Higher Standard

To meet Higher Standard, an operator must provide additional welfare provisions including a lower staff-to-dog ratio, overnight staff checks, larger sleeping areas, a minimum of two separate exercise periods per day for at least 20 minutes each, and on-site staff present 24/7.

Achieving Higher Standard is the only way to reach a 4 or 5 star rating under the scheme. A 5-star Higher Standard operator is the highest-rated category. A Standard-tier operator can achieve a maximum of 3 stars.

On every operator profile we publish, we surface whether the operator meets Higher or Standard tier alongside their star rating.