Puppy/Doggy Day Care?

bellacherie

bellacherie

Enthusiast
Nov 2, 2006
4,597
8
#1
I'm looking into sending our puppy to day care one day a week to help with socializing etc.

Has anyone had any experiences with it?

Did your dog enjoy it?

Thoughts much appreciated.
 
#2
I've never taken my dog for daycare per se, but I did used to take her to a groomer that also did doggie daycare. So when they were there to be groomed they would be put in with the dogs there for daycare. When I brought her the first time they asked me if she liked to play with other little dogs, and I told them I didn't think she would because she freaks out at the vet or anywhere usually around other dogs.

Well, when I picked her up they said she loved playing with other little dogs! I guess once I'm gone she has fun with them.
 
#3
I've never done doggy day care, but have you gone to a dog park? If you've got one close, this could give you an idea how your dog is around others, give him/her a chance to socialize, but w/o being stuck there all day and maybe would not be too much overload in the beginning? Just an idea. Plus, the park is free!
 
#5
I haven't just because I have such terrible seperation anxiety from my babies. I take them to the park where they socialize with every dog there and my bf's parents have a fantastic dog so we take them over there all the time to play.

My baby Sophie would never go, we cannot be apart from each other. My boy Max probably would though we adopted him so he is used to a ton of other dogs around all the time.

Good luck though, I know a ton of people who do day care and their dogs love it!!
 
#6
My dog goes to day care occassionally and she loves it. She has several "friends" that she has made there. It is really great for her because she is still very young and there are lots of other young dogs who like to play as much as she does. She comes home exhausted because she plays the whole day and is really mellow for the next day. We work and she has a dog walker that comes on the days that we don't take her. The only drawback is that when she leaves can smell pretty strongly of dog odors.

There are a few things to keep in mind. First, make sure that you pick a reputable place. I have heard of some dogs getting hurt at daycare. Make sure that the one you pick screens the dogs beforehand and makes sure that they get along with other dogs. It is important that they screen out the unsocial and violent dogs and that they have adequate staff in with the dogs at all times to prevent fights. Also, we picked a place that has separate spaces for the big dogs and small dogs since we were worried that our small dog could get hurt if she was in with a bunch of much larger dogs.
 
#7
You should definitely do it to socialize your doggie. Reputable places will ask for the vet records and most you can leave the dogs for say a couple of hours the first time to see if your dog likes it. Some places even have internet access so you can watch your doggie.
 
#8
Tibu said:
My dog goes to day care occassionally and she loves it. She has several "friends" that she has made there. It is really great for her because she is still very young and there are lots of other young dogs who like to play as much as she does. She comes home exhausted because she plays the whole day and is really mellow for the next day. We work and she has a dog walker that comes on the days that we don't take her. The only drawback is that when she leaves can smell pretty strongly of dog odors.

There are a few things to keep in mind. First, make sure that you pick a reputable place. I have heard of some dogs getting hurt at daycare. Make sure that the one you pick screens the dogs beforehand and makes sure that they get along with other dogs. It is important that they screen out the unsocial and violent dogs and that they have adequate staff in with the dogs at all times to prevent fights. Also, we picked a place that has separate spaces for the big dogs and small dogs since we were worried that our small dog could get hurt if she was in with a bunch of much larger dogs.
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Wow thanks for all your input! The place we are looking at only takes small dogs - so our king charles cavalier will big the biggest (when full grown) - we have been told that there are health/desexing checks done and they wont take aggressive dogs. They said I can start when she is a puppy (easliest 12 weeks) so that she is used to it early on. Will let you know how it goes!

Here is the website if anyone is interested http://www.furrykidsathome.com.au/
 
#9
Please be careful going to a dog park. My dog got great socialization skills there but also learned some nasty habits....ie toy aggression specifically. It only took one bite from a dog that had the had toy aggression issues and my pup "learned" that this must be how you gaurd your toys. I have since broke her of the nasty habit, but just be careful.
 
#10
I take my furbaby to doggie daycare a couple of times a week, and she loves it! I have a 3 year old lab, and it gives her an opportunity to play, interact with other dogs and be a part of a "pack". (She even has a boyfriend there named Gus!). When I was researching daycares, I scoured the internet, asked co-workers and neighbors, and toured the facilities prior to dropping her off. Make sure if they provide outside playtime there is a staffmember outside with the dogs at all time, and make sure to find a place that is dilligent about your pets safety (the first thing they should ask for from you is your pets medical/shot records, I also like that my daycare has seperate play areas for different sized dogs!). I just love my daycare (barking hounds in atlanta) they even give me updates as to how she's going throughout the day (I called a LOT when I first started sending her!!)
 
#11
stiffaknee said:
I take my furbaby to doggie daycare a couple of times a week, and she loves it! I have a 3 year old lab, and it gives her an opportunity to play, interact with other dogs and be a part of a "pack". (She even has a boyfriend there named Gus!). When I was researching daycares, I scoured the internet, asked co-workers and neighbors, and toured the facilities prior to dropping her off. Make sure if they provide outside playtime there is a staffmember outside with the dogs at all time, and make sure to find a place that is dilligent about your pets safety (the first thing they should ask for from you is your pets medical/shot records, I also like that my daycare has seperate play areas for different sized dogs!). I just love my daycare (barking hounds in atlanta) they even give me updates as to how she's going throughout the day (I called a LOT when I first started sending her!!)
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That's really good to hear! The place I'm sending her has report cards!
 
#13
The webcams at doggie daycare are a great idea, but it took all of my self control not to constantly be checking the webcam to see how my dog was doing and worry about her. It made it very hard to get work done when I could watch puppy playtime all day! The place that I currently take my dog doesn't have the webcam, which I figure is just as well. I do get reports though so I know how everything is going.
 
#14
We had our three rescue beagles in doggy day care for several years - it was a great thing when we were both working away from home to ensure they were active and had lots of exercise and stimulation (especially as our eldest beagle would happily sleep ALL day if she could). Our youngest dog came with major fear issues as well, so being around lots of people and other dogs was probably the best thing for her when we first adopted her.

My DH is now working from home so we don't send them there anymore, and I do think they miss it - although it is definitely easier on the pocketbook keeping them home!

And I second what others have said about dog parks having good and bad points - for the most part our dogs have very positive experiences there and it is a great way for a dog to learn socialization skills, but there are times where other dogs (or more usually their owners) can really ruin the experience. Our middle beagle Moose has also been seriously attacked at the dog park - but they did also get cuts and scrapes from time to time at doggy day care so I'm not sure whether you can ever be 100% worry free whenever a number of dogs are together since it just takes one to create a problem.
 
#15
I wanted to send Awesome-O to doggy daycare because he needs more socialization skills and we never had to think about it because I used to work at night and the DH worked in the day time, so now we need it. We are also in the process of adopting another min pin, so it will be good for him also and a doggy daycare has just opened just down the street from us.
 
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