Pet Day Care Services

by Tina Knight

With so many pet owners working full-time jobs, more people are choosing to take their dogs to a pet day care facility. This is an excellent option for people who have a high-energy dog. The dog works out all of his energy during the day playing with other dogs and the owner gets to enjoy a calm, relaxed pet when they get home from work. Your dog also gets to improve his socialization skills. If you are considering a day care service for your pet, there are some things to consider before choosing.

First, you should decide if your dog is even a good candidate for doggy day care.  Has the dog ever shown aggression towards another dog or person? Are they very protective of their toys? Are they extremely shy? If you answered yes to any of these questions, day care may not be the right choice for your dog. All dogs will be temperament-tested the first time they go to the facility to make sure they are going to be okay to play in a large group of dogs. If you have an older dog, they may not do well in a large group of very active dogs. All pet care facilities require that your pet be current on vaccines and if they are more than six months old, they must be spayed or neutered.

When looking for a day care facility, find one that is convenient. Most people drop their dog off on the way to work and pick them up after work. Find a day care that is in close proximity to both work and home. Check the hours of the facility and make sure they fit in with your work schedule. Find out what their policy is if you are going to be late picking your dog up and if you will be charged a “late pick-up” fee. Most day care facilities have a cut-off time for picking your dog up after hours. After this time, your dog will be boarded overnight and you will be charged a boarding fee.

Visit a day care facility yourself before taking your dog in. Observe the dogs in the play area. Do they seem to be having fun? Are there any dogs that are being allowed to show aggressive or dominant behavior? This should not be allowed. Are there plenty of toys in the yard? There should be plenty of shade in the play area and of course, lots of fresh water. There should be separate play areas for large and small dogs. You may see some small dogs in the big dog yard and vice-versa. Some small dogs have big-dog attitudes and play better with big dogs. Some older, calmer, large dogs may do better with small dogs. You should also observe the staff and notice how they interact with the dogs. Are they walking around and mingling with the dogs? Do they seem to have control over the dogs? Notice the cleanliness of the yard as well; is there feces lying around. An area that is not cleaned promptly may mean the staff isn’t large enough for the number of dogs, they lack adequate training or they do not care.

Spend time talking with and observing the staff. Are they friendly towards you and do they genuinely enjoy being with the dogs? Ask about the average dog-to-staff ratio. One person should never be in charge of more than 20-25 dogs. Ask them how they introduce new dogs. Whenever a new dog comes into a group, they should be brought into the group once all of the other dogs are in the yard and given a chance to settle down. The new dog should never be the first one out. Ask how they deal with unruly dogs. A dog that is too rambunctious can be annoying to the other dogs and start a fight. They should be put into time-out. Find out how dogfights are handled. Whenever there is a large group of dogs playing together, there is bound to be a fight at some point. If you are told that they don’t have fights, they are not being honest. They should have enough people on staff to break up any fights that do occur.

Dogfights are a risk you should be aware of when deciding to take your dog to a day care facility. If you are taking them on a regular basis, there is a good chance your dog will be involved in a fight at some point, either as the instigator or as  an innocent bystander. Know what their policy is regarding financial responsibility in the case of a fight. Generally, unless negligence on the part of the staff can be proven (i.e. dogs being left unattended), it’s the responsibility of the owner of the dog who started the fight to pay any vet bills incurred by other dog owners.

Ask about any extra services offered. Many day care facilities have webcams so you can check on your dog during the day. You will receive a special login code that only you can use. This prevents others from being able to log in and watch your dog. Other extra services typically offered are bathing and snacks. Some day care facilities offer full-service grooming and overnight boarding. Ask about special deals on pricing. Most day cares offer deals for people who bring their dogs on a regular basis.
The first time you take your dog to day care, it should be for half a day. One full day may be a bit overwhelming for them. So be sure your work schedule allows time for you to pick them up and take them home at lunchtime on the first day. Owners who take their dogs to day care love the fact that they pick up a dog that has been well exercised for the day. Keep in mind that your dog may be so tired that they want to sleep all evening!

For more information on doggy day care, visit the ASPCA (http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/55/Daycare-for-Dogs.aspx).