If you have a guard dog and you need to board him, you may want to choose your dog kennel carefully. You need a kennel that can take care of his unique needs. Wondering what you should consider? Let these tips help you.

1. Talk with the kennel about your dog.

You don't want to just drop off your trained guard dog at any old facility. Instead, you need the right kennel. Talk with the kennel about your dog. Make sure that they have experience working with guard dogs, and let them know about any special accommodations your dog may need.

2. Make plans for exercise.

The most effective guard dogs tend to be large dogs amenable to training. If you have a large dog like a German Shepard, he likely needs a lot of exercise. Talk with the kennel about what they offer. Do they take the dogs on daily walks? Do they have an outdoor space for running? Will one of the kennel employees help to make sure your dog burns off his energy every day? Until you get satisfactory answers to those questions, you may want to keep searching for the right facility.

3. Ask questions about social hour.

In many cases, guard dogs get along with other dogs just fine, and they are happy to play. If your dog falls into that category, talk with the kennel about their social time for dogs. However, if your dog is easily irritated or tends to lash out at smaller dogs, you may want to see if you can set restrictions on play time. For example, your guard dog may need to play separately from small dogs, unneutered dogs or other types of dogs he may view as a threat.

4. Review your attack commands with the kennel staff.

If your dog responds to specific attack commands, talk with the kennel staff about those commands, and make sure that they know not to issue those commands around your dog. For example, if your dog is trained to respond to a word like "attack", select a kennel that has a protocol in place for avoiding the use of works like that.

5. Book insurance.

As a well trained guard dog, your dog probably isn't likely to attack anyone except in cases of emergency. However, when he's away from home and away from his routine, you can never tell what might happen. To ensure you are prepared for any emergencies or injuries, consider booking additional liability coverage or pet health insurance to safeguard yourself financially.