If you are applying for a role at a dog or cat kennel you may want to consider recommended job interview questions that would be useful to know. We have also added alternative subjects around animal care so you can fully prepare before an important interview for that dream job at a kennel!
1. What experience do you have with animals, particularly dogs and cats?
It’s not always necessary to have had extensive hands-on experience with animals, but most employers would expect you to have some at least. You can talk about your own pets, and remember to mention everything that may be relevant - for example, have you had a rescue dog that needed behaviourist input, so you have dealt with challenging behaviours, or did you take your puppy to training classes so have knowledge of that?
It is also great if you can talk about volunteering experience; most rescues use volunteers, or you can volunteer at a local training club or groomers. You need to show that you can cope with dogs that jump or cats that swipe at you!
2. How physically demanding do you expect the job to be?
Working in kennels is generally physically tiring. The days tend to involve early starts, long hours and demanding physical work. There is a lot of bending and lifting, you will be cleaning up after the animals and scrubbing the kennels, carrying bags of food, and pushing wheelbarrows of dirty bedding to the laundry. You will be walking a lot (step counters can get up to the 20,000 a day easily) and this will be in all weathers, so invest in some waterproofs. But on the plus side, you can cancel your gym membership; you won’t be needing it anymore!
3. What personal qualities do you think you’ll need when working with animals?
It goes without saying that you will need to be dedicated, compassionate and hard working. As well as being physically fit you will also need to have common sense, good organisational skills, and an ability to follow instructions and pay attention to detail (did you remember to give that dog his medication and write the notes in the relevant places?)
Remaining calm and cheerful is essential for this type of work as animals will pick up on and respond to your mood; their stress increases along with yours. This is a good reason to practise mindfulness, deep breathing or simply counting to 10.
4. How would you respond to a very nervous animal?
This is where it is useful to have a qualification in animal care or behaviour. Animals express their emotions through their body language. The more you understand and can read this, the quicker you can build a bond with the animal and keep both of you safe. Dogs give clear signals about how they are feeling, although many people can’t read these and so put dogs into situations the dog can’t really cope with.
Cats and small animals have less obvious body language, and their signals are more subtle, although they are still telling us how they feel. When you can see that an animal is scared then you can respond accordingly – don’t approach, give the animal space, allow it time to settle and adjust etc. This will enable it to gain confidence in you and the situation.
5. How would you alleviate boredom for cats and dogs in kennels?
It seems obvious that confinement in boarding or rescue kennels is an unnatural situation for animals, and kennelling has been known to cause physical and/or emotional ill health. Good kennel staff will pick up on and attend to any problems they notice and will provide environmental enrichment to improve the animal’s stay.
Enrichment gives the animal a chance to exhibit natural behaviours, so for dogs it’s things like chewing, digging, sniffing, running, while for cats it is opportunities for hunting (lots of toys that move, squeak and have feathers), scratching posts, somewhere to hide or to get up high. These activities lower stress and are part of the humane treatment of confined companion animals.
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6. What do you think some of the daily tasks will be?
Every day you will be required to clean the kennels or cattery; some will need a spot clean, but others will need deep cleaning, and to prevent the spread of disease it is important that this is done to an extremely high standard. Then there is feeding the animals, there will be many different dietary requirements and you may be required to prepare a variety of different meals – most animals will have two meals per day. Then there will be walking the dogs, spending social time with the cats, playing with the dogs, cleaning paddocks and poop scooping, bathing, and grooming.
7. How does the role make a difference in the lives of the dogs in kennels?
Dogs in kennels are entirely reliant on the kennel staff for cleaning, exercise, feeding and stimulation and they require both mental and physical stimulation, for which they are entirely dependent on their carers. Staff who are caring and have a genuine interest in dogs and their welfare make a very real difference to the quality of life for these dogs. You will need to be aware of individual needs and able to ensure that each dog in your care is allocated one-to-one attention during the day.
Hands on time, walking and playing with the dogs is one of the more rewarding and pleasurable parts of this job, so make sure that you get a chance to interact with as many dogs as possible every day!
8. How would you cope working in a rescue environment?
Working in rescue can be very rewarding, but also emotionally draining. There are a lot of different animal rescue centres and they all vary in just about every way including, location, size, layout, facilities, types of animals cared for, policies, ethos, etc. However, one thing they all have in common is the process of taking in, caring for and rehoming unwanted or abandoned animals.
There is no government funding for animal charities so rescue centres are usually managed on tight budgets, meaning many animal charities are short staffed, so staff are required to work extremely hard, sometimes having to do the work of several people. Because of this and the nature of the work there can be a lot of pressure, and it can be emotionally exhausting as it involves assisting neglected and abused animals; compassion fatigue is common among rescue workers.
9. Why do you want to be a Kennel Manager?
The role of a kennel manager can vary greatly and will depend on the size and type of organisation. You may be required to do some of the more physical work and will need to be calm, patient, compassionate, have sound animal welfare experience, good organisational skills and good management or supervisory experience.
You also need relevant training and qualifications. A rescue centre kennel manager could be responsible for dealing with contractors, re-homing, behavioural assessments, administration and ensuring procedures are followed. With regards to qualifications for this role, the Level 3 Diploma in Canine Care, Behaviour and Welfare and the Level 3 Diploma in Kennel and Cattery Management are both good options.
10. What qualifications and experience do you have in relation to this role?
In 2018 there was a change in legislation that brought in a framework of minimum standards that animal businesses must meet, meaning having staff with accredited qualifications became necessary to achieve a business licence. Therefore, employers like potential employees to have these qualifications, although some will allow you to gain them later.
To achieve a Basic Standard licence, a Level 2 Award in Canine Care and Behaviour is required, whereas to meet the Higher Standard requirements the Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour and Welfare is necessary. These qualifications are ideal foundations for dog behaviour, training, and welfare careers. The more you can demonstrate that you know, then the more of an asset you will be to that organisation!
Also, if you adore animals, you can keep track of all upcoming animal awareness days and events with our FREE calendar! Download it here.
