# Doggy Day Care



## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Hey guys, how many people here have experienced Doggy Day Care before? It's not a very common thing where I am (when I search for it, I find so many boarding kennels that call themselves "dog day care", but thats not what I'm after), and I have only found one location that does it in my area. I am going to take Duke by tomorrow afternoon so they can meet him and see what they're in for, and so I can see the place and decide if it's right for Duke. If it's suitable, I will probably start him twice a week from next week, for as long as I can afford it (it is NOT cheap by any stretch of the imagination), so he gets more time to socialise with other dogs (since the hubby WILL NOT give in to the idea of getting a second dog).

What should I be on the look out for? Is there certain questions I should ask? What are your thoughts on the idea?

I noticed they offer a "reduced price" dog wash to day care participants, so I might consider dropping my usual mobile dog wash lady if their wash looks just as good, coz I'd say that will save a bit of money too (his wash costs a fair bit too, but he always smells so pretty afterwards haha and it's near on impossible for me to wash him on my own at home!). Though he does enjoy his dog wash lady, so that could be another thing to spice up a different day of the week (he currently gets a wash fortnightly coz of all the sand, but once we have our lawn laid I will change it to monthly).

I also noticed they say "treats included" so I'll have to ask what they are and how much they get, and if they aren't all natural dehydrated meat, I'll be supplying my own treats :wink:


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

I know several people who use a local doggy day care. They say for the most part their
dogs have a blast. They get to watch their dogs play via web cams. The dogs also get to
go swimming if they want to. They also like the fact that there seems to be plenty of
employees to keep an eye on the dogs just in case there is a problem. You'll have to let
us know how everything goes!


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

It would be great if it's like that, especially if I can tune in and watch him, you know, just to be sure they don't chuck them in pens all day and charge you for a "day care" experience! I'm a bit sceptical because of the location of this one, it's right in town, and its part of a company, and the shop front is very small, so I'm not imagining a very big day care area! Oh well, I'll find out tomorrow when I go take a look  fingers crossed it's perfect for him!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I've worked at several Doggy Daycares, both franchise and private, in San Diego, CA, Boulder, CO, Las Vegas, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, and now I own my own small daycare in Orem, UT. Daycare can be an EXCELLENT thing if you find a good one, but there are some really awful places out there. I know, I've worked at them! I personally have liked any small, private owned facility I've been to over the chains. I worked for the biggest dog daycare franchise in the country in four locations, and four states, and worked directly with their corporate office and NO WAY would I leave my dogs there. I will not mention the company in open forum, but PM me if you want to know. 

I posted a thread a long while back that might interest you. There's a lot of things you will need to look for when picking a daycare. Some hidden red flags, and some things that might seem like red flags but aren't. Anyway, here's the thread:
http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/general-dog-discussion/1628-dog-daycare-what-ask-what-do-when-run.html


Ps. I have a tiny lobby, but biggest play yards in my town.:smile: 
I also will NEVER have webcams. I could go on and on with reasons why.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Thanks heaps for that Linsey, I'll check out the thread. I can definitely understand why NOT to have webcams from a daycare POV, but obviously from owner POV it would be comforting haha but then I'll spend all day watching my dog on webcam and talking about him on here, and i'll never get any work done haha

Yeah this one is a small privately owned one, the big chain ones you're talking about probably don't even operate here (certainly not in my town anyway) so that won't be an issue. Fingers crossed tomorrow goes well and Duke can have a good time there


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

My first try at a doggy day care was very weird - when I went to pick up my dog the woman couldn't even open the door because the dogs were going crazy all around her, jumping and barking and just nuts. She had to stand there and wait for an opening to squeeze out. It was also my first (and worst) experience with positive training. At the introductory class, her dog would bite people in the crotch if they didn't throw the rope for him. He also kept running over to a trainer and grabbing the front of his shirt until it was in shreds. No corrections at all. I remember thinking if this is the best we can do, we are in real trouble. By the third session, we were the only ones in the class. That place went out of business within a year.

The second doggy day care, I went to pick up my dog and he was with the groomer, getting a bath. He was covered in mud and they were trying to get him cleaned up before I came. I never found out why.

i don't do doggy day care any more. I just don't know what's going on while I'm not there. And I don't want to sit and work and feel like I have to look at a web cam to make sure my dog is ok.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Like anything else there's gonna be good and bad places. I've worked at 2 very different doggie daycares here in Ga. One was HUGE and could be a bit overwhelming for a shy dog. The other was a house with a small yard and they also had professional groomers on staff and only boarded dogs 35 lbs and under. Both places had different things to offer. I will say this for both though; they were wonderful with the dogs. Both made sure their employees were dog lovers and that the dogs were treated like their own dogs. It didn't matter what the owners asked for, they made sure the requests were met. If someone wanted their dog to go to a kennel for a nap at 1 pm everyday for an hour, they got it. If they wanted a t-shirt from their home to be in the bed with their dog, they got it. If they were afraid their dog would get freaked out and try to escape while they were boarding and didn't want them to go outside at all, they got it. I wouldn't have worked somewhere that told the owner's one thing and then done another as soon as they were out the door. The smaller place was the best at letting people know also if their dog genuinely enjoyed being there. By that I mean, even at the expense of losing a client, if a dog seemed too scared or just really miserable, they would let the owner know that daycare wasn't a good match for their dog. Some dogs just probably like the quiet comfort of their own home. So go check some places out. Any reputable place will give you a full tour of the facility and you can make a good decision from there. 
And Xellil, we had a Rottie at daycare one day that dug a hole and later that day it poured down rain and filled the hole with water. When we let them out for their last potty break he dipped his entire head in the muddy water and when he lifted his head it all ran down his chest and front legs. Needless to say, a last minute bath was in order for him.....:smile:


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I've taken my Cayenne to a couple "Doggy Day cares" I always look to see the amount of room they have for the amount of dogs and how many people are working for the amount of dogs. One place I went I stopped going to because they had way too many dogs for the space and 1 or 2 people working, not enough in my opinion, especially if a spat should happen.

I think you'll get a "feeling" right away if it is the right place for your dog.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Donna Little said:


> And Xellil, we had a Rottie at daycare one day that dug a hole and later that day it poured down rain and filled the hole with water. When we let them out for their last potty break he dipped his entire head in the muddy water and when he lifted his head it all ran down his chest and front legs. Needless to say, a last minute bath was in order for him.....:smile:


That would have been fine, had they not promised me he would be inside with all the other dogs during the day and not go out. It was winter and cold out and Dobermans don't have much hair - they had pens out back (with dirt bottoms) and it rained, and I think they put him out there and he got muddy, and he was definitely not inside with the other dogs all day, and they were trying to hide that fact from me.

Edited to add: I'm sure there are good places. I just don't seem to be very good at finding them. both of those places appeared to have a good setup, until the dogs actually spent a day there.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

xellil said:


> That would have been fine, had they not promised me he would be inside with all the other dogs during the day and not go out. It was winter and cold out and Dobermans don't have much hair - they had pens out back (with dirt bottoms) and it rained, and I think they put him out there and he got muddy, and he was definitely not inside with the other dogs all day, and they were trying to hide that fact from me.
> 
> Edited to add: I'm sure there are good places. I just don't seem to be very good at finding them. both of those places appeared to have a good setup, until the dogs actually spent a day there.


That would make me very unhappy too. Both places I worked were all about the comfort of the dogs. If it was freezing, we had a super speedy potty break and if some didn't want to go out they didn't have to. The large facility I was at kenneled everyone at night. During the day they were in huge playrooms with appropriately sized dogs. We had one room in the corner that was small and if we had senior quiet dogs that just wanted to sleep they could go there to get away from the craziness if the dogs were playing. The smaller place I worked at didn't kennel the dogs at all. That took a little getting used to for me because I worried about what might happen at night. And of course we all know even our own dogs can get in a fight in the wrong circumstances. But, this place was careful to not take in dogs that were aggressive with others and never had too many at once. They had a booming business but really managed it well. We had 4 rooms and at night everyone got a bed on the floor and we'd throw down a couple of extras and separated the dogs according to size and energy level. They never had one fight the entire time I worked there. 
I am totally anal about my dogs and I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dogs at either place if I needed to and that definitely says alot!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

That's what I thought I liked about the last place - separate areas for big and little dogs, a "time out" area and a "quiet zone" area. It seemed great. I should have come back in an hour to see whether the dogs were where they said they would be.

That would be very cool to be able to not kennel the dogs, if I could find a place like that I would go on vacation without them. I don't like cages at all. I don't think i've ever seen a place like that, either in person or looking on the internet. Shoot, one of my dogs would probably like that alot better than home, as he loves to be around other dogs.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Well unfortunately it was pretty crappy  the place is a dog products shop, with a grooming area as well, they've always offered washes/grooming etc. Their "daycare" is basically the grooming room - dogs can play around on the floor while other dogs get baths etc. It's pretty much just two small rooms, with a gate in between if they need to separate dogs. While I'm sure Duke would have fun there (they had about 4 staff on when I was in and only 4 dogs at the time, I don't think they'd have more than about 10-12 dogs at any one time, judging on the size), I think he'd destroy the place - he is FULL ON and plays non-stop. Plus they just said he can't have fleas, and that they are pretty good judges of aggression etc (but didn't say that there was any "screening" process before he is booked in... they just judge it on the day lol real safe). I don't think the area could handle duke's energy to be honest. I'm sure it would help him with socialisation etc, and he probably would enjoy himself, but I don't think is a very good place... and the only outside time is a small grassy area out back for them to go to the toilet on, then its back inside...


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

i've worked at 2, one better than average but not perfect, and one that gives me chills to think about. they can be great, IF they do things right, and aren'y afraid to be really picky aboutr what dogs can get in. my dog, for instance, should be rejected, at least at this age, as he loves other dogs but plays super roughly and has no sense of when he's getting one another dogs nerves. if he caused a fight with his well intentioned but rude behavior, he would be one more pit bull in a fight for anyone who might see it or hear about it, which no one needs. i was a groomer at the really creepy place i worked, and only stayed as long as i did because it was in a spot where i had a great grooming clientele and could make some serious money asd a groomer. after they asked me to fill in at the daycare attached a few times i had to leave and suck up the pay cut, I was left qalone to break up some heart stopping fights between dogs who should have never been there, let alone in with huge numbers of other dogs of all sizes and ages. I will say, I still remember every regular's name from the place i liked, and even dream about them some times. Even years later i remember them better than most of the people I went to high school with.


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