a sick dog simply stays in his run while neighbours breathe the same air. Ask how an outbreak is communicated to owners whose dogs are booked or in residence, and whether the kennel would ever close a block or pause admissions to break a chain of infection. Also ask what they require after illness — for example, how long a dog recovering from a contagious cough should stay away before boarding again.
Verify the vaccination gate every guest passes
Disease control is shared: your dog's protection depends partly on the dog in the next run. Ask which vaccinations the kennel requires of every guest, whether proof is checked before arrival or waved through at the desk, and whether requirements cover the contagious respiratory infections that spread in group settings as well as the core vaccines. Ask what happens if an owner arrives without proof — is the dog refused, isolated, or admitted anyway? The answer tells you how seriously the rest of the routine is enforced. Ask too whether staff dogs and long-term residents follow the same rules.
Trust records and candour over polish
Ask how cleaning and health checks are recorded: a simple signed chart per block, initialled through the day, suggests a routine that exists when nobody is touring. Ask directly when the kennel last dealt with an outbreak and what changed afterwards; experienced kennels have an answer because group housing always carries some risk, and candour here is a good sign. Choose the kennel whose system you can picture working on a wet, busy weekend, not just on tour day. When you book, presenting your dog's records together in a KinsLe Pet Passport lets staff verify his vaccination history quickly and file it with his stay.