If you have ever dropped your dog off at a boarding facility and wondered what actually happens while you are away, the answer is more involved than most people expect. Feeding and cleaning are part of it. They are not all of it.
Nolan Empringham of Bowmanville, Ontario works in both dog training and kennel attendant capacities. The two roles overlap in ways that shape how he reads and handles dogs. Kennel work is not just care and maintenance. It is an extended opportunity to observe dogs in ways that most owners never get.
The Basics of Daily Kennel Work
Kennel attendant responsibilities include feeding, watering, cleaning kennels, providing exercise, and making sure each dog is physically comfortable and healthy. This work is physical, consistent, and happens on a schedule that dogs adapt to quickly.
The physical care side is straightforward. What is less obvious is the attention required to manage multiple dogs with different needs, different personalities, and different reactions to the kennel environment. A facility with a dozen dogs involves a dozen different situations to track. A dog that is well-adjusted at home can behave very differently in a kennel. Some become quiet. Some become anxious. A good kennel attendant notices these changes and adjusts how they interact with each dog accordingly.
Reading a Dog in a Kennel Environment
Dogs communicate through behavior. Eating patterns change when a dog is stressed. Energy levels shift. Body language and posture carry information that a dog cannot express otherwise.
Empringham’s training background shapes how he reads these signals. A kennel attendant who has worked extensively in obedience training sees more than one who has not. They can distinguish between a dog that is anxious and needs reassurance, and one that is testing the environment in a new setting. That distinction matters because the right response to each situation is different. The wrong response to an anxious dog can increase the anxiety. Getting it right requires reading what is actually in front of you.
Why Kennel Work and Training Go Together
The dogs that move through kennel environments most smoothly are almost always the ones with some obedience foundation. A dog that understands basic commands is easier to manage in a kennel setting. It can be redirected when needed and responds to cues that keep it and the people around it safe.
Empringham’s experience in both kennel attendant work and dog training informs each side. His time in kennels shows him patterns in dog behavior under stress. His training work gives him tools to address those patterns directly. The two roles are not separate in practice.
What Owners Should Know
If you are choosing where to board your dog, ask how the staff is trained. Ask how they handle a dog that is anxious on arrival, and what the daily exercise and interaction schedule looks like. The quality of kennel attendant work varies widely across facilities. Staff with training backgrounds tend to manage dogs more effectively, particularly the ones that do not settle in easily.
Nolan Empringham of Bowmanville, Ontario brings that combination to his part-time work. His kennel attendant experience and his dog training programs are different aspects of the same sustained attention to how dogs behave, what they need, and what the people caring for them need to understand.