Membership at The Dogchester
We’re a members-only dog hotel because it protects what matters most: a calm environment, honest suitability assessments, and total peace of mind while you’re away.
Why We’re Members-Only
This isn’t about whether a dog is “good” or “bad.” It’s about whether our facility can meet your dog’s needs so they stay happy, healthy, and safe when you’re away.
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🐾Calm guests = calmer stays.
Membership helps us keep a settled, compatible community — which reduces stress for everyone. -
🧠Honest feedback, upfront.
We’ll tell you clearly if your dog enjoys it here, or if they’d be happier with a different style of care (e.g. 1-to-1 or a clinical/medical setting). -
🛡️No surprises on your holiday.
We assess suitability first — so you don’t go away and then get a call to collect your dog because their needs can’t be safely met. -
🤝Time to truly get to know us.
You get a proper tour and conversation — so you can decide with confidence if we’re the right fit for you and your dog.
Our promise: we will always prioritise your dog’s welfare over taking a booking.
What Membership Gives You
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📸Regular updates.
So you can relax knowing how your dog is settling and what they’re enjoying during their stay. -
✅Confidence before you travel.
The trial process means your dog has already proven they can settle here comfortably.
What We’re Assessing For
We’re assessing fit: can we meet your dog’s emotional, behavioural, and physical needs in a shared-care environment? Below are the key areas we look at during the tour + trial night.
Stress & recovery
Handling
Safety
Medical needs
Suitability
🩺 Assessing medical needs
We need to be confident we can meet your dog’s health requirements safely and consistently.
- Current health, chronic conditions, and mobility limitations
- Medication needs (timing, method, tolerance, and cooperation)
- Post-op care requirements or special monitoring
- Whether a veterinary/clinical setting would be more appropriate
🪵 Destructive behaviour
We assess if your dog can relax and settle without damaging bedding, doors, panels, or their own safety.
- Chewing, scratching, digging, ripping bedding, crate anxiety
- Whether destruction is stress-related or habitual
- Ability to settle with enrichment, routine, and supervision
- Risk to the dog’s welfare (ingestion hazards, broken nails/teeth)
🔊 Excessive barking
Barking is normal — we’re looking for whether it’s excessive or driven by distress.
- How quickly your dog settles after stimulation
- Whether barking escalates other dogs or disrupts the calm environment
- Triggers (separation, noise sensitivity, barriers, frustration)
- How your dog responds to routine, redirection, and downtime
🏃 Flight risk
Safety is non-negotiable. We assess escape attempts, bolting, and recall reliability.
- Door-dashing / slipping leads / jumping barriers / digging
- Response to harnessing and secure lead handling
- Reliability under distraction and in new environments
- Whether additional safety protocols are sufficient in our setting
🧤 Handlability
Our team must be able to safely move, handle, and care for your dog without distress.
- Collar/harness acceptance, lead pressure tolerance
- Comfort with touch (paw wipes, drying, gentle checks)
- Cooperation with routine needs (feeding, settling, transitions)
- Responses to unfamiliar staff (calm, avoidant, defensive)
🛑 Aggression towards staff
We take safety seriously and assess any signs of threat or intent to bite.
- Growling, snapping, lunging, guarding space/resources
- Whether behaviour is fear-based, handling-based, or context-specific
- Ability to manage safely with protocols — without escalating stress
- If a specialist 1-to-1 or behaviour-led setting is a better fit
💛 Signs of distress
The goal is a dog who can relax, recover, and enjoy their stay — not “cope”.
- Shutdown, pacing, panting, trembling, frantic scanning
- Inability to eat/sleep, constant vocalising, hypervigilance
- Separation stress indicators vs normal settling period
- How quickly they recover with routine, support, and rest
Important: our assessment is about fit. If we don’t believe this environment is right for your dog,
we’ll tell you kindly and give recommendations that prioritise welfare.
How Membership Works
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Apply & book your tour
We’ll schedule a relaxed visit where you can ask questions and see everything properly. -
20–30 minute tour & conversation
We show you around, learn about your dog’s routine, and make sure you feel fully comfortable with us. -
Trial night stay
Your dog completes one trial night so we can assess how they settle in a real stay scenario. You’ll receive updates during the stay. -
Membership outcome
After the trial, your dog is welcomed as a member or we provide honest, practical recommendations if a different care setup would suit them better.
Peace of mind: the entire point of this process is that you can travel knowing your dog is genuinely happy here.