Picking the Correct Dog Day Care

Choosing the Right Doggy Day Care For Your Dog

A dog daycare is a canine facility in which a dog owner can leave his dog for a specified length of time during the day. It is different from a long term kennel because you basically get to pick up your best buddy at the end of the day. Some people compare it to a kids daycare facility and they are not wrong. There are a lot of these around the country and the question now is how to choose the right one for your furry friend.

There are several factors that you need to consider when choosing a place for your dog to stay while you are busy. Foremost is the safety and wellbeing of your dog. There are several things that can contribute to a place where your dog will be safe and well taken care of. These include, but are not limited to, the facility and its features, the qualifications of the people who will be handling your dog and the activities that they offer. \

a female staff member at a kennel supervises several large dogs playing together

The Place

This is one of the more important aspects that you need to be clear about. Don’t be fooled by dog daycare places that offer activities and features that are more appealing to humans than canines. Some enterprising but unscrupulous individuals offer services that are aimed at the owner of the dog rather than the dog itself. A relatively small yard that features several dogs getting together very well should be viewed as hazardous if both small and large breed dogs are mixed together. Look for a place that separates the dogs by size most of the time. If the owners of the daycare always put big and small dogs together, this might not be the place for your dog. There are times when both big and small dogs can be brought together; but this should be under the watchful eye of experts who are quick to discern when a situation might turn bad.

Another reason why there has to be some boundaries between some groups of dogs if because specific breeds of dogs play differently from others. Border collies may be more active than other dogs and need to have a large space when they are exercised. Some dogs like to run wild while others might prefer a more sedate walk around the yard. Boisterous canines might irritate the more sedate ones and a fight might ensue.

Some daycare centers are only good on the outside, when they expect visitors or when it is time for the owners to drop off or pick up their dogs. Visiting unannounced can open your eyes to how suitable the place is for your dog. Expect the staff of a good center to be warm and loving towards their charges even when their owners are not there. Say a while after all the other owners have gone and chat a bit with the people in charge if they can spare some time with you. Ask to have a tour of their place out of the blue so you can see how they actually handle dogs.

The Handlers

The dog trainers of the dog daycare center should have a relevant certificate or degree related to their job. This is so that you are assured that the trainer knows what he is doing. Training through positive reinforcement is a great way to train dogs and should be the main method of teaching.

Another aspect that you should look for in the staff and workers of the dog daycare center is how efficiently they handle emergencies. There should always be a vet on hand in case of emergency. Ask how they handle emergencies and if there is a nearby pet hospital.

You should also ask how many members of the staff will be on hand at all times. There might be a long list of names of workers but they might work in shifts. Ask about the handler to dog ratio at all times and whether the dogs are left to their own devices without supervision. It is not advisable to leave a dog alone or with other dogs at any given time. Fights can break out if the dogs are not supervised.

There should also be a screening for each dog that are housed temporarily at the center. This is necessary because some dogs may have special needs or conditions that should be addressed by a doctor or an expert. Aside from that, dogs that have not been neutered or spayed may need to be monitored carefully when they are with others dogs. Screening does not necessarily mean that the daycare discriminates against specific breeds; it just means that they want to be sure that they have every detail of each dog that is brought to them for the safety and well being of all the dogs in their facility. If the center does say that they do not accept specific breeds because these are too aggressive, you might want to bring your business somewhere else. Discriminating against a specific breed could mean that they have a narrow view of dogs and just want to make an easy buck.On the other hand, there are really some aggressive dogs that might be brought to daycare for canines. Ask how potentially aggressive dogs are handled and weigh their answers wisely.

Activities and Services

More often than not, these kinds of daycare centers offer a variety of services for the dogs that they are in charge of. Ask what you want to know about the different services and activities that they advertise as well as those that they do not have listed in their advertisements. Dog training and socialization is one of the usual services that you can avail in most daycare centers for dogs. Ask to see how the dogs are trained to check if their methods are safe and updated. Beware of techniques that can potentially hurt your dog, such as choke collars, electric collars and other punishment techniques.

Grooming services may also offered in the daycare but make sure that there is a certified and qualified groomer in-house. If the center contracts a groomer only when necessary, this could mean that you will be paying more than what you should be paying outside.

Other services that some centers usually offer which you may be interested in are pickup and drop off, giving medications, dog walking and specialized exercises. Luxury places might also offer services such as treatments, massage and other spa related services. While these are great for your dog, they might actually enjoy a good play session with other dogs than an aromatherapy spa.

Pricing

The prices of a daycare center for dogs usually stay within an affordable range, unless you go to an upscale and luxurious one. Check the websites of the daycares for their pricing and compare their facility and their services to others.

The best way to narrow down your search is to ask your veterinarian or some of your friends who have dogs for their recommendations. Personally visit the centers that you think may take better care of your dog. Bring your dog along for a look-see. You can draw some insight on how the staff interacts with your dog. It pays to do some research about the place that you are interested in so you know your dog will be in good hands.

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