Wanna play?

Choosing the right dog daycare

Doggy daycare. If you’re a pet owner you’ve likely heard the phrase many times. You may even pass one on your way to work everyday. Dog daycares are more popular than ever before, and with new ones popping up on every street corner how do you choose the right facility for your pet?

Doggy daycare. If you’re a pet owner you’ve likely heard the phrase many times. You may even pass one on your way to work everyday. Dog daycares are more popular than ever before, and with new ones popping up on every street corner how do you choose the right facility for your pet?

I’ll admit, I’m over protective when it comes to my dogs. I don’t even let other people watch them for me while I’m out of town, I take them with me instead, so leaving them at a dog daycare is almost unheard of. How will I know they’re truly being taken care of? What if they get injured? How can I be sure the other dogs are screened properly? These are questions every devoted doggy parent asks themselves when considering such an option. We want the best and nothing less will do.

Unfortunately, not all dog daycares are created equal. Some are run by wonderful staff who have extensive dog knowledge and experience, but others are simply run to make a buck and the only experience the staff may have is owning their own dog. And honestly, that’s just not good enough. Evaluating a dog daycare facility should be like evaluating a daycare for your child. Talk with the owners and staff to find out what experience they have. Do they train dogs? Have they shown dogs? How about experience as a groomer? What exactly makes them qualified to supervise a large group of dogs properly? Simply owning a dog themselves is not the best answer, all dogs are different and one can only get valuable experience in reading canine body language by actually working with many different dogs.

Supervision is what keeps the pack harmonious. Ideally there should be a small dog to person ratio. I prefer to see 1 staff member for every 10 dogs. Any more than that and things slip through the cracks and it’s only a matter of time before a dog gets snarky and no one notices since there’s simply too many dogs for the limited amount of staff. Keeping it at 10:1 is the bare minimum I’d be looking for.

It’s also important to visit the facility in person, without an appointment. Of course you want to be considerate and not stop by unannounced during peak drop off or pick up hours, as the staff will be too busy to give you the proper tour. Asking what their preferred times are is a good idea and then plan your visit based around their answer, you may be entering into a long term relationship with this business so it’s a good idea to start off on the right paw. If you’re told you cannot view the facility without an appointment then check them off your list and look elsewhere. They may be a wonderful daycare but you don’t know that, and unless you can see the place first hand without giving them time to ‘primp’ it up for you, you’ll never really know for sure how clean, well staffed, and well organized it is when you aren’t there.

Would you drop your child off at a daycare without being able to see how the staff interact with the children? Of course not. Your dog deserves the same courtesy. He is the one that’ll be there after all. If you have a toy breed it’s important to make sure they have separate areas for large and small dogs. Big dogs and little ones often don’t mix well. The size difference alone makes it dangerous for a small dog even if the bigger one is perfectly sweet and just wants to play. A body slam in play from a Lab could be crushing to a toy breed dog. It’s best to keep the dogs separated by size to avoid injuries.

While you’re taking your tour be sure to ask how the dogs are screened before being accepted. Most daycares require a temperament evaluation before the first day. Not all dogs are well suited for daycare. Some are simply too aggressive, too shy or just have no desire to play and interact with other dogs. Well socialized dogs that love to play and who have some excess energy to burn are usually the best candidates. Don’t feel discouraged if your dog doesn’t make the cut. Some facilities have an on sight trainer that may be able to help you and your dog work through whatever issue is keeping him out of daycare, and others even offer separate playtime for dogs that would rather enjoy human companionship instead of canine. If in the end, your dog is more of a homebody than a social butterfly there’s always the option to hire a dog walker to visit your home while you’re at work. This will provide the required exercise and keep your pooch happy at home.