Kennels serve as temporary shelters for dogs, and they are most commonly used as a place for them to sleep, work on training tactics, and are also used as a temporary boarding facility when pet owners are not able to care for the animal themselves for whatever reason. In the simplest of terms, a kennel is a house for a dog.

A dog kennel and run is a specialized type of kennel in which the dog "house" is attached to an area with some type of see-through fencing, which allows the dog room to play and walk around without being set free. The entire kennel and run is enclosed by the same roof, and most commonly, the kennel itself will have doors for both the dog and humans. The run is built with wire fencing which allows the dog to feel as though it is outdoors and not trapped, but still does not give it the freedom to roam around unprotected. The roof shelters the dog from weather conditions such as rain and direct sunlight, but allows the dog to continue being outdoors.  If you do not want to confine your dog so much and still give it the freedom you know that it deserves, having a dog and kennel run is a really good solution.  That way the dog gets the best of both worlds: the protection of a kennel, but with a bit of freedom thrown in so they can roam about, too.

This is a place where pet owners, typically dog owners, can have their pet housed for a temporary amount of time and pay a fee for the service. Boarding kennels range in size, quality, and therefore price. Each dog is given a separate kennel, and possibly a run, but receives personal attention from staff multiple times a day so that the dog suffers from as little stress as possible. This choice of lodging is common for pet owners going on vacation for short amounts of time, as it ensures that the dog will receive proper care and treatment while they are away.  Just like with any type of day care facility (be it for people or for dogs!) there is going to be variations in quality out there.  This is the type of decision where you might want to do some word of mouth research so you can find out what has worked well for other people in your area and what they recommend.  Otherwise you really are just shopping on price and have no idea as to the quality of service you might be receiving.

This type of kennel is most commonly used for the training of dogs, as a plastic dog kennel is no place to keep a pet for an extended period of time, due to the fact that the kennel is usually not much bigger than the dog itself. Plastic kennels can be purchased in size according to the dog's size, usually small to extra large. Generally, a plastic kennel serves the purpose of holding the dog when learning training tactics and also serves as a dog's bed for sleeping at night. Another common use for plastic kennels is for traveling. When taking the family pet on a car journey, it serves as a shelter for the dog so that it does not feel strange riding in a car. Also, all airlines require that a dog be kept in a plastic kennel when flying.